As we approach the last days of May, our Rosary Prayer services at the end of each day will come to a close. There is something calming about ending the day in quiet song and prayer. I will miss their little voices and how sweetly they sing "Hail Mary, Gentle Woman". One of the special things about this prayer time is how they hold their Rosaries in little hands and try to follow along on the beads. I get them started with the mystery and carefully show them just the right spot on the Rosary to start but they sometimes lose their place. One of the most precious parts of this prayer time is how, during the middle of the decade, they help each other find the right bead in a quiet, prayerful way. There is something about "the lost look" they give the classmate sitting next to them when they aren't sure which bead we are on. It's sweet how gently that the classmate responds and points out on the Rosary which bead it should be. It's even more sweet when they lay their Rosary down to help someone; having now lost their own place...and the act of kindness is immediately paid back. It happens almost every day with one child or another (or I'll admit...even this grown up) but the sweet thing is the respectful and helpful way they resolve the "lost and found" bead issue without breaking the whisper of the prayer. Long after our Rosary prayer has ended, I can still see a little finger pointing to the bead on the Rosary. I see a litte Care Co;rner Kid smiling "thanks" to the friend next to them for the place that was lost is now found. That even makes me smile. I can't help but think the Queen of Heaven smiles too.
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It starts in late August when we gather for first prayer services. When we gather for prayer each morning we sing songs from our religion series that are liturgical and seasonal. Our first song, "Blest Are We" is about serving God and letting everyone know "WE are the children of God". There are motions to the song so as we gather for prayer those first days of school I tell them that the motions are important because "one day in May" we will have a choir concert and perform it for our parents. Our next song in early fall is "We Praise You" and it is about creation. As we learn this song, we practice "jazz hands" on the "all your works are wonderful" part. The jazz hands are important because "one day in May" we will perform it at our choir concert. Then comes the "tambourine" song but we don't actually have tambourines as we gather for prayer. But we do practice tapping the sides of our legs for that "one day in May" when we use tambourines for our choir concert. After Christmas, almost half way through the school year, we learn "He Came Down". It talks about how Jesus came to bring us love and peace. This is our first alternating roles song where the girls sing a part and the boys sing a part. You have to focus on this song because "one day in May" we will be on stage and we have to know our parts. The next song is about the Holy Spirt and they are Holy Spirit experts so it comes easy to them. But the motions have to start with the right hand...always the right hands. Why? Because "one day in May" we will sing it at the concert and we all want to be using the same hand. Our last song we don't learn until after Lent. Laudate Dominum. It's all in Latin and it is sung so prayerfully. After the first two verses of Latin, we sing it in English because "one day in May" the parents will come to a concert and may not know what the Latin words mean. So you can see...the preparation for the "one day in May" starts in August and is a year-long work in progress. Today...was that one day in May...the ONE day they have heard about for months. Today was the day of the concert for our parents. Today was the day they stood on the risers on the stage and proudly proclaimed..."Blest are we...WE are the children of God." Today was the day they used jazz hands for the word "wonderful" and used their tambourines. Today was the day the girls sang a part and the boys tried to sing just as loudly for their part. Today was the day they belted out how "The Holy Spirit must come down to set God's people free." And today was today their heads were bowed over folded hands as they waited on the long intro of "Laudate Dominum". It's August when we first start talking about that "one day in May". With each new song we re-enerate about the importance of that "one day in May". Today was that one day in May when we give back to the parents. I tell parents at the beginning of the year that I can't do it alone. Even with special kids and an incredible teacher aide...I still need the support of parents. We have had an awesome year and the choir concert is our gift back to the parents for all their help and support. Today we presented the gift. We've been working on the gift all year. I hope the parents loved the "gift". I hope the parents loved this "one day in May"....this one amazing day.
