Red Down Drill

A conversation with Caroline:


Mommy today we had a Red Down Drill.


What is a Red Down Drill?


It is what we do if someone comes to the school who was really mad. When you are mad you can make bad choices. So we will go to the sink and sit on the floor. Our teacher will sit in front of us so the mad person can't see us. We will freeze and be quiet so the mad person won't hear us. Mrs. M will keep the mad person away from us.

Why is it called Red Down Drill?

 When someone is very mad and making bad choices their face gets Red, and then we have to get down.

 How did the drill make you feel?  (I could not think of anything else to say)

 Scared!


We then had a chat about Fire drills and how they are good to do, but neither Mommy, nor Daddy, Nana, Papa, Grand-dad or Gran, Auntie.....etc's school ever had a fire.

Caroline then went back to her kitty tea party on the kitchen table.  I sat near by and thought about the whole thing. My heart felt sad. I volunteer once a week in Caroline's class, so I have really gotten to know Caroline's classmates and teacher well. I could not help but picture her classroom with all the little faces by the sink and Mrs. M sitting in front of them, prepared to give her life up for them.

Not only do our dear teachers have to train to teach our children, they have to train to die for them. Sobering.

My mother and I were talking yesterday about how media has changed the fear factor in parenting. We hear about every tragic thing around the country and around the world so easily. We talked about how there is statistically less crime right now in our country, but there is more awareness, thus more fear. When you take a step back and look at that, it is good news, you just need to know how process what you hear in the media. School security issues don't fall into the above category. I never had to prepare for a mad person as a child.

The tea party is still going on, Caroline seems fine. She is too young to possibly known the implications of the drill. I, however, was working just 20 minutes from Columbine on that school's tragic day. My cousin was giving birth in the hospital that the Virginia Tech students were brought to on their tragic day.

I am working on worrying less, so I will not allow this to be added to my list.  It does however deepen my appreciation for the differences each generation faces and how important Mrs M really is to me.