On April 27th Cullman, AL was hit by a tornado. Schools to reopen Monday, May 9th
When I was asked, what it means to be a teacher, I had many thoughts run through my mind. Wednesday changed all that.
Wednesday morning I woke up to tornado sirens sounding, and rushed my wife and I to the safety of my grandparents basement. We came out 20 minutes later to a world forever changed. Trapped by downed trees and damaged cell service, I struggled to find word of my players (I have coached football at my partner school for two previous years). Finally, we were able to leave our home where our farm took sizeable damage, and drive to Hanceville High School to inspect the damage.
When we arrived, the gym, baseball field, and school roofs were in ruins. The baseball coach/Agriculture teacher, the JV basketball coach, the middle school principal, and the high school principal were there with me. We started taking assessment of the damage, and working as a team, on an off day, away from our families, working to try to assemble some semblance of a school for our students to attend.
To me, that is a teacher. It isn’t easy, it isn’t pretty, it isn’t for cameras or show, it’s working shoulder to shoulder through unimaginably tough times to make the lives of young people better.
This is a picture of the gym at Kyle's school after the tornado hit.
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