Tomorrow is the last saint lesson. Tim came home for a wedding this past weekend and stayed a few extra days to come and teach the last saint lesson to this group of Care Corner Kids. For those who may not know, Timothy is my son who has a love for theology and the saints. From the time he was 3 years old, he has wanted to be a priest. He would carry Bibles and Prayer books around like other toddlers carried blocks and dolls. He seemed to always have an innate love of God and Jesus. When he was in first grade he learned to love the saints. Karen Bergeron was his teacher and she did saint lessons through the year and Tim took each one to heart. The seed may have been planted before first grade but this special teacher nurtured it well. From first grade on, the saints became his passion. When I finally got my own classroom, I wanted to incorporate the saint lessons like Karen did. I found I was asking Tim questions about the saints so that I could teach them accurately. Then it came to me...why not let Tim be the saint teacher? So every year the Care Corner Kids have learned the saints from Tim. He has taught them literally from all over the world because we skype him in when he can't be in Care Corner. He has taught from the seminary, from Loyola in Chicago and even from China when he was doing missionary work with Fr. Brian. We use the saint's prayer card as a flashcard and starting in September they learn them 4 at a time. We put those 4 cards in the saint card basket in the prayer corner and there are barely enough to look through during a group. But soon the 4 become 8 and then 12 and by December we have learned over 20 saints. Tomorrow when we add the final two saints, there will be over 40 saint cards in the saint card basket...and, more importantly, 40 saints in their little Christian hearts. They know the name of the saint, what they are patron saint of, if they were a martyr, what they are usually pictured with and some of their miracles. We play a saint game (which will be the subject of a separate blog) and the information that pours from their minds amazes me...I think it may even amaze Mary...Queen of Saints. Tim's hope in teaching the saints is that they will learn to love at least one saint that will be close to their heart. He also hopes that they will take their saint knowledge and share it with others. In saying that...I probably was wrong with the first sentence of this blog. Tomorrow will not be the last saint lesson for these Care Corner Kids. Just like Mrs. Bergeron taught Tim....just like Tim taught the Care Corner Kids...these little Christians will take these lessons and share them with others. Just like Tim, they will take the saint lessons and pay it forward and Mary...Queen of Saints...will smile in amazement.
It's a celebration of sorts. A bittersweet time of watching something grow and develop under your care, watching them become so strong that it is time to release them. It is time to let them go. The butterflies came to us as tiny larva. They grew into little caterpillars and developed into big strong caterpillars. The caterpillars transformed into chrysalis and then we waited for the complete transformation...hatching butterflies. It was more than a metamorphosis of a butterfly...it was the evolving of the compassion of little scientists who carefully chose a name for their tiny caterpillar, made a home for it above their cubby, charted careful observations about its growth and development and rejoiced when a chrysalis was "born". Then these little scientists gently transported their "own" caterpillar to the butterfly house and anxiously awaited THE big day...emerging as a butterfly. The excitement was contagious and the trips to the butterfly house to check on new hatchings was numerous. These little butterflies stole their hearts and their hearts knew it was time to let them go. So for religion class first thing this morning, we walked to the Rosary Garden, stood in a circle and said a prayer before we let them go. We stood still and hoped some would linger and visit on a soft shirt sleeve or an outstretched hand. And some did. Some stayed and enjoyed the sun on the prayer bricks and some flew off and came back. The special ones...the three that didn't hatch...were lovingly placed by little scientists next to the statue of St. Francis. It's a special day for sure. We put a lot of time, effort and care into raising the butterflies and then they became strong enough that we had to love them enough to let them go. The parallel of this to the growth and development in first grade never ceases to amaze me. On June 9th, it will be a celebration of sorts. A bittersweet time of watching them grow develop under your care and watching them become so strong, it is time to release them. To me, the last day of first grade is not too much unlike the butterfly release. You care for them, pray for them, gently nurture them to grow, encourage them to develop and be strong. On June 9 we will celebrate another metamorphosis. They were just little kindergartners coming to first grade and now they are leaving as big second graders. On June 9, I will have to take a lesson from these young scientists and love them enough to let them go. Another bittersweet day of releasing...letting go.
