MCC Friday Reflections

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...

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...

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 i...

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...

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 a...

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 ...

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 fash...