Michaelmas

The autumn winds blow open the gate,

St. Michael for you we wait.

We follow you, show us the way,

With joy we greet this autumn day.

Good morning, good morning, good morning.

The silver rain, the shining sun,

the fields where scarlet poppies run,

the fallen leaves blow up and away,

with joy we greet this autumn day.

Good morning, good morning, good morning.

Singing, the Second Graders opened their class play, performing their version of Saint George and the dragon for the lower school on Friday. These were no longer the delicate little children who gave roses to their seniors in May and made scores of parents sniffle into their tissues, as they sang of climbing rainbows with their friends. Their voices were strong, their presence was great and they clearly enjoyed showing us what they had learned. Sophine, who's been having anxiety attacks for several weeks over having to perform in front of other people, rose to the occasion and did a splendid job leading the 5-person dragon.

Following the morning assembly, the entire school congregated on the lower school playground to watch the great dragon being tamed by four lovely maidens with Michael's help from the roof of the school. Then the seventh grade performed a lovely sword dance. The whole day had somewhat of a medieval or Renaissance feel to it, as all classes walked after their banners, children played at jousting and games to test their skills, and the day ended with a four-way tug of war. It was a joyous day with glorious early autumn weather.

I've been struggling a little with what to write on this blog. On one hand, I want to share some of the school culture and stories that I believe may be helpful to others. On the other hand, I am acutely aware of boundaries between my personal and professional life. So in all likelihood, I will keep "school talk" mostly to descriptions of festivals and other ideas that inspire me. This concern over what I feel is appropriate to write here is the main reason posting has been so sparse. For example, I had a whole post written on a short part of a class I taught on Ancient India in the 5th Grade. But once I finished it, it felt like an invasion of sorts to post it and somewhat presumptious. So I'd love to hear your thoughts on how to balance this delicate subject.

Of course there are lots of other reasons (excuses?) why I haven't written much. I seem to spend my days working way too hard, driving kids back and forth, and spending as much awake time as possible with my children so they don't become strangers. Add the demands of my teacher training and Foundation Studies requirements, and it gets pretty busy around here!

Anyway, I wish you all a very blessed and joyful autumn.