3rd grade culture program

Yesterday was one of my favorite days of the school year thus far.  It was our 3rd grade culture program.  It seemed like a great idea back in August when we hatched it.  It has felt like a less great idea as the day approached. 

I had a dream the night before that my brother Ammon came to the program and he was wearing a hoodie and wouldn't take the hood off.  I am in a constant battle to get my students to not wear their hoods.  They ask me why and I say because it is my rule.  I've started calling them Bartholomew Cubbins (From Dr. Seuss's book The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins).  I say, "Take your hood off, Bartholomew Cubbins!"  They grin and take it off, but then next time I turn around, the hoods are back on.  I'm not sure why this hoodie angst translated to Ammon....  

Miriam had a dream that a student fell off the stage.  So I guess you could say we were stressed.

We worked so hard!  And we did it! We performed for the school in the morning.  I had two teachers tell me that they teared up during it.  I didn't; I think I was too busy.  The students did a great job though!  

In the afternoon, we performed for the parents (and some grandparents too!).  I loved watching the students' faces light up when they saw their parents arrive.  It mattered to them!  I loved watching the faces of the parents while the students' performed.

Miriam's class performed an African drum solo and sang a song in Ghanaian.  My class sang De Colores in Spanish and performed the Mexican Hat Dance.  Janelle's class performed the Hawaiian hukilau and a Samoan sasa. We have students who are African and Mexican and Samoan (and from other countries besides!) and I loved watching them shine.  

They sang louder and did even better for the parent program.  We were proud teachers!  I got a little teary at the end.  Watching their earnest faces sing "This land is your land, this land is my land..." while behind me was a gym full of parents, a lot of whom are immigrants to this country, made me feel really grateful that they're here.

On Friday, when we were getting the stage ready, we were using binder clips to attach our decrepit curtains together and I felt Abbott Elementary vibes.  We are just doing our best with what we have.

I felt proud of us though, proud of my students who struggle so hard, but also work so hard.  Some of them have incredibly complicated families.  Some of them escaped harrowing situations in their countries.  Some of them really just struggle to get to school and show up dirty and hungry and with ripped clothes.

I like to think that the teachers at my school are like the Statue of Liberty.  Bring us your huddled masses.  We will do our best.  We will show up every day and teach our little hearts out.  We will plow through the discouraging days which are many, but we'll be all smiles on those rare days when they sing De Colores for their families with loud clear voices.

They are singing The Alphabet of Nations here.  I taught my class to sign A,B,C...while we sang, "Algeria, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Dominica..."