Yep, we just had one—a fire drill, that is! Took me right back to my teaching days. I grabbed my checklist and bolted downstairs. As a teacher, I took fire drills seriously and so did my students. Our exit from the classroom was carefully choreographed. We arrived at our destination, found our buddies (an assigned classmate), formed our double line, and waited quietly. I’m not saying today’s fire drill wasn’t taken seriously—it was. We exited the building in an orderly fashion and headed to our assigned locations. Then, as soon as everyone was accounted for, we started gabbing and gabbed until it was time to head back indoors!
Do you remember who instructed you in handling school drills? I honestly don’t. With so much to think about at the start of the school year, new teachers or teachers who are moving to a different school might forget to ask about classroom drills. Maybe we can help them out a bit!
Happy Friday!
Diane
I teach and direct at a coop preschool. Under Michigan regs the fire department approves the plan for exiting the building. Because coop has Parent volunteers that alternate I keep a diagram and a list of directions posted on the wall. We also talk about safety at Parent orientation. Throughout September I hold more drills than most people would expect so that not only the children know what to do but the volunteers. Then we practice monthly. My advice to any new teacher would be to ask about fire drills and any other emergency drills depending on what part of the country you are in. In Michigan we also do tornado drills. As teachers we always need to be prepared for anything.
I teach my kindergartners to put their hands on their head and look at the adult in charge when I ring the bell or the fire alarm goes off so they will be able to hear and follow directions. (This keeps them from being tempted to continue to play with toys or use their tools and pay complete attention).
Teachers, remember to have your administrator/ secretary’s cell number in your cell phone so you can contact them if you are missing someone or there is a problem. They also will be outside the building and not able to answer the school phone. At the beginning of the year make a copy of your class list with parent contact info and put it in a folder next to the door so you can take it out with you in case you needed to contact parents. Also, be sure the path you take your children outside will not be the path of the emergency vehicle when it arrives!
Always remember to grab your gradebook on the way out of the door. You will need it to verify everyone is accounted for and if there really is a fire – you’ve got those important grades with you and not lost in the fire.
Living in the Gulf Coast area of Texas we have drills for everything; intruder, hurricane, tornado, fire, other natural disaters, etc… I teach 3 year olds and when the alarm sounds it tends to freak them out at first, so we sing songs. I have learned to pack a backpack full of different supplies and keep it handy. Emergency forms and numbers, couple umbrellas, first aide kit, crackers, gummy bears, and flashlights can be found in our bag. I also keep several blankets by the door during the colder months because they are easier to grab than 15 coats. Once we get where we are supposed to be for which ever drill I hand out bags of gummy bears- this calms them and keeps them busy, if it is drawn out for a long time I break out the crackers. Always count when you get where your going.
I love the backpack idea. Thanks. My 3 year olds will love it, too.
This year, during a fire drill, I encountered a problem for which I was not prepared. As we walked down the hall, half of my kindergarten class was cut off by older grades. I stopped to corral the back half and the front half continued with the other kindergarten classes (we have 6 at our school). When I stopped, one of my students stopped, too. I didn’t realize he had until I fell over the top of him. Yes, both of us went down. I got him up and we continued on our way until the other children in my class pointed out that he was bleeding. I didn’t realize that he had hit a pole (all of this happened so fast! And he told me he was okay when I asked if he was hurt. He never cried!) I took him to the office, his parents were notified, and he got 2 staples (which he proudly displayed). I cried. He never did. Needless to say, I requested and was granted a different fire drill route for the rest of the year. My point is: Even orderly fire drills can become dangerous, so train those darlings well although,I think mine had been train too well. He remembered that they were supposed to stop when I did.) and never take that training for granted. Accidents can and do happen.
Fire drill practice is very important. Where I teach I am in the school building only 2 days a week, so I am not always there when the regular elementary runs a fire drill. In order to be prepared, I have the preschoolers ‘practice’ a drill indoors and go through all the necessary steps in case there really is a fire, (or in my case a drill on one of the days we are actually at class). Because we live in such a rainy community, I have the children grab their blankets instead of their coats as it is faster for them, yet will provide for some wet and rainy protection!
Before the fire drill I read Dinofours It’s Fire Drill Day by Steve Metzger and Hans Wilhelm. This is a great little book and talks about the sound the fire drill or in our case smoke alarm makes. When our drill happens the children are ready for it ….line up and walk quietly outside with one teacher. The other teacher pulls up the rear after checking the bathrooms and getting the phone and sign-in chart. We march out to the back fence and do a name count. The children like our fire drills and the book is a favorite.