This postal service is inwards honour together with back upwards of the victims of Sandy Hook. Bloggers unite on this twenty-four hours inwards back upwards of the Newtown, Connecticut community afterwards the tragic unproblematic schoolhouse shooting 1 calendar week ago, 12/14/12.
There's in all likelihood non a soul on the planet who hasn't heard of the horrific shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School 1 calendar week agone today. And, similar many, I desire to help. If fifty-fifty inwards only a tiny way. So I bring together forces alongside a grouping of bloggers who decided to unite on this twenty-four hours alongside 'Cookies & Crafts for Sandy Hook.'
While this postal service is but a small-scale tribute to the victims together with their families, it's large inwards heart.
So, I'll piece of occupation out my personal reaction at this ...
I am sickened yesteryear the shooter's taking of 26 innocent lives. I am heartbroken for the families of those who lost loved ones at Sandy Hook that day. And I am angered yesteryear the stealing of the innocence of those beautiful children left to bargain alongside what they witnessed together with experienced that twenty-four hours inwards their school.
As a kickoff marking instructor inwards a small-scale town inwards North Carolina, I will, instead of sharing my ain perspective on the shooting, part alongside yous today the reaction through the eyes of my kickoff graders.
As I ever do on days nosotros stimulate got planned lockdown or burn drill practice, I laid aside a few minutes of our 'morning meeting' to permit my students know close the do together with to 'refresh' our memories close our procedures. But today's intelligence was different. Today, I was nervous. Today, I was nervous every bit to what their reaction to the shooting would be. Today, I was nervous close what their questions would be. Today, I was nervous close finding the correct agency to respond.
I decided to permit their 'chatter' crusade the direction of the discussion. And I decided honesty ... without item .... was the 'right' agency to respond. I affirmed their understandings of the tragedy. I assured them nosotros were safe. And nosotros framed our conversation about the tenets of our classroom civilisation ... showing respect, showing kindness, together with making skilful choices.
"Mrs. Harrelson, did yous remove heed that someone shot some people inwards a schoolhouse on Friday?" the conversation began. "Yes, I did sweetheart. We teachers genuinely had a coming together close it Fri afterwards school."
"Did yous know they shot kickoff graders, only similar us??" they continued. "Yes, sweetheart, I did. That wasn't a skilful choice, was it?"
"No!" they responded inwards unison. "That was mean!"
"That someone was beingness a bully," some other chimed in. "Yes, darling, he sure as shooting was beingness a bully. Was he showing respect?"
And out came some other resounding "No!" from my adorable, sweetness students.
"Should nosotros ever brand a alternative similar that one?"
"No! We should be nice. We should endure respectful to everybody." {They warm my pump every day.}
"That's right. We absolutely should. Unfortunately, sometimes in that place are hateful people out there. So, only similar nosotros stimulate got before, nosotros remove to do what nosotros would do if in that place was a hateful someone at our schoolhouse ... which in that place wooooon't be," I tell inwards my overly-dramatic kinda-funny agency that makes them express joy together with breaks whatever 'tension' or worry ... "but nosotros remove to withal know what to do juuuuuuuuust inwards case, right?"
"Right!" they say, enthusiastically.
And every bit I looked out at them sitting criss-cross-applesauce on our classroom carpeting inwards their neat footling semi-circle rows inwards front end of me, I couldn't assistance but remember that an entire shape ... only similar them ... had only senselessly been taken from this world.
We proceeded to 'play hide-and-seek from a hateful person,' every bit our shape refers to a lockdown. And together with so .... they were railroad train to movement on. No to a greater extent than questions. No to a greater extent than mentions. No worry.
And I so wishing nosotros could all bring together them. In moving on. With no to a greater extent than questions. And no worry. But, alas, I don't remember nosotros can.
The community of Newtown, Connecticut, continues to endure inwards my prayers. Please concur them inwards yours, too.
Source: A merging of Peppermint Crush Cookies from relish.com together with Peppermint Crunch-Milk Chocolate Cookies from Culinary Concoctions by Peabody
(Printable recipe)
Ingredients
1 c. unsalted butter
1 c. granulated sugar
1 c. lite dark-brown sugar
two eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
two 3/4 c. self-rising flour*
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 c. Andes Peppermint Crunch baking chips (if yous can't notice the baking chips, crush Andes Peppermint Crunch candies; close 12 candies brand 1 c.)
Directions
1. Combine butter, sugar, together with dark-brown sugar; compaction until combined. Add eggs together with vanilla extract; compaction until only combined.
2. Add flour together with salt; mix until only combined. Stir inwards chocolate chips together with Andes Peppermint Crunch.
3. Scoop dough alongside a small-scale cookie scoop, or drib yesteryear small-scale spoonfuls onto a baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes, until puffy together with lite golden inwards color.
Makes only about three dozen, depending on the size of your cookies.
*If yous don't stimulate got self-rising flour on hand, here's how to brand your own using all-purpose flour.
Enjoy!
