By Sr. Mary Michael
School Sisters of Christ the King
St. Teresa School in Lincoln
So there we were in the seventh-grade classroom where I began with a couple of simple questions: “If you were outside for a significant length of time, what could you study?”
The volunteer recorded answers on the board: plants, animals, trees, insects, weather, habitats… and others I don’t recall.
“And if you were out overnight, what could you add?” Stars, constellations, planets, astronomy, the moon, the lunar cycle were among their answers.
Then, intentionally causing considerable confusion, I said: “Sounds great, let’s do it!”
There was a relatively long awkward pause; adolescent brains working to connect synapses and make sense of the fog and connect the disconnects.
Adding another clue: “If we went to Camp Kateri on a Wednesday after Mass, and came back on Friday….”
I wasn’t done with the sentence and they erupted. Miss Hums was contemplating ringing the classroom bell to bring them back, but we decided just let them go for a bit. Allow me to add a tangential fact: all classes have personalities. This class is not known for their academic rigor, nor for excitability. They have a particular care for one another socially, and are always good for a side conversation, but fire and combustibility in the classroom is not their forte.
Hands shot up all over the place with excited questions, some of which we had answers for, some of which the response was, “I don’t know. What do you think?”
The answer to the question which brought the next greatest eruption was, “Who is going?”
“You are!” I said.
“Anyone else?” they asked.
“No, just you.” Eruption here!
“Any other schools?” questions continued.
“No, just you.” Slightly lesser eruption – or maybe it was just the aftershock of the prior.
Not only were they delighting in the event, but I think also in being chosen.
As we continue with our shift in education toward wonder and joy in the good the beautiful and the true, what a delight to bring it to the children. Almost daily many of us say out loud, “Wow, I wish I were a child in school here!” Bringing to the children, not the education we had, but rather the best there is to offer them, is not only delightful at times, but VERY GOOD.
Lest you wonder if we have our heads entirely in the clouds, one adult I shared the news with said, “That sounds like a great idea for kids and a horrible idea for teachers.” Before we began, we gathered our team. Cohorts in education with a fire for adventure, a love of children, and no fear of going outside the box! Our team consists of four educators: our nature studies teacher, Mrs. Shanahan; our librarian, Mrs. Pepino, who is an avid outdoorsman; Miss Hums, their homeroom teacher; and Sister Mary Gabriel from the diocesan office, who does not sit in an ivory tower, but is helping us bring to life again an experience from Illinois when she was a newly minted teacher.
And yours truly, proving you can age chronologically, but stay as a child in some ways… I think there is a Gospel mandate for that!
We are soliciting the support of many parents. We have found a good number to be as excited as we are about the endeavor. Funding is being provided by a benefactor with a fire for education and particularly the sciences. Pursuing the good the beautiful and the true, with a focus on wonder and joy, sometimes is a bit of work, but even more often it is a pleasure.
Back to that opening scene, I knew it would be fun to tell the seventh-graders about the event, but I must add their unabated joy and enthusiasm surpassed what I had anticipated. Bringing fire to kindling that is a bit soggy, through the spark of the Holy Spirit, what a great way to educate. God be praised! May this event bring them further joy, and AWAKEN them to God’s wonder and goodness.
When the whole thing is over, I pray it might be worthy of another article. If so, you will hear from us, if not…never mind. You can never be quite sure what adolescents will bring to the table. These are good kids, and a great place for us to start with such endeavors. Add a prayer for the trip if you can. We will surely need the Lord’s help, and He promises to be with us, but we will take all the prayers that we can muster for a successful endeavor.
