‘the beast’ finally sees his shadow, horns and all
—
“for man, as for flower and beast and bird, the supreme triumph is to be most vividly, most perfectly alive.”
-d.h. lawrence
“teach the children, it’s painting in fresco.”
— ralph waldo emerson
—
How do you paint in fresco?
Frescos are paintings that are created by adding paint to wet plaster. When an artist paints a mural on a wall, they start by applying a layer of plaster to the wall and then add the paint. The paint sinks into the plaster as it dries and it becomes part of the wall.
after many years
yesterday
was my very last experience
sitting at a table
sharing stories with families
listening to their stories
connecting over something unique and wonderful
their child
at parent teacher conferences
in priceless conversations.
—
“conversations are the most direct way to connect with people.”
-padgett powell, american novelist
where are those kids going and what are they up to?
—
today we went back to the farm
to see how it has changed since our fall visit
there were no leaves
there were no pumpkins
there were lots of new babies
there was not a lot of green
but the animals were as sweet as ever
and that never changes.
—
‘to teach children that animals have certain rights
creates in their minds a respect and regard for life.’
*-caroline earle white
*Caroline Earle White founded the first animal shelter in the United States in 1869. Born on September 28, 1833 in Philadelphia, Penn., White became an influential figure not only in animal welfare, but also fought for women’s suffrage and equality. White and a group of 30 women activists created the Women’s Pennsylvania Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (WPSPCA), America’s first official animal shelter. Later known as the Women’s Humane Society, the organization pioneered programs that helped save homeless animals and employed animal cruelty officers to prevent and punish animal abuse. The organization still operates today as the Women’s Animal Center.
the kinder were very worried about a tree that had lost some of its bark
they spent a long time finding little chunks of bark lying on the ground
trying to piece it back together and fill it in like a puzzle.
some had questions about how it might have fallen off.
‘was it a big, big storm?’
‘did something hurt it?’
‘did it get sick?’
some had thoughts about the tree.
‘i remember this tree from when we played here.’
‘that’s kind of sad.’
‘don’t worry, i saw in a book that it will be okay.’
try as they might, they couldn’t get the bark
to stick back on the bare part of the trunk
they left the pieces nearby on the ground around it
used a stick to mark where it was
gave it a hug before we walked back to our classroom.
—
“there’s nothing wrong with having a tree as a friend.”
-bob ross
—
spending the recent past writing report cards
for the kinder
always a fascinating trip down memory lane
seeing how far they’ve come already
an unlimited distance still to go
the good, the bad, and the unexplained
all the good hearts, dramas, tears, and laughs
each their very own person
learning as we go.
all of us.
—
*more of frank the puppy’s report card:
“We sent him there because he is truly the most energetic puppy I have ever met,” his mom told Newsweek. “Our older dog needed a break,” she joked.
When Frank came home with the report card, she was in stitches. “I thought it was hysterical when I saw it because I can only imagine that Frank is probably the class clown that’ll do anything for a laugh and that’s definitely his idea of the best time,” she said.
Described on the card as the “life of the party,” the report also says that Frank loved wrestling with his buddies.
“It makes my heart so happy to know that he has so many pals at preschool,” said Spahr. Working on etiquette skills in his preschool class, the report also told Frank’s owners that his best friends are Daisy, Cooper, Vader, Hudson, and even a dog named Angus Beef.
—
“my report card always said, ‘jim finishes first and then disrupts the other students.”
-jim carrey
—
credits: newsweek magazine uk, alice gibbs
we all gathered inside
close together
to talk, eat, laugh, cry, listen to music, tell stories, remember
celebrate a life
the children from 4-10
all played together
went outside
chalk in hand
wrote a beautiful welcome to all who would come
and loving tributes to the one who had left.
“tears are words that need to be written.”
-paul coelho