Santa...Ho, Ho, Ho

Santa...Ho, Ho, Ho

The words rang from my two-year old's mouth picked up by my ears through the monitor in the basement.  He had just been put to bed.  We marked the evening with the traditional new PJ's, reading of our favorite Christmas books, setting out cookies and milk for St. Nick, ending with kisses and hugs goodnight.

Santa...Ho, Ho, Ho

The wonderment of childhood often eludes those of us who have long past seen those days. We forget that simple pleasures are what makes life so good.  I often find myself exasperated when my children are distracted by the littlest things; my wife has to remind me that it is who they are.  She is right.

Santa...Ho, Ho, Ho

My wife's birthday falls on Christmas Eve; a thought that many of us ponder when told this~~what must it be like?  When asked this of her, she shrugs and simply says, "I love it. I've never known any different!"  She truly is a Christmas person, relishing in the delight of the season, eyes sparkling at the prospect of a white Christmas.  She's beautiful.

Santa...Ho, Ho, Ho

In the early morning of this day, Mickey Mouse gave away a secret to my children.  He told them that if they say, "Santa...Ho, Ho, Ho" then Santa will come.  Hence, the monitor rings those words as my second born falls asleep...trusting Mickey, trusting Santa.

Santa...Ho, Ho, Ho

Santa will not come.  For to be able to come, one must be gone.  Santa is never really gone~~he is always with us--he is what helps us realize that we are not alone, that we can have compassion, that we can be loving, kind and forgiving.  He surrounds us when times are hard and sings with us when we celebrate.  He is the spirit of Christmas, the entity of all that is good.  Santa is more that what we teach our young children, he truly does exist...in your soul. 

He is already here.

Of course, I'll delight in my boy calling for him, for I know that it is Henry's soul that calls out.

Merry Christmas

Mr. C

Dec. 24, 2010

In Her Heart...12.19.10

In Her Heart

My three-year old daughter told me that her cousin, grandmother and aunt were "in her heart".  She knows this because upon their respective deaths it was explained to her that when a person leaves this world, they really are never far from us, for they dwell in our hearts.

She remembers that.  She spoke it to me during a conversation we were having about this year's holiday celebration.

The holiday season brings much.  We are invited to stop and ponder the parts of ourselves that we often overlook throughout the year.  We are once again engaged deeply in our friends and family.  The fabric of our lives change for a time.

It is at this time that we often hear of and read about what it means to be alive, what it means to love and be loved.  We begin to take on, more often than not,  the qualities that we so dearly hold true to our hearts--such as compassion, forgiveness and empathy, to name a few.

My three year-old remembers that those who have gone before us still reside in our hearts.  While they are not here with us physically, they have simply changed form and remain with us nonetheless.  She doesn't just say the words...she believes them.

She believes them because she knows no other way.  It is who she is.  A trusting child.

The holiday season does not have to end because time marches on.  As Santa Claus from "Frosty the Snowman" says about magical Christmas Snow to Karen, "It may go away but it is always here in the form of spring and summer rains, until the December winds kiss it and it returns".

Children know this.  They know this about magical Christmas Snow and they know this about the souls of others; both are always with us.  They also know this about the mystery of love and how it endures all.

While you celebrate your holiday, know too, that those that have gone before you are really right with you.  Also know that the holiday season never really ends, it simply changes form.

Mr. Casten

Dec. 19, 2010

Leaving the Tree...10.22.10

Leaving the Tree

The leaves on the trees change colors before our eyes.  They provide a spectacular array of colors to delight our minds.  Often, we notice them for a moment and then move on with our ever busy lives.

Then...they're gone.

A memory only to be rekindled next Fall.

The magical beauty of a leaf changing from the brilliant green to it's inevitable departure from the tree can be held in awe if only one takes the time to not only notice it, but follow it. 

Choose a tree.  Find a leaf.  Watch it every day.  You'll see the delicate veins begin to pop out a bit as the edges slowly lose their chlorophyll; producing a slight line of perhaps yellow.  The leaf wilts a bit as time passes and other colors introduce themselves.  It's beauty is individual yet part of a whole scene, that envelopes the parts of our minds that seek color in our world.  The leaf, then hangs, almost lifeless and the colors seem to drip away from it...the stem is weak as it hangs onto to it's life-giving tree.  Without warning, the wind takes the leaf on a new journey.  Away from it's tree and away from it's admirer. 

It's time to slow down.

Children are much like leaves.  They change so quickly; especially if we do not take time to really notice them...who they are; their "colors" so to speak.  They, too, will leave their tree...their life giving home and journey into the world.  Capture their essence now, while they are still part of your tree.

