the "tornado driller"

the national weather service mandated a statewide tornado drill for late february. however, the day that it was to take place the weather moving in consisted of severe thunder storms that could actually turn into tornadoes, so the higher powers decided to put off the drill for a clearer day.
xander overheard me talking about the tornado drill and thought that there might be an actual tornado. so the next day he was particularly vocal about not wanting to go to school. this is a common battle in the morning, but this particular morning he seemed a little more disturbed. in talking to him he said he didn't want there to be a tornado at school. i'm not even sure he knows what a tornado is or what it can do, but there was a definitely a sense of fear at the mention of it. i did my best to explain that it was just a practice, so we would know what to do if there ever was a real tornado. that didn't do much to help him. when i got him to school i walked him to his class and discreetly told his teacher that he was very concerned about the drill. she said she would find a way to help him stay calm.
later that day, after the drill had happened, xander came to my room with his teacher to show me his cool hat. he had a very special job - he was the "tornado driller"! he wore his had proudly and helped his teachers get all the other students into the hallway, sit criss-cross applesauce and put their heads in their laps. he practiced himself and the made sure everyone else was doing it correctly.
thank you to wonderful teachers that truly love my child(ren). they turned a potentially traumatic situation into a positive experience.
when the tornadoes came through atlanta two weekends ago, xander was a little nervous, but reminded us all where we needed to go and how we needed to sit if a tornado came close to us. he even had us in the down stairs hallway of todd's parent's basement practicing.
he is my superhero - the "TORNADO DRILLER"! (no capes)