Lessons Learned…
Courage During Recess
It
was broken, of that there was no doubt. The bones in the lower arm were out of
place and the pain of that must have been beyond excruciating. Five minutes earlier, the first graders were
all joyously and energetically swinging across the monkey-bars, laughing and
cheering one another on. It was really a happy, sunny, very typical noon recess.
Until the fall. Just a simple slip of the hand caused the fall onto a grassy
spot, and it wasn’t even particularly high, but the landing was just right, or
perhaps just wrong, to create the break. An audible collective gasp by the
bystanding students, pierced by a heart-wrenching scream, followed by a low
steady moan which was shrouded by an eerie playground silence, all occurred
within seconds of time and perpetrated the evacuation of the playground, the
call to 911, and a small circle of very focused and very concerned staff
caregivers positioned around the very
brave first grader. “My brother,” the first grader whispered. Within moments his big brother was delivered
to the child’s side. Smiles, through the pain, were exchanged, and then began a
faithful brotherly vigil that brought peace, comfort, security, and strength. A
remarkable, beautiful demonstration of the power of family love. Their eyes remained locked, the moaning
ceased, and together they would fight through this. Very few, if any, words
were shared. The peace was in the presence; the very familiar presence. Right
there, right then, in the noontime breeze, on the playground grass, through
intense and agonizing pain, a little but very brave first grader drew great,
almost unimaginable strength and courage from the presence of his big brother,
as together quite lost to the rest of us they awaited the sound of the siren
and the arrival of the paramedics. The healing had begun.
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