Mr. C

Oct. 22, 2010

Child to Child...10.8.10

Child to Child

I watched in amazement how two of my students interacted this week.  It reminded me of my own kids.  You see, sometimes my 2-year old son will turn a deaf ear to me when I need him to do something; yet when our 3-year old daughter steps in, he listens.  It's almost as if they are in their own little world; communicating in some "kid" language that we, as adults, have long forgotten.

I noticed the same thing in my classroom this week.  I was struggling to get something across to one of my students.  I just wasn't making the connection I needed to make.  Another student of mine, who was right by us, stepped in and like magic, the child-to-child connection manifested itself.  I sat back and watched the two interact in a way that was so utterly natural for them.  The first smiled as the second explained what needed to be done.  The second sounded so mature in their speaking yet maintained a connection with the first  that superseded that maturity.  A connection that, as an adult, I have long forgotten how to establish.

At least I thought I forgot.

Later in the week, I witnessed the same exchange between the same two students.  I watched closer this time---ignoring the words being spoken and focusing on the delivery. 

There it was--the delivery. 

Smiling eyes met and a gentle voice ensued.  A aura of cooperation was instantly felt between them and laughter was present.  Heart-felt praise was given and respect for each other was demonstrated.  All of this happened in a matter of 2 minutes.  The idea was conveyed and the first child was all the better, as was the second. 

And of course, so was I.  For my students (and my own kids) just taught me something. 

Mr. Casten

Oct. 8, 2010

Ten...8.27.10

Ten.

This is my tenth year teaching in Elmhurst.  Same school, same classroom, same grade.  This is the first year that my students were not alive when I was first hired here.

I have seen many houses torn down and new ones built.  I have seen children reach lows and then work themselves back to the top                                     

I have seen, on the way to work, different people jogging early in the morning, forging a mysterious relationship with them as they begin to recognize my car passing them each morning.

I have developed relationships with so many different kids and their families through my teaching.

I met my wife at Lincoln, fell deeply in love, married and had three beautiful children with her--all the while celebrating these events with teachers and Lincoln families.  I've lost family members and friends during my time here and leaned on teachers and Lincoln families for support.

Each year and each class holds something unique for me.  Each group endears themselves to me through our experiences together; through their individual and collective personalities.  As I settle in to the school year I hold anticipation in my heart for I know that this group will find a place there...how they will do this is one of the marvelous mysteries of being a teacher and often realized after they have gone on to bigger and better things.

Ten.

Mr. Casten

August 27, 2010

Gift...6.1.10

Gift...

I received a gift to the Kohl Children's Museum (in Glenview) from a family of a student I taught this year.  My wife, two children and I visited it over the Memorial Day weekend.  The parent (who worked there) met us in the lobby and explained much of what the museum was all about.  I asked him his role there and he replied, without missing a beat, that his "gift" was making sure certain employees were comforatble and secure in their positions in the company..

His gift.

I was intrigued by his choice of words, "his gift".  We continued to talk.  After a bit, he returned to his work and we returned to our play.  My two children, Ava and Henry, found an exhibit that instilled awe in them.  Through a variety of devices (hand pumps, pedals and buttons) they were able to inflate very large cylinder-like balloons all the way up to the ceiling.  The "cause-and-effect" concept grabbed them and wouldn't let go.  They loved exerting their new found "power".

Gifts and power.

We all have gifts.  We all have power.  The trick is to balance the two.  To bring them to the forefront of our lives in a way that benefits all. 

Our children are constantly challenging themselves to find their gift.  They seek power in so many ways.  They are, in the purest sense, wondrous works of beauty that are constantly changing; growing; experiencing; discovering. 

Working with your children over the past nine months has allowed me to change, grow, experience and discover as well.  They are exceptional children, both as individuals and as a group.  It was simply my pleasure to teach them.

I wish only the very best for each of them; that they might find their gift, share it with others while feeling a sense of beneficial power in doing so.  A power that neither diminishes or punishes, but one that brings out the best in all.  

My time in the classroom has come to an end with this group.  The gifts that we shared over the past 9 months will never end.  For they--the gifts themselves--are full of a power that traverses time and space.  

This group will forever be with me.

Mr. Casten

June 1, 2010

Time and Change...4.23.10

Time and Change...

While on the playground I was approached by two former students.  Their eyes were familiar yet the names eluded me.  They graciously clued me in on who they were and immediately my mind raced back to another time in my life.  They had grown, they had matured, they were, however, the same sweet kids they were while in my class.

Time and Change...

My one-and-a-half year old, Henry, has begun stringing two words together.  He is very proud of himself and my wife and I are as well.  The days of simply crying for his needs are quickly vanishing and soon we will be having conversations about a myriad of topics.  

