Choosing Hope

This book is a testament to the remarkable courage and goodness that is instinctive to people who are fundamentally good and caring. "Miss Roig" is a loving, supportive teacher who inspires trust, loyalty and love in her students.  She is committed to the idea that children must learn to care for one another, even before they begin to learn how to read and write.   And Miss Roig is the remarkable 1st grade teacher who saved the lives of 20 of her students.  Her classroom was the nearest to the front entrance and desk at the Sandy Hook Elementary School and, when she heard bursts of gunfire, had the presence of mind to turn off the lights, lock the door and rush her children into a very small bathroom at the back of their room.  Though terrified for her life, she had the composure to comfort the children and keep them quiet, without scaring them.  Feeling certain they were going to die, she wanted them to know, and told them, how much they were loved.  Later, when help arrived, they killed the attacker and began searching for survivors.  Miss Roig refused to open the door to these "police," telling them if they were who they said they were, they would be able to obtain a key to the room.  In the weeks and months after the attack, she worked to make changes in the school that would reassure her severely shaken students, and eventually founded groups that allowed her students to share with needy students across the nation. Though clearly selfless and caring, her efforts received publicity that induced envy and cynicism among some colleagues and administrators.  This is a heart-rending, yet inspiring story that illustrates how differences in character cause people to react to tragedy in very different ways.