I tell my students they are so lucky. Of all the amazing things God created, He loves people the best. And of all the people He created, He must love children most of all. So...in all of creation, children must be God's favorite. So when our class is in charge of mass, it must thrill God to hear their voices proclaim His word, say His prayers and sing His hymns. Our class was in charge of mass today and everyone had a special part. There were the greeters at the door who actually practiced their smiles. There were the flower bearers who carried up flowers for Mary. One little girl was just hoping to carry up the pink rose. (She did.) There were two commentators and the one who was a bit nervous wondered what to do...I said just enjoy it. Being nervous gives you extra energy. The two scripture readers worked extra hard as the reading today was extra long. The hardest part for them was being tall enough to peek over the microphone. On tiptoes they proclaimed God's word and even though I couldn't see their faces, they had to be smiling proudly. The special intentions part of mass is one of my favorite. Six little Christians are like a prayer parade as they reverently walk by the altar. One by one they step up to the microphone and say the prayer they have practiced for over a week. They bow their heads as the priest adds a few more prayers at the end and quietly parade back to their pews. I tell the gift bearers that they have a special job in helping "set the table" for Eucharist. There is something so sweet about a children walking down the aisle with the bread, water and wine that will become the body and blood of Jesus. Of all the special ways a child can help us celebrate mass; none is so amazing as the songs they sing. From the opening song when little fists are raised in the air as they sing "There is Power in the Name of Jesus" to the communion hymn when they not only sing "Jesus Loves Me", they use the sign language to make it more meaningful. At the end of mass today we had special song leaders as we sang "Alleluia - Praise Ye The Lord". They stood on the steps in front of the altar and waved their "Alleluia" and "Praise" banners to lead the congregation in a joyful song. They were just suppose to hold up the banners and wave them a bit but I think the Holy Spirit was moving them as some of them started dancing a bit. From the serious practices, to the little voices proclaiming God's word, to setting the table for Jesus, to singing (and dancing) for God, to all the special jobs they did this morning, the Care Corner Kids gave new meaning to CELEBRATING mass.
They say bad things happen in three's. I not only believe that. I have lived that. If the refrigerator breaks and the dryer goes on the blink, you better keep a close eye on the oven. If I lose my keys and wallet, chances are I will lose my glasses too. (Well that is probably not a fair analogy as I lose EVERYTHING.) In any event...we've all heard that bad things happen in three's. Well today...good things in happened in three's as I witnessed three "giving" acts all in the same day.
The first happened at the beginning of the day. A Care Corner Kid came in with a $10.00 bill that she had found in the parking lot the day before. She had taken it to the office and the secretary told her to come back the next day. If no one had claimed it she could have it for our poor bank in Care Corner. So...she proudly brought in the money and not realizing what the secretary had told her, I asked her if she wanted to take it home and bring some of the money back for our poor bank. She looked at the $10 bill and I could tell she was thinking about what I had said and then she carefully put the $10.00 in the poor bank. It was a kind, giving act and I learned as I watched her make the important decision. The Holy Spirit was truly at work in her little heart. The second giving happened at the end of our morning groups. This "giving" actually started a few years ago. Our school is full of super parents. They give and give and give to our school, our students and our staff. Some work groups, some do World of Art, some do the auction, some do classroom parties year after year. Some do it all. I know not every parent can work groups. Jobs, schedules and other commitments make it too hard for most parents. However, I have been blessed with a mom who has pulled double duty in Care Corner. She worked groups a few years back and then again all this year. Today was her last group. As groups ended today, she stood by the group center holding her name tag. I don't think she wanted to put it down. I know I didn't want to take it from her. So I hugged her and we cried. She has given so much to Care Corner for so many years, it was hard for me to think there won't be another group basket with her name on it. Her "giving" has blessed many days at Care Corner is so many ways. The last "giving" of the day caught me completely off guard and made me chuckle. Earlier today a parent emailed me explaining a situation and in the email he quipped "What does