Time and Change...

My (almost three-year old) daughter, Ava, sat on her bed last night and recited "The Lord's Prayer" as my wife, Henry and I listened with open hearts and loving pride.  She beamed when finished and gave my wife a hug while saying, "I'm happy!".   Her world is expanding in exponential fashion.

Time and Change...

My current students have no choice but to continue their growth beyond the doors of Room 202.  I always joke with them by saying that I can't wait to see them when they are 30, and that they should visit me in the old folks home...we have a laugh and go on with our work.  It is intriguing, however, to wonder if I might see one of them in 20 years; maybe I'll teach one of their kids, maybe we'll run into each other at a restaurant, maybe I'll hear about one of them and their accomplishments to better the world.  Maybe, just maybe.

Time and Change...

Mr. Casten

April 23, 2010

Beyond Books...2.19.10

Beyond Books...

I was walking down the hallway early in the week and a 5th grader, whom I recognized but didn't have as a student last year, approached me and showed me her "little bags of seashells" ('seasells' as she called them) that she had collected.  She loved her shells and I could see the spark in her smile as she went on and on about them.  We parted ways and the thought of her shells stayed with me throughout the morning as I planned my day...they were dear to the little girl and she felt wonderful sharing them with me---then---school started.

We spent the week completing the Benchmark Tests, reviewing basic concepts in math in order to refresh our memories in preparation for ISAT, writing papers, making maps, and generally working, working, working.  Thoughts of the shells escaped my conscious mind.

Friday rolled around and the kids began writing their Friday Reflections.  When they were to write about what they learned this week they were stumped.  "We didn't do anything, Mr. Casten!" they told me.

I reminded them that learning is not only about books and facts...it can be about yourself.  I relayed the message that even though we didn't "crack" a book this week we learned a lot about ourselves in terms of how we handle stress, what we rely on to help us cope, and how we depend on one another for little things to guide us through our daily lives.  Of course, some of them looked at me in a funny way, but many of them took to heart what I was saying and wrote about their own personal adventures through the week; disregarding the "school" learning and focusing on themselves--their inner selves.

I hope the little "seasell" girl finds more shells--and when she does, I'm sure her smile will continue to sparkle.

Mr. Casten

Feb. 19, 2010

The Ties That Bind...2.5.10

The Ties that Bind~

Monday morning a student approached me and asked me if I knew somebody that she had seen over the weekend with her parents.  When she mentioned the name I stopped and thought for a moment, for I recognized it but could not imagine it was the same person.  The hustle and bustle of the room seemed to fade as she and I spoke of this person and I realized that who she met was indeed a long lost acquaintance of mine from high school.  As she spoke there was a part of me that was awestruck that my student, who hadn't even been born yet when I knew this person, was standing in front of me-- speaking of him.  The hustle and bustle of the room quickly regained it's hold on me and the day proceeded as usual.

The Ties that Bind~

Friday afternoon another student from another classroom hand delivered a note to me from a former student.  The note was a collection of memories that a she had as one of my students.  She was kind in the use of her words when describing how she felt while being in  my classroom and thanked me for being her teacher.  My mind raced once again to the past and relived those days that were spent with her and her classmates--the learning, the smiles, the laughter and the discussions.  

The Ties that Bind~

The past has a way of presenting itself to us in the present and longs for us to use it for the future.  People involve themselves in our lives and leave marks on our memories that fade from our thoughts only to return when you least expect it.  The present is just that--a present--that we constantly give ourselves and we end up opening this gift over and over.  The spectrum of time really does intermingle with itself and it feels good to sit back and get lost in its delicate web.

The Ties that Bind~

Mr. Casten

Feb. 5, 2010

Turning the Corner...1.15.10

Turning the corner~

We teach our students to walk in the hallway for a variety of reasons.  One of these being the inevitable encounter with someone else as you turn the corner.  If you're walking, the chances of injury diminish.  All said and done, you never know what might be around the corner as you turn it--so be careful.

January lends itself to turning corners as we find ourselves once again immersed in the classroom and all it has to offer.  I notice my students returning to the routines of our school days with little regression to former ways...as if they have been doing this their whole lives.  There, is however, a slight difference in them.  They have certainly turned some corners...

They are beginning to function in the classroom through their own independence; no longer relying on their teacher for everything. The level of responsibility for their own education and, furthermore, their ownership in this process is becoming evident.  They are demonstrating compassion and patience with one another as well as with me. Before my very eyes, I see them growing, maturing, and fulfilling what time has always had in store for them...to become themselves.

As I turn the corner into the new year once again, I walk for the same reasons as we teach them to walk~~so as not to run into something that could be potentially damaging.  Yet I walk through the corner for another reason...so that I do not miss a single moment that will surely become a part of my memories and enrich my life experience.

