I’m celebrating rain. We don’t get much of it. I suppose that’s why it can overwhelm us. We just don’t know how to handle it.
Friday skies were blue. We entered the classroom, closing the door on warm sunshine.
Mid-morning, still clear skies. But lurking, just behind the building were clouds.
By lunch, grey had covered the blue, and wind-pushed leaves gathered at my classroom door. Still, kids wanted the outside. They left ready for play.
Drops brought everyone back.
I watched. Outside, the rain was gentle. Inside, the giggles and games exploded on the carpet.
Soon, the storm inside quieted. The errant mancala stone, checker, Jenga block and Apples to Apples card were picked up and returned to the big game box, stored by the sink.
The students found their calm and returned to the business of writing and reading.
I inhaled, grateful for the time to finish up what we had started before lunch.
Then it hit. The rain came crashing down. Every kid was out of their seat at the windows.
Many needed to go to the bathroom. A group noticed the ceiling tiles, claiming there was a leak; perhaps the ceiling was going to cave in. I overheard talk of not wanting to die in the classroom.
Seriously, it had been five minutes of heavy rain. I reassured them there was no leak; the ceiling tiles have always looked that way, and they were safe.
The storm lessened, and relative calm returned.
Today the sun is shining. Gone is the memory of the storm. No wonder they thought the world was coming to an end!
Thank you to Ruth Ayers, for Celebrate This Week and to Two Writing Teachers blog for the twelveth day of the March Slice of Life Challenge. Your blogs have nurtured my writing life. Find more celebrations and slices here and here.
To Read To Write To Be 
Ahhhh….so you must live in SoCal also!!? That was the double espresso of rainstorms, wasn’t it? I love the imagery you evoked here and the tiny details…jenga cards, ceiling tiles. Beautiful!
Yep! SoCal. We are weather wimps!
Wow, you seriously must not get much rain. No jumping in mud puddles for your kiddos.
This is so funny and typical of kids when faced with an unusual weather event. Wait till there’s a spider in the room. Or worse, a mouse! I hope you were able to calm the kids and feel somewhat productive.
We are the same here, a little rain & they want to go out & play. You described this beautifully, Julieanne, but I admit, if we have rain, I watch at the windows, too.
This reminded me of Scout in To Kill a Mockingbird when she exclaims that the world’s endin’ because of the snow. 🙂
Rain in California was indeed an experience to witness. Sudden torrential rain (how short the time) must have startled everyone but from this came a small moment post. Will you share this with your students so they can reflect on what they saw and felt?
Living in the land of sunshine and blue skies comes with a price – rainstorms cause kids to freak out. 🙂
So true
I love how they headed down the path of doom and drama… classic for kids that age! Glad you got a little rain!
The story is told so well. I could just see them anxious and concerned.
The kids at the window fascinated by changing weather–so distracting and so much fun!
Not just the storm ,but the storm of reactions to the change in the weather is what struck me in this piece. You wrote all around the experience and thus assisted the reader to more clearly viusalize the scene.
Oh my, a month in Seattle would scar the poor dears for life. What an adorable adventure with nature.
You may think the memory of the storm is gone, but not necessarily. you captured it in a slice and maybe some students too carry around the story of a storm that almost made the roof crash.
Haha us SoCal residents scare easily when it comes to weather…=)