Sweet School Moments

 So many little roses happened this week. I never got a chance to have a few minutes of calm to jot them down. 

Here is a few that stood out as little bright moments in a cold January week...

Monday morning I had a first grade teacher tell me a student had something for me.

She handed me a piece of red construction paper with last weeks art lesson sketched across the paper in Green Crayola Marker. The little artist who recreated our lesson stood beaming at me with her dark eyes dancing. 

"Thank you so much," I said to her. "You remembered how to do it." She nodded.

Moments like these are special for me. The little girl had done a simple sketch from our last Thursday lesson on Monet's Japanese Foot Bridge at Giverny. 

She had sketched out a bridge and accompanying lily pads and water lilies. 

I had a few of these little roses this week where students seemed to really connect with the lessons we were doing. You hope that you are making the connections, impressions, and really inspiring a love for learning but many times you don't know if that interest goes beyond your 45 minute class. It's always nice to see and hear about kids discussing Claude Monet at dinner with their family. I got to hear that from a second graders family. I rarely see the parents much as an electives teacher but hearing little snippets or watching a student really throw themselves into a lesson and create something they are proud of is deeply satisfying. 

I especially love these connections when I teach about Monet. He is my favorite for sure. I always spend quite a bit of time on his art and life story. The paint has been flowing in my little classroom as we learn about Giverny, the pink house, Monet's love of Japanese art and architecture, Gardening, the Impressionists, en plein air painting, and France. 

Another rose occurred on Friday at the close of our weekly elementary chapel service. The speaker had concluded his message and was showing the students some props he had brought. The students were lined up waiting to try on his helmet and hold the sword. As they waited a praise song came across the loud speakers and little voices started singing, swaying, and doing the hand motions to this sweet song. It gained momentum as the song played on and by the the second chorus most of the assembly room was filled with children singing "I'm so blessed....On my best days, I'm a child of God...On my worst days I'm a child of God...I'm so blessed..." Small tears formed in the corners of my eyes as I watched kindergarteners through fourth graders singing together unplanned. It is beautiful to watch small kids worship together.