If you've walked past an Apple store anytime recently, you may have noticed the Teach for America display in the window. A few months ago, we caught wind of an advertisement in which Apple was asking people to donate first generation iPads for Teach for America classrooms. I remember thinking, "I wonder how they'll choose which classrooms to donate them to." I assumed it would be for big cities, like New York or Los Angeles, where they would get the most press. We never heard anything else about it, and to be honest I never thought much of it after that.
Then one morning in late August, we got an email from a fellow ENC corps member that set the Ponderosa abuzz. TFAnet, our Teach for America portal, had posted a news article that said that Apple was donating the refurbished iPads to EVERY TFA classroom. We were excited, but there was still a feeling of disbelief. It sounded too good to be true.
A few days later, we got an email from our regional office that confirmed what we saw: we were in fact receiving iPads for FREE, one for each classroom, and would get to pick them up within the next few weeks!
It became the talk of TFA. iPads? For FREE? (As a fellow corps member said, they certainly don't come free--the price is blood, sweat, and tears.)
Soon after, we received another email with the option to sign up for a pick up date and location. We chose Sunday, September 11 at the mall in Raleigh. We loved reminding each other of the beauty of what was to come. A free iPad, in our hands, in just a few short days. This weekend couldn't come soon enough.
And then, it was here. The bittersweet date: September 11, 2011. I felt guilty being so excited on such a somber day. It's a strange way to commemorate the 10th anniversary of 9/11. However, I can't help feeling a bit giddy about this new tool and the world of opportunities it opens up for my kids and our classroom.
So bright and early this morning, the four of us piled in the car and headed to Raleigh to pick up our new 64 GB babies. The Apple store was opening especially for us at 8:30 am, where we received basic training from the Genius Bar workers. I could hardly contain my excitement, as is evident below:
Now we're back home, all flopped around various parts of the living room, glued to the screens of our new iPads and brainstorming ways to use them in the classroom. It's a scary thought, the fingers of my grimy 12 year olds all over the screen of such a precious, precious piece of technology. But I know it will be a great incentive, and I'm excited to use it to enhance my instruction. If only I could set it down long enough to be productive....
On a more serious note...I'm in the process of planning how to discuss the events of 9/11 with my class tomorrow. It's hard to believe that most of my kids were only 2 or 3 when it happened, and I learned last year that many of them really don't know anything about it except that a few planes flew into a few buildings. Especially since I remember moments from that day so vividly, even though I was only in the 8th grade. I remember hearing the news in Social Studies, and our teacher rushing us over to the science classroom to listen to the radio. I remember the announcement that came on that forbade the teachers from turning on the televisions. I remember being terrified when I heard one of the planes that crashed had left from the Boston airport, because I knew my mom was supposed to fly home that day from Logan International. I remember that all after school activities were cancelled. I remember walking home from the bus stop that day, stopping at the end of our cul-de-sac with tears in my eyes, wondering how such an awful thing could happen on such a beautiful day. The sky was clear, the sun was bright, and the flowers were still in bloom, but something just didn’t feel right. We found out my mom wouldn’t be able to come home for a few days, and my dad knew we were upset, so he took us out to dinner that night. We sat outside to enjoy the weather, but now I suspect it was also to avoid the televisions that were replaying the sickening footage over and over again. I remember I kept thinking, “Why?”, but no one had answers.
There is so much to talk about, yet I don't even know where to begin. I want to show videos, I want to have discussions, I want them to experience what it felt like to be a part of the events that day in even the smallest of ways. But most importantly, i want them to take it seriously and to be grateful for what we have. It's so easy to talk about September 11th one minute and then forget it ever happened the next, but the truth is it is still very much apart of our country's present. There are still people sacrificing so much for us to be what we are and have what we have. To all of you--thank you a million times over.
A good friend of mine found a website a few years ago that allows you to show your support for our troops by adopting a pen pal and sending a letter to a serviceman or servicewoman once a week (much better than the first program she found, writing to prisoners. A bit sketchy if you ask me.) I "adopted" my first solider from AdoptAPlatoon.org my junior year in college and wrote letters once a week for the length of his deployment. At the end of last school year, I signed up again and have been writing to another soldier once a week for the past few months. If you are looking for a way to show your support, check out the website. If you're worried that you wouldn't know what to say, don't worry, I never know, either. I just write. I update him on what's going on in the United States and in my classroom. I tell the occasional story about a crazy child or a fun adventure. And I always try to remember to say "thank you" in some way, shape, or form. I'm ashamed at how easily I forget all the men and women who have given up so much for us and put their lives on the line everyday. And recently, when I'm feeling frustrated with my job, that letter to Iraq reminds me of how grateful I am for all that I have, and the people that make it possible. All it takes is a stamp and some kind words.
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