—
i’m ready for you, kinder!
—
art credit: gary larson, the far side
today is the first day back at school
i imagine the kinder calmly gliding into nature with me
all possibilities are on the table
could be more like the picture below
most likely will fall somewhere in between.
“today is a most unusual day, because we have never lived it before; we will never live it again; it is the only day we have.”
-william arthur ward
—
photo credits: vintage pinterest, gamma-keystone london
were allowed to go into their room alone for 30 minutes
during that time we could take
whatever we imagined we might need
to teach school — for the rest of the year.
walking into my building, it was silent
i saw the ‘welcome back to the sun’ and ‘happy spring’ artwork
my class had created for the hall
expecting to be back soon after our spring break
walking into my classroom
it was sad
left as it was back in mid-march
memories, things undone, things i wish i could still do with my class
cards, and art, and notes, and pictures, and colors, and books
30 minutes to decide what to take
i filled my bags with toys and books and art and puppets
anything i thought might make my kinder feel a sense of comfort
as i teach them from afar and show them familiar things
it was hard to close the door on the year
knowing i will stay connected to each of them
but also knowing
something will be lost
in not spending my school days
sharing a room with them.
—
“time flies over us,
but leaves its shadow behind. “
-nathaniel hawthorne
‘i love cinnamon and baking with my mom.’ – h
—
class bakery day
the children worked
very hard
over the last few weeks
learning
about bread
about baking
how sharing bread is a way to welcome others
every culture makes and eats and shares bread
listened to books about bread and baking
practiced ‘baking’ with play-dough
baked real lemon bread at school
baked breads at home
bought breads at the store
made signs and decorated tables
learned about buying and selling using pennies
gave other classes pennies
that they had to ‘earn’ by working in their rooms
invited other classes, faculty, staff, and families
to come to our room for a big bakery event
said they would give pennies or free bread
to anyone who had no money or food
families supported their efforts
making this day so special
everyone went home
very full, very tired, very happy.
the bakery in full swing
“anyone who gives you a cinnamon roll fresh out of the oven is a friend for life.”
-daniel handler