that have to do with the price of tea at Vinaigarettes?" It made me laugh so I wrote back. "I don't know but you just made me thirsty for a tea from Vinaigarettes." Thinking we had just exchanged a little laugh, I had no idea he would greet me in the car line at the end of the day with...you guessed it...an iced tea from Vinaigarettes (and another treat too!). What a kind gesture from a parent who took time out of his busy day with the thought of "giving". My days are blessed and filled with "giving" moments each day. But today's trifecta made me feel particularly blessed on so many levels. I was more than blessed today...more than double blessed. Today I was tripled blessed. At first glance it looks like two paper plates just stuck together with something inside to make noise. But if you look more closely you will notice it is a beautiful "instrument" with beads inside to make music. It was Tambourine Day in Care Corner. The day we make our tambourines that we will use in our choir concert next week. Tambourine Day creates excitement from the moment you announce it and explain the directions. When they actually get to the group to make them, it is pure delight. We write our name on one side (usually fancy bubble letters) and decorate the other side with a picture of creation. (The song we use them for is about creation.) There is even a element of excitement when you go to the streamer station to pick out 3 streamers (any color) for your tambourine. Once the streamers are attached we put in the "music" beads and glue the two halves together. Then they give it a test shake to make sure it is properly "tuned". When the group is over, they place the handcrafted instrument above their cubbies. It will serve as a cubby decoration as we eagerly await choir practice and a chance to "play" our instrument. So these paper plates are now a musical instrument to enhance our jazzy creation song; a surprise at the concert to entertain our audience; an creation art display, and today a mom told me her daughter still has her tambourine from a few years ago...so they are also a keepsake. Even more...at the end of our concert day when we do M & M (music and movement) we will crank up the music and take our tambourines out on the front lawn of Care Corner and do a special tambourine dance to celebrate Concert Day. From cubby decoration, to art display, to musical instrument, to entertainment tool, to keepsake souvenir, to dance item...there is a lot tucked into that tambourine. It may seem like a simple art project made from paper plates; once you know the whole purpose of these special tambourines, it is clearly more than it seems...much more.
I am very blessed with an amazing classroom in an amazing school. I have an active board, a little computer lab and a staff lap top assigned to me. My room is very high tech and we LOVE it. On Tuesday morning we do "mini-groups". Mrs. McKerr has a math game on the computers; I put a Spelling City game on the active board and I do a word game on the rug. They rotate through all 3 groups and enjoy the high tech as we start the school day. Today my lesson plan book said just that...computers, active board, word game. But somewhere between the lesson plans and the start of mini groups at 8:30...I went old school. Mrs. McKerr would still have a group doing math games on the computers but the other two groups would be void of high tech bells and whistles. Today would be different. For the word group that usually gathers with me on the rug, I unfolded 3 maps of Michigan (to go with our Social Studies unit) and gave the six kids in the group a Matchbox car and they took turns driving to different Michigan cities and landmarks. Then for the group that is usually up front on the active board playing an interactive learning game; it was a little different today. I didn't even turn the active board on. Today, we went total old school, and...are you ready for this???...I let them write on the board. Somewhere between laptops, computer games and active board puzzles, I lost track of the fact that kids LOVE to write on the board. Just like we did when we were kids (except our fingers got full of chalk and we didn't have all those pretty colors.) We played a rhyming game in pairs. One kid wrote a word and their partner wrote a rhyming word. And the best thing....erasing! It wasn't hitting a button on a menu bar...they actually got to ERASE! The rhyming game went back and forth until the bell rang and it was time to switch groups. Sometimes in all the wonderful world of technology we get excited about all the new stuff and forget the old stuff. Tomorrow we may use the active board for puzzles, spelling and a math test. We may show a power point, or a slideshow or a dvd of last year's concert recorded on a flip video. We may get caught up in the bells and whistles of things that are "new school" but today we enjoyed the simple pleasures of unfolding a map, driving a toy car, writing on a board and...best of all...erasing. Here's to simple pleasures. Here's to old school!
