As a contrarian in recovery, it pains me to give me whole hearted and utter agreement with the maxim that some things are popular for a reason. As we near the conclusion of the first of three December school weeks, here are a few things that have been popular since our last weekly update.
1. Tea Parties: As best I can recall, here is what I announced to the 53 or so assembled guests in the elementary room during the Thanksgiving Tea: "Usually when I speak in front of a gathering of people at our school I make it a point to say that I speak on behalf of the elementary faculty and the staff of Renaissance Montessori School. Today I will not. Today I speak on behalf of our tea committee--one sixth year, one fifth year, and three first years. They planned the layout of our room today. They set the menu and chose the tea which you will enjoy today. They asked classmates to make decorations. Several of them went to stores with me and shopped for the balloons and ingredients for what you will be served today. I am proud of them and I thank them for all the work they have done and will do."
These students truly took ownership of this event. One first year polished the used tea kettle I found at Salvation Army until it shone. My three dollar purchase became a sort of classroom heirloom. About 5 students stayed until long after the party had ended and reset the classroom furniture. That done, they acted as a bucket brigade to bring our dishes to the teacher's lounge where Mrs. Mello was washing dishes with some student help.
That is the kind of thing that went on behind the scenes, but what about the party itself? It was a hit. It may have been the happiest I have been at RMS. Judging by the smiles I saw, I think many felt this way. Someone even left our servers a cash tip! (Perhaps I should not assume. If you are missing three dollars, please contact me.)
2. Pondering the Messiah: I wonder who was the first Christian preacher who stepped up to the ambo to ponder Jesus' question to Peter from Matthew 16, "but who do you say that I am?" and turn that question back on us. Who do we say that Jesus is? As CS Lewis put it, is he a liar, a lunatic, or Lord? Is his teaching merely human wisdom, or something deeper, something eternal, something divine? This homily has been preached probably since before the Apostles set pen to papyrus to write the words of the New Testament. It will be preached, I am sure, until the Parousia when the Lord returns in glory to lead us into the wedding banquet of the Lamb.
In our Atrium, two questions echo: who is this child? Who is this mother? As is usual in the Level II atrium, things are deeper, more complicated, than they were in Level I. Children will be working with the Annunciation and Visitation works, as well as pondering the Christ child through the eyes of the shepherds and the Magi. They will listen to the mysterious words of Simeon at the Presentation of the Lord. They will also see the Holy Family flee to Egypt. They are full of questions about the world, and yes, even its darkness. They see these Infancy Narratives not as harmless stories, but as historical events in a real time and a real place. God is real to them because He is real!
3. Symbols: On Tuesday our Lower Elementary was very interested in a presentation about flags, seals, and symbols. We discussed the bald eagle, and how Ben Franklin thought a turkey would be a more honest and noble emblem for our nation. We examined the Great Seal of the United States. In one talon the eagle grasps arrows. What do you think this symbolizes? [A few hands shoot up.] "War," someone says. Yes. Do we notice the eagle is facing another direction, though? Yes, the eagle is facing the side which grasps the olive branch. They are very interested to learn that the eagle once faced the arrows, until it was changed in 1945. We saw flags of different shapes and sizes. Ohio's flag is non rectangular. Virginia's state seal is on its flag, with a confusing image and a message in another language! We saw examples of the growing number of stars on the American flag. We saw how the flag of the United Kingdom combines the old flags of England, Scotland, and Ireland into the iconic Union Jack. Lastly we saw a few coats of arms, specifically that of Pope Francis and Bishop Burbage.
Students were initially very interested in replicating some of the flags they saw: the beloved American Flag, or the flag of Bhutan, emblazoned with a detailed dragon in the East Asian style. (We saw a more European styled dragon on the traditional flag of Wales. As a personal opinion, it is a shame that there isn't a big red dragon front and center on the British Flag.)
I must admit that this surprised me a bit. I had asked them to imagine that they were a country. What kind of flag or seal would symbolize them? When I saw the direction they were heading in, I knew to get out of the way. It is a long school year, though. When they least expect it, they might find Mrs. Mello and I at a table doing some detailed color work on our rectangular pieces of card stock. When they ask what we are doing, one of us might say something like, "I was imagining that instead of a single person, I was a country. That got me thinking about what flag I would raise every morning after I ate breakfast and had a glass of orange juice in the breakfast nook of my lovely, little palace..."
