Stop, Drop, And Roll

       As you can probably tell from the heading we had the fire department visit us today to talk to the students.  We were able to go outside and walk through the truck, and then the firefighters came in and did a presentation. When the children were getting on the truck I was pretty surprised because the fire woman would lift each child up into it, and five year olds are not really at the lifting stage anymore. I really hope she doesn't end up with back problems. Anyway, when we went inside they showed us all their gear, and how they get dressed. As he got dressed he explained everything, and then when he was fully dressed everyone came up and gave him a high five. The largest problem they have in fires involving children is that the children usually run and hide from the fire fighters since they look and sound so scary with their uniform and oxygen. This way the students could see that it is still just a person under all that, and they are there to help.
     After this they took questions (which is always interesting). We have been trying to talk about asking questions versus making a statement, but they are still learning. However, here is how the conversation went on a certain question:
"Do you have to live at the fire department?" - Teacher
"Yes we live there for a whole day, and then go home for a day.  We sleep there, eat there, have training, and even have to do chores." - Firefighter
"Do you have a TV?" - Student
"Yes we have a TV, do you know what we use it for?" - Fire Fighter
"Because otherwise you would be bored?" - Another Student
"Well sometimes we watch it, but usually we use it to watch the news or have trainings." - Firefighter
     The fire department did a great job, and I was really impressed by the way that they were not shocked with any of the comments or questions and they understood and answered everyone. The students really enjoyed it, and it was definitely the topic of discussion for the rest of the day.