Early in August, a malfunction in Delta Airlines' computer system resulted in hundreds of flights being canceled. Thousands of travelers, including my husband and I, found our plans interrupted. When the glitch happened, we were in the Seattle airport waiting for a red-eye flight.
I have to admit, when I heard there was a thirty-minute delay, I was disappointed but not surprised. Most of the Delta personnel and travelers around me seemed to share my attitude. As the delay stretched to two hours, I became discouraged, along with many others. Finally, the cause of the delay was announced and we were told that a projected time frame for flight departures was not available. At that point, emotions, attitudes, and lack of sleep could have led to a terminal full of disgruntled travelers. Instead, my fellow travelers accepted the inevitable as Delta personnel offered assistance in the form of blankets and pillows, snacks and drinks, and ready availability to respond to questions.
I witnessed strangers making room for others to sit, people who gave in and created a makeshift bed on the hard airport floor, and family members cuddling with each other for comfort. Delta employees were covering shivering sleepers with warm blankets, assisting people whose travel needs were most urgent, and providing physical and emotional comfort to others—basically making the most of a crummy situation. The terminal became quiet and still, and people walking around were careful not to trip over sleeping bodies.
About eight hours after our scheduled departure, the announcement came that our flight, along with many others, was canceled. Understandably, this led to a wide range of emotions as travelers worked to figure out how to get to their destinations. During this chaotic time, I did not witness even one airline employee lose patience. Their voices remained calm, and their demeanors positive and apologetic. Over time, their attitude was contagious. Frustrated travelers moved from complaints to acceptance, and even from anger to amusement. It was definitely a lesson about the effect of a positive attitude.
Afterward, as we all so often do, I reflected on how my travel experience relates to the classrooms and schools in which we work. No classroom or school is perfect. We all have disruptions to work around, some bigger than others, and often they are outside our control. What we can control, however, is our attitude about those disruptions—and it does make a difference to those around us. When we maintain a good attitude, we realize there is always a way to get to our destination. My husband and I got home after a twenty-seven-hour drive filled with conversation, laughter, and, of course, a little sleep.
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