INAUGURAL

Long day. From 2:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M. So many things to deal with. Getting students up on time. Security and safety in D.C. during the inaugural. The cold- Man it was cold! Dealing with all the little details of being in charge of 33 students. No lunch, Little sleep. But we made it. If I had not had terrific students, this would have been a disaster from the get go. Outstanding students and parents. Great leadership from several of the older students who took over an important task when I was dealing with too many dramas or just plain exhaustion. For the students, I hope it was a day that will be remembered for the rest of their lives. For me, right now, I'm glad its over. But maybe, down the road a few years, I will remember the ending of Rick Warren's prayer, the strong words President Obama used when describing the threat of world terrorism, or the look in the eyes of a group of students, tired from a long day of fighting the cold, hunger, and the need to use the restroom (O.K., maybe not the most memorable event of this historic occasion). I think I will remember today as the day that I shared a historic event with thirty-three of my students. Its the kind of experience that students can talk about thirty, maybe forty years in the future and say, "I'm glad my parents and Mr. B. nagged me into going on that trip. What a time we had!"