Please Remain Seated

Who needs seatbelts?

For many, many years, I have taught in the Children’s organization within our church.

I love it.

It’s where the action is.

One never quite knows what the kids (ages three to 12) will come up with.

Or come out with.

Truly, it is an adventure every week.

We were attending church in one of the older buildings in Edmonton, Alberta.

Sharing it with three other congregations.

We had the ‘three to six’ time slot. The last one of the day.

A fortunate thing, considering what comes next . . .

Our senior boys’ class in the organization was filled with twelve of the most energetic young men imaginable. And I have a good imagination.

Their teacher, Rob, worked well with them. Good-natured, calm and resilient, he was able to level off their higher hi-jinks, and boost their learn-ability.

And they loved him.

Weekly, they all met in one of the small classrooms just off the main meeting room.

In this room were twelve older chairs.

One of them had once had a fold-able book tray attached.

For whatever reason, the tray had been removed, leaving the bolt holes by which it had been attached.

Two on either side of the chair, just below the seat.

The young man sitting in that chair discovered those holes.

And that one could stick four of his fingers simultaneously into them.

Which he did.

It was fun.

He pushed them in further.

And suddenly realized that he couldn’t. Pull. Them. Out.

Panic ensued.

His frantic teacher called for help and various solutions were tried and discarded.

Finally, desperately, the fire department was called in and, with their metal-snipping tools, was able to free the increasingly sad young man.

Injuries were, fortunately, minor. Scraped fingers. Some blood.

But nothing requiring professional attention.

By the time the emergency personnel had packed up and left, class time was a memory.

And that particular class probably went down in history as the most exciting and quickly-passing ever.

In thinking about it, Rob realized that for the first time, ever, his class (and particularly one young man), had stayed in their seats.

For the entire time.

Hmmm . . .

He asked if there were any more of those chairs.

Just . . . you know . . . wondering.