Spark of Youth

     Next week is the last week of school for 2013.  Winter Break begins promptly at 3:00 on Friday, Dec. 21st.

     The room this week was buzzing with anticipation for the upcoming break.  Holiday spirits were filling the room--as the kids seemed to be smiling more brightly, dancing more frequently, and singing in Music class with a bit more enthusiasm and added charm.

     With the snow falling alongside the temperature Room 202 quickly became our safe haven from the elements.  Indoor recess, heat blowing through the vents, and holiday music playing in the background as we continued with the all important tasks of learning and teaching. 

    Pictures began filling my desk...each one different yet carrying the same basic message...a message of holiday greetings.  The drawings filled with greens and reds, pictures of Santa’s and elves, presents and snowflakes as the season of giving is now underway.

     Being a teacher at this time of year always makes me feel more like a kid at heart than any other time of the year.  Being surrounded by children and their innocent belief, undying faith, and infectious celebratory nature brings a spark of youth to me heart.  I find myself reliving several feelings I had as a nine or ten year-old; feelings that may have long been lost in time if not for the profession I chose.

    

     I recall the first time I had some chore money saved up to actually go out buy presents.  The evening was cold as I stepped out of my house and the snow was blowing.  My cheeks and nose quickly became ice and the streetlights were illuminated...surrounded by the falling snow.  I had to walk with my head down to avoid the wind the best I could and shuffle my feet through the thick un-shoveled snow.  All the while I kept hold of the ideas I had for the presents I would buy.  All the while I knew that Santa would deliver on his promises as well. 

     

     "Had I been good this year?" I remember asking myself.  The walk to the mall was only 6 blocks but in the increasing storm it took me well over 30 minutes.  In that time I found myself reflecting, maybe for the first time in my life, on the past year.

     

     It had been a hard year for my family.  Circumstances surrounding it actually changed our lives forever.  In that year I saw much of what life can be, both positive and negative.  I reached back through the months and revisited my role in the family; my relationships and my decisions.

     

     By the time I came to a verdict about my behavior I was at the mall.  The spirit of the holiday filled me.  With great enthusiasm, a skip in my step, and a bright smile on my face I traversed through the stores, finding just what I wanted for each person.  The spirit of giving filled me for the first time in my life.  

     

     I see this spirit in the children I work with.  It's wonderful to behold.  It's miraculous to witness year after year the enthusiasm, the dancing, and the bright smiles I get to see everyday.

     

Mr. Casten

Dec. 21, 2013

Copyrighted material of Michael C. Casten

'Tis the Sneezin’

     The hallway at Lincoln seemed to only house myself as I walked from the copy room to my classroom on this frigid early Friday morning.  As I walked the tickle in my nose produced a sneeze that undoubtedly echoed to several rooms nearby.  I regained my composure as often my sneezes tend to stop me in my tracks, and while doing so I heard a faint, “Bless You”…I wasn’t alone after all.

     I thanked the lone voice and continued on my way to my classroom.  As I trudged up the steep Lincoln staircase I began thinking about sneezes.  I realized that each person really has their own distinctive sneeze.  Some are loud and boisterous while others are quick, soft, and discreet.  Some come in waves, one after another, while others are few and far between.  You might even say that a sneeze, in some ways, reflects a person’s personality.

     Now that December has arrived it’s probably safe to say “Old Man Winter” is digging his heels in.  The classroom cloak closets are filled with gloves and hats; some strewn on the floor while others hang from winter jacket pockets.  Scarves, mittens, and boots are the order of the season.  The Kleenex boxes in the classroom have now become a common “go to” place.

     I thought more about the phrase, “Bless You” and realized that almost every single time someone sneezes and at least one other person is around, the phrase ensues.  Kids and adults alike practice this socially acceptable etiquette.

     My curiosity got the best of me and I did a quick research on the origin of the phrase.  Interestingly enough, this is what I found:

~In AD 590 the bubonic plague ran rampant.  Pope Gregory ordered prayer ministers into the streets charged with the duty of “blessing” anyone who sneezed, as a sneeze was believed to be an indication that the disease was ‘brewing” inside the “sneezer”.  The blessing was thought to help curtail the onset of the sickness.

~Another thought was that a sneeze allowed the spirit to escape the body or allowed an evil spirit to enter.  Saying “Bless You” thwarted this from occurring.

~Still another idea was that the heart stopped beating when one sneezed and the saying, “Bless You” encourages the heart to beat once again.

~In some cultures, sneezing is an indication of good fortune.  Saying the phrase was a response to acknowledge one’s good fortune bestowed upon them.

~Finally, saying the phrase was simply a response to a physiological occurrence not fully understood.

     While the attempts at finding the origin of the phrase "Bless You” is indeed fascinating, what I find more fascinating is that without really thinking about it we all, for the most part, always say the phrase after someone sneezes.  I find it comforting to share that common practice with so many people.  It never seems to fail, in the midst of almost any situation when a person sneezes and another is around, a response of care, based on whatever origin one believes in, is expressed.

Mr. Casten

Dec. 6, 2013

Copyrighted material of Michael C. Casten