Turning the corner~

Mr. Casten

Jan. 15, 2009

Reconnect...1.8.10

Reconnect~

The time away from school, spent with my family, allowed me to reconnect with them.  

I reconnected with my wife and kids; laughing, playing, resting, eating, and simply enjoying the beauty of the family warmth and love that fills our house.

I reconnected with my brother and his family; watching them grow closer to one another and us.  It was wonderful to watch the holidays wash away any struggles that have existed, if only for a short while.

I reconnected with my father.  Spending quality time with him as he pushed forward past the losses he has faced.

I reconnected with my late mother, sister and niece; feeling their presence in our celebrations and speaking of them to my children.

I reconnected with my in-laws; taking in the warmth and love they have to offer. Creating with them a deeper sense of family as we spent time together sharing our lives and experiences.

I reconnected with myself; allowing the season to fill my soul with the realization that we are here for a very short time and that each moment is a precious spot of time dappled on the canvas of eternity--and we are all part of each other--we are connected.

I reconnected with my students upon our return to school; rekindling the magical relationships that teachers and their students share while exploring the world and how it works~ together.

Reconnect~

It is good to take a step back and allow oneself to reconnect. 

Mr. Casten

Jan. 8, 2010

The Time Has Come...12.18.09

The time has come~

Spending the past 4 months with my students has afforded me an opportunity that very few people have the privilege of knowing.  The opportunity to be a part of so many different young peoples' lives.  A part of their life in which I play a role of educator, caregiver and friend.

Teaching children is a gift bestowed upon me that I hold dear.  It allows me to be that part of myself which encompasses the desire to guide young minds to the path of true freedom through opening their mind's eye to the wonders of the world.

Taking care of my students is an opportunity for me to teach them how to be compassionate and forgiving as well as independent and resourceful.

Befriending each of my 4th graders helps bridge the generation gap that naturally occurs between us and allows mutual respect and admiration to flourish.

It is a delicate balance of the three and a juggling act at best.  

As I grow as a teacher I, too, grow as a person.  Each child I encounter adds to my growth in both realms.

The time has come for me to turn my full attention to my family; to play the role that comes so naturally; to once again and with pleasure~ teach, care for, and befriend those who are closest to me.

The time has come for all of us to give that one extra hug at night to one another.

The time has come~

Mr. Casten

December 18, 2009

Through the Eyes of a Child...12.4.09

Through the eyes of a child~~

I was cleaning up the classroom the other day and found a piece of paper (among other things) on the floor.  It was a sheet that the kids use as a guide for Reading Stations and, as par for the course, it had some doodling and writing on it. One of the little writings caught my eye as it was written sideways on the paper. It read, "Christmas through the eyes of a child".  It caused me to stop and think...what a wonderful time of magic and excitement for children.

I thought of my own children, Ava and Henry.  While Henry is still too young to understand Christmas he certainly feels the presence of it as it surrounds him.  Ava, on the other hand, is delighting in the wonderment of the season.  I think to myself, what an incredible thing to share with other people for the first time in their lives.

My thoughts then drifted to the past.  To a time when I was about the same age as my students.  I can recall walking through the snow on a dark and stormy night, looking up at the street lights as snow rushed past their illumination.  I quickly ducked my chin back into my jacket to keep the wind and snow from beating on my cheeks.  I trudged through the snow to buy gifts for my family with the few dollars I had.

Christmas Eve of that year I was determined to stay up to see Santa.  I camped out on the living room couch after everyone else had fallen asleep.  I waited.  I waited some more.  I began to get nervous that maybe he wouldn't come.  I fell asleep.  When I awoke, special presents were given to me with tags saying, "From Santa" on them.  I remember it as if it were yesterday.

Today, as I was walking the students up to the room in the morning, one of them said to me (regarding Santa), "If you don't believe, you don't receive."  What a profound statement from a child during a season that often allows us to forget the real reason for the celebration.

When I found that piece of paper earlier in the week and the writing on it, I thought that it was referring only to the glitter and brilliance that accompanies the season, as well as the presents and goodies--maybe it was---maybe it wasn't.  But my thoughts about the night 30+ years ago certainly revolved around these things until I had the short, magical conversation with that one child while walking to class.  The season is about belief...about hope...about love.

Now that I look back on the night I stayed up some 30+ years ago, I think more about the feeling I had.  The feeling of me wishing that something as magical as Santa would happen and I might be able to witness it...little did I know then that I really did witness something magical, despite not seeing him~~and I do so every day of the year.  

Through the eyes of a child~~believe.

Mr. C

Dec. 4, 2009