It occurred to me this morning that it is a very good thing that the inauguration is also a school day. I had the privilege of seeing the events of this morning in classrooms across the grade levels.
I saw the motorcade and large shots of the immense crowd on the mall in a fifth grade classroom. I joined a kinder classroom for the procession of dignitaries onto the platform. I heard the new vice-president and president take their oaths in a 4th grade classroom. I listened to President Obama's address with 3rd graders. Elizabeth Alexander read her poem for the inauguration while I was in a 2nd grade classroom. And I finished watching the proceedings with a 1st grade class.
I am so glad that El Carmelo students had this opportunity. In one classroom, the teacher had written on the whiteboard some key phrases from the President's address: "imagination joined in common purpose"; "we are the keepers of our country's legacy"; "find meaning in something greater than ourselves". Our students have something that they can take away from this morning that is very special. Kudos to our teaching staff for seizing the opportunity.
