Many high school students feel invincible. I guess that’s why some of our students take our monthly fire drill nonchalantly. They don’t realize the importance of these drills. Some students even consider them free time. My first year as the director of the Religious School at Chizuk Amuno Congregation, I took on the job of explaining to the entire school the rules and procedures of the fire drill. I took this job seriously. I had, after all, fire on my side, and life and death. The elementary school kids were gathered in the hallway, sitting on the floor as I spoke to them. When there is a fire drill, exit your classrooms in a single file, without talking, and you will go out of the building through that door down the hall to the left. A boy raised his hand, “But Rabbi, what if there is a fire at that door?” "Good question,” I said, “if there is a fire at that door everyone will walk slowly through the door at the other end of the hall.” “But Rabbi, what if there is a fire at that end too?” That would be highly unlikely, but if there is a fire at both doors, everyone will probably be asked to go out a window. “Cool!” shouted several of the boys. “I hope that happens!” Every year without fail, the same exact thing happened. Me, the rabbi, with fire and life and death on my side, could not compete with the fun of climbing out a window.
When I begin to take myself too seriously, I can always count on a kid to bring me back to earth. And having taught kids for so long, I can even do it myself.
As I walked to the parking lot during today’s fire drill, I saw the Early Childhood kids covering their ears. I overheard one child say to his friend, “Be quiet so the fire won’t hear us,” and I started to laugh.
~Rabbi Stuart Seltzer
Dean of Judaic Studies
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