From my files: This is an homage to the only 7th grade class I ever taught, back in 2008.
I met the Halflings, as I call my first 7th grade class—exultant at the move from cubbies to their first lockers, which they promptly festooned with an explosion of personal memorabilia— with some trepidation. Even at our smallish private school campus, they were obviously concerned as to whether they would be able to find their way, wide-eyed, from class to class with only four minutes between. Since then, we have written in hieroglyphics, witnessed the Barbarian attacks on Rome, survived the Black Death, wrapped our Arkansas tongues around "Après moi, le deluge," and most lately, been horrified by the conditions in the trenches on the Western Front.
Tonight I am grading history test papers, feeling at once ready for this school year to end and reluctant to let this group of 7th graders move on. In some ways, a group of 7th grade boys can be like a litter of Labrador puppies, all arms and legs and braces, snorting at the inside joke, poking one another, making bizarre noises, falling over one another in the hall, launching paper hornets at the unsuspecting student -- and drumming, always drumming on the desktop. The girls, their uniforms carefully accessorized to define their personalities, do their homework with big loopy handwriting, some dot their i’s with hearts, and all carefully walk the tightrope between childhood and womanhood, baffled at the joy the boys take in the flight of an errant paper hornet, yet interested in them just the same.
As I grade their test papers on The Great War, I'm amused at young Will, who has listed among the causes for World War I "individualism" -- which can be a problem, I guess, if taken to the extreme, although I have never thought it dangerous enough to create global conflict. Perhaps he was searching for "imperialism."
He was not alone in his momentary confusion. Someone said “artilliarism” was one of the causes. Another reached back and pulled out “Inquisition” and thought perhaps the Catholic Church had contributed to the war. One student recounted “materialism” and another listed “manism.” I hardly knew how to respond to that. My favorite by far was "metabolism" instead of militarism. Those who wage perpetual war against fat could probably make a decent case for that one.
Then there was the student who said the “Automan” Empire was one of the belligerents. Reminded me of a franchise place you go to have your oil changed in 30 minutes or less. An otherwise very bright student started out on the wrong foot on this test-- by misspelling his own name. Perhaps it had something to do with the full moon. Or fatigue. The school year grows to a close, and we are all weary.
This wiggling mass of 7th grade humanity has been a delight to me this year. They have challenged me, surprised me, occasionally horrified me, inspired me, and made me laugh. They reminded me what it was like to be at the border crossing between twelve and the land of the teens, without the muscles of the big boys yet, but with the heart of a lion and the gifts to contribute so much, whatever they decide to do when they lay down their paper hornets. I will always remember them.
Friday, February 24, 2012
Monday, May 17, 2010
Just a Cup of Water...or a Juice Box!
VBS 2010. Joseph: From Prison to Palace
Our VBS this year is, for our non-megachurch, a four-day mini-extravaganza of singing, drama, and moving little people from one center location to another. We have envisioned, created, and constructed. We have painted, adorned, and finessed. Talented, focused hands appeared from nowhere, and over a period of weeks an Egyptian palace appeared in the small auditorium. My friend Cindy and I hit the jackpot at the closing of the "World of the Pharaohs" exhibit at the Arkansas Arts Center, procuring a large number of ridiculously over-the-top Pharaoh-type headpieces at bargain prices to festoon the volunteers, thanks to the kindness of the gift shop director. We are pretty much all "walking like Egyptians" this week.
As usual, it has been stressful for me, and -- as always -- everything did not go as planned. The schedule had a typo in the time rotation (my oversight, 0uch) and the air in the upstairs classrooms was not working at full capacity. We had an overflow crowd in the 2-year-old group and we will remedy that tonight...We decorated sarcophagi (a hit -- they contained the applicable memory verses for the week) We learned about the preservation of scriptural wisdom on papyrus and parchment, and about the Dead Sea scrolls, we were reminded that God gives us different talents for use in his kingdom. More to come.
All good activities, and fun for the kids. Lots of work. Kind of stressful. As always, the issue is balancing the sound and fury with the content and the benefit. And as in everything, we should ask ourselves, "Are we doing what God would have us do?" After all, we have no record of VBS productions among first-century believers. Of course, they had no vacations, either...
This just in: this morning, Lisa Mahan's Facebook post informs the world that "Landry's favorite part of VBS tonight was the juice box!!!"
And a little child shall lead them.
