Sunday, November 30, 2008

Yeah, I taught 'em this!

Last week, a mom from my class sent me this video clip of two of my students (William and Sébastien) playing the "cups game" I taught them (last year). It's so gosh darn cute I asked if I could put it on my blog!

YouTube - Will, Seb et les verres

Sunday, November 16, 2008

Carrying the flame...

My 6th graders, all 5 of them, had the pleasant task of presenting a play about Saint Martin for our school's annual lantern walk festival. Since 5 students wasn't really enough to do the traditional play, I decided we would present the play with shadow puppets. The kids and I made all the puppets and created the scene.

Here are two scenes filmed during one of our last rehearsals (the music and the lighting transitions in the actual performance were flawless). In the first video, Saint Martin famously cuts his coat in two and gives one half to a poor beggar who is suffering in the cold.



In the second video, Saint Martin is visited during his sleep by angels who praise his selfless act and encourage him to leave his life as a soldier to serve God.



The play ends with Saint Martin expressing his feelings of peace and joy as he leaves behind his life of combat to carry "la flamme de la fraternité."

What a nice message for today's twelve year-olds to share with their school community.

The play is followed by a traditional lantern walk. All the students in grades 1-8 create a lantern during the preceding days and then after the play (held in the evening), the lanterns are lit and the students and teachers head out, joined by many parents and siblings, for a walk around the neighborhood to bring light to a dark late-fall evening (much to the surprise and pleasure of our neighbors). We crunch our way through the blanket of fallen leaves that covers the sidewalks and sing traditional Saint Martin songs. My favorite line from one of the songs is "La lumière, je l'accueille des étoiles, la lune et le soleil, qui se reflètent sur la Terre." (I welcome the light of the stars, moon and sun that is reflected on earth.) Hot apple cider awaits us upon our return to school.

A crisp fall evening filled with warmth, light, brotherhood and peace--one of life's beautiful moments, to be sure.