Lessons from the classroom

Don't stand in the way of moms...especially if their kids are involved!

Yesterday was Mother’s Day, a day that really should be celebrated every day of the year for the outsized influence moms have on their kids and the world in general. I remember hearing the story about Hallmark making a donation of Mother’s Day cards to a local prison. Thousands of cards were snapped up and sent off. An incredible success story. So in June, as Father’s Day approached, they decided to try the same thing. Barely a single card was sent out. A sobering story for fathers and one that further highlights the amazing positive influence of a mother on her kids. And it just so happens that my next story from my days in school features the power of moms so shout out to all moms but especially my mom Lynn and the mother of my kids Jenn. Your the best!!

In my early years of teaching grade five I was tasked with being the track coach. I had done some track in my time so it was not out of my wheelhouse and it was a welcome challenge to prepare over 100 grade four and five students for the track meet held each year in late May. Every few years all the schools in the Lower Mainland of BC would head to Vancouver Island where a local school from Victoria would host the meet. My principal, knowing that the travel logistics could be tricky, graciously offered to arrange the bus and ferry details for me, I just needed to have the athletes ready.

On the day of the meet, I asked all the athletes to be at the school at 5:00 am to ensure that we were at the 7:00 am ferry that was about an hour drive from the school. The ferry does not wait for anyone so if you are late you simply sit and wait hours for the next scheduled sailing. I grew up on Vancouver Island so I know how strict they were. Thus the 5:00 am, which gave us plenty of time to make it.

I arrived at school at 4:45 am, 15 minutes early to ensure we were all set to go and noticed that there was no waiting busses to take us to the ferry. But it was still not quite 5:00 am so I was not in a panic…yet. By 5:15 am I was starting to worry. I tried phoning the bus company but there was no answer at this early hour. Meanwhile, the parents coming on the trip, had to leave to make their ferry reservation. This left me and two other teachers with 100 kids. Super!

I finally asked one of the other teachers to drive up the hill to our school’s high school campus and see if for some reason my principal had asked the busses to go to that address. Sure enough, two bemused bus drivers were there looking for 100 kids! So now it is 5:45 am and we have an hour drive. It was going to be close.

We started driving and remember, this is long before cell phones and Google Maps. We were meandering our way along and time was ticking. I finally asked the driver if he knew the shortest way to get there and he did not, he was a bit confused actually, so I stood beside him, gave him directions and prayed we would get there in time.

As we pulled into the Tsawwassen Ferry Terminal at 6:55 am I could see the ferry was still there but they had stopped loading cars and we were past the walk on deadline of 6:50 am. I rushed inside to plead with the attendant. I let her know I had 100 kids eagerly hoping to be at their track meet on time. No dice. She politely declined my begging. So I politely asked to speak to her supervisor. She picked up the phone and called the captain. After a short conversation she shook her head. We were doomed. My mind went to the “beach study” I was going to take 100 kids on and the disappointment of kids missing their events. Suddenly the phone rang and I heard these words, “it’s your lucky day, the captain says you can board”.

I had spent a good two minutes earlier in the week talking to the athletes about ferry behaviour, not screaming, not running on the ferry etc. But that all went out the window now. I didn’t want our fortunes to change back to not getting on this sailing with another phone call.

I simply yelled, “run”!

And so we stampeded down the gangway to the ferry with shouts of incredulous joy, happily ignoring the ferry attendants pleas to slow down.

The horn sounded, the engines revved and we were off to Victoria. But how had this happened? What could have changed the captain’s mind? It was so strange. And then around the corner of the ferry came three moms, three Dutch moms, arms raised, smiles from ear to ear. If you have never met a Dutch mom, think a backbone of steel, straight shooting conversation, some might even say blunt, you simply don’t mess with them and the ferry captain had made this discovery that morning. With the parents getting to the ferry with plenty of time, they had stood on the ferry deck watching the parking lot and saw our yellow busses pull in at 6:55 am. Knowing that we were past the 6:50 am deadline for walk-ons, these three moms walked down to the loading area and simply refused to get off the loading ramp that needed to be raised before the ferry pulled away. And thus the captain made the call and we boarded.

To this day, when I see these moms, who are all now grandmas, we simply nod and smile, having forged a forever bond on a BC ferry many moons ago. And while I always knew that a mother’s love for her child was strong, I learned that day that even a 12 000 tonne monstrosity of a ferry can not leave it’s dock when three moms put their foot down and say we are not leaving till our kids are on this ferry. That’s the power of love, that’s the power of moms, that’s what we celebrated yesterday and really every day of the year.

Here’s to moms!!