So here's the lesson I have learned: it's all about that "give a cup of water to the least of these" principle. For all the production value that we can add to VBS, the important thing is when we can meet a child's personal need in the name of Christ, and it is easy to lose sight of that fact when we are overwhelmed with logistics. Wouldn't it be amazing if we could also teach Landry that his juice box came to him because of our relationship with the Savior-- a juicebox mission of love, not an obligation or an item on the schedule? Whether or not Landry realizes it, if WE act out of that most compelling love of Christ, God has been glorified in the process.
For me, one objective of VBS should be to remind the smallest members of the Kingdom that they are important to God and to our faith family. It would be grand if they absorbed the content lessons fully: that God gives them hope, wisdom and abilities for their hard time, whatever it may be, and that He has a plan for each of them, as He did for Joseph. But in the end, what most of the very little ones will take away is that this church family is a place where they matter, and where someone gave them a cold juice box when they were really hot and sweaty. And for a 2 year-old, perhaps that is lesson enough.
What about the lesson for adults? We are neither the Lion's Club nor the Junior League, although we can learn valuable lessons from both organizations. We are the family of the living, merciful God, and the things we do and the activities we plan should be self-consciously motivated and inspired by our love for the Father, as a gift to him in response to His great love and grace toward us. So tonight, when you are handing that juice box out, try to consciously remember that you are being His hands to that sweaty child. I'll bet that thought will make it a sweeter experience.
Our VBS this year is, for our non-megachurch, a four-day mini-extravaganza of singing, drama, and moving little people from one center location to another. We have envisioned, created, and constructed. We have painted, adorned, and finessed. Talented, focused hands appeared from nowhere, and over a period of weeks an Egyptian palace appeared in the small auditorium. My friend Cindy and I hit the jackpot at the closing of the "World of the Pharaohs" exhibit at the Arkansas Arts Center, procuring a large number of ridiculously over-the-top Pharaoh-type headpieces at bargain prices to festoon the volunteers, thanks to the kindness of the gift shop director. We are pretty much all "walking like Egyptians" this week.
As usual, it has been stressful for me, and -- as always -- everything did not go as planned. The schedule had a typo in the time rotation (my oversight, 0uch) and the air in the upstairs classrooms was not working at full capacity. We had an overflow crowd in the 2-year-old group and we will remedy that tonight...We decorated sarcophagi (a hit -- they contained the applicable memory verses for the week) We learned about the preservation of scriptural wisdom on papyrus and parchment, and about the Dead Sea scrolls, we were reminded that God gives us different talents for use in his kingdom. More to come.
All good activities, and fun for the kids. Lots of work. Kind of stressful. As always, the issue is balancing the sound and fury with the content and the benefit. And as in everything, we should ask ourselves, "Are we doing what God would have us do?" After all, we have no record of VBS productions among first-century believers. Of course, they had no vacations, either...
This just in: this morning, Lisa Mahan's Facebook post informs the world that "Landry's favorite part of VBS tonight was the juice box!!!"
And a little child shall lead them.
So here's the lesson I have learned: it's all about that "give a cup of water to the least of these" principle. For all the production value that we can add to VBS, the important thing is when we can meet a child's personal need in the name of Christ, and it is easy to lose sight of that fact when we are overwhelmed with logistics. Wouldn't it be amazing if we could also teach Landry that his juice box came to him because of our relationship with the Savior-- a juicebox mission of love, not an obligation or an item on the schedule? Whether or not Landry realizes it, if WE act out of that most compelling love of Christ, God has been glorified in the process.
For me, one objective of VBS should be to remind the smallest members of the Kingdom that they are important to God and to our faith family. It would be grand if they absorbed the content lessons fully: that God gives them hope, wisdom and abilities for their hard time, whatever it may be, and that He has a plan for each of them, as He did for Joseph. But in the end, what most of the very little ones will take away is that this church family is a place where they matter, and where someone gave them a cold juice box when they were really hot and sweaty. And for a 2 year-old, perhaps that is lesson enough.
What about the lesson for adults? We are neither the Lion's Club nor the Junior League, although we can learn valuable lessons from both organizations. We are the family of the living, merciful God, and the things we do and the activities we plan should be self-consciously motivated and inspired by our love for the Father, as a gift to him in response to His great love and grace toward us. So tonight, when you are handing that juice box out, try to consciously remember that you are being His hands to that sweaty child. I'll bet that thought will make it a sweeter experience.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)