We did just finish our planting unit and sent home corn plants for transplanting in family gardens. This post has nothing to do with those seeds. This post has to do with Mary seeds. Our day is filled with fun and learning and academics and caring. And...you can guess from these posts...our days are filled with religion. May is the month of Mary and it's only mid-May but the Mary seeds we have planted in Care Corner (and those parents plant at home) are starting to bloom and grow. Just this past weekend when communicating with parents I have learned of three important "Mary plants" that are growing. 1. At the end of our class mass each Friday in May we walk over the Mary statue and put in our $1.00 to light a candle and pray a Hail, Mary. I tell them there about the intercessions Mary makes by taking our prayers right to God. I remind them the Mary statue is always there in church and they can come any time to pray to her. This weekend one little Care Corner kid took her mom's hand and led her to the Mary statue so they could pray together. Little Mary seed planted. 2. We pray a decade of the Rosary at the end of each day in May. We have two Rosary leaders each day. They wear their Rosary leader badges all day and at the end of the day when it is time for Rosary they are in charge of bringing the Mary statue and her crown to our prayer circle. They get to use the special beautiful blue Rosaries and when our prayer is over they put Mary back and arrange the Rosaries around her. I tell them it is an important job and they take it to heart. Last week when a mom came early to pick up a Care Corner Kid, he was so sad he cried. He was leaving school early on the day it was his turn to be Rosary leader and he would miss his turn. What he didn't miss was the importance of the job. Another little Mary seed planted. 3. After school today a mom greeted me with some beautiful lilacs. Her son had wanted her to cut some from their yard to bring for our Mary altar. He had asked her earlier if she would bring them. Our Mary statue in Care Corner is never without flowers all year long; however, now during May they realize how special it is to honor Mary by giving her flowers. Another special Mary seed planted. They are seeds because they will bloom into lifelong lessons that they will pass on to others. They already have. Many thanks to the parents who have already planted the seeds and let me nurture them. Special thanks to the Care Corner Kids for having such loving, caring hearts. Their little Christian hearts make it easy for me to plant and tend the seeds that help their faith grow. It helps my faith grow too.
The Rosary Garden is right outside our classroom window. We visit it often. Many times at the beginning of the year because the weather is nice and the kindergartners-turned-first graders seem to need more breaks in the action than the almost-second-graders do. So many times during the first of the year we visit the Rosary Garden. The visit is a lesson in itself. As soon as you get to the big cross at the entrance you are quiet. It is a "prayerful" walk and no running, talking out loud or hopping on those blue dots. Not hopping on those blue dots is the hard part. They beg for a game of hopping but that gets you kicked out of the Rosary Garden and waiting by the front door for the rest of the class. So those blue dots are just for a prayerful walk. Until yesterday. Yesterday when we were praying our daily Rosary in the classroom at the end of the day, a little boy made the connection. "Hey! The beads on our Rosaries are just like those blue dots on the sidewalk in the Rosary Garden!" BINGO! Then I explained. You are so right. There are as many blue dots in the Rosary Garden as there are beads on our Rosaries. I promised a walk in the Rosary Garden on Tuesday to discover the whole meaning. So...today after music we did a prayerful walk through the Rosary Garden. It was the same path we had taken several times in the fall. It was the same path we walked on September 8th to sing Happy Birthday to Mary. It was the same path we had decorated with snow angels in the winter. But today it was much different than our previous walks. Today those blue dots meant something. I was able to show the the "beads" that start the Rosary. I showed them the pretty stones for the mystery beads. I showed them the posted signs labeling the mysteries. They now knew there were ten beads between each sign (each mystery) and about halfway around they got excited because they knew...THEY KNEW...the 3rd sign for the Joyful Mysteries would say "The Nativity" and they patiently walked to the 4th mystery bead because they knew from last week's Joyful Mysteries that it would say "Presentation in the Temple". I was thrilled that they remembered the Joyful Mysteries from last week. I was even more thrilled that "those blue dots" on the sidewalk aren't just blue dots anymore. But more than that...they were thrilled...I like to think Mary was too.
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AuthorI am Sheila Sims Iding and I am a first grade teacher at St. Gerard School in Lansing, MI. I named my classroom Care Corner and so I get to spend my days with the Care Corner Kids. How blessed am I? I want to share the blessings of the wonder and discovery in first grade through my blogs. I hope you ENJOY! For my writer's blog click here:http://writingprojects.weebly.com/ Archives
January 2020
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