|
|
Revisiting Christmas Past in the classroom trenches...
Stirring from the trenches of Northern Lincoln Elementary—ghosts of Christmas Past—long past, my past leading me to revisit holiday seasons from yesteryear. I’m inside my sixth-grade classroom during the ‘80s, reminiscing about our traditional Christmas literary event.
Such an epic event centered upon a Christmas-themed play. Instead of “acting” the part, we produced an elaborate slide-show presentation accompanied by a coordinated recording replete with dialogue and music. Plenty of at-home, trial-and-error by me to get everything synced for our assemblies: a private showing for the parents; a public viewing by the entire student body.
One of our performances evolved from ''A Christmas Carol''. Foremost in my mind, although I’ve forgotten the title of the play, is my last show before I was assigned a third-grade teaching position. Hence, the ghosts of Christmas Past tug me along for a spirited ride…
The last show revolved around Santa Claus. Students chose their roles, and they were assigned by lottery. Sure, there may have been disappointments, but even the smallest parts were embellished with our own ad-lib creativity, amping up the roles.
Ho! Ho! Ho! The coveted role of Santa! Roger, with a “g”—small in stature with a big heart and winsome personality, made his case for playing the part. He informed us that he had a Santa suit. Now, whether he did or not, he was an only child whose parents doted on him. The following day, he proved his point by coming to school with a costume.
The last picture show was a huge success thanks to every single student who infused the performance with glee. Roger usurped his role of Santa by padding his mid-section with a pillow, and adding his own comedic flair to each of his scenes.
The young man with all the toys proved himself well-suited for the role in my lifetime.
|
|
|
|
Regis
very enjoyable read
stirs classroom memories for this old educator!
never stop writing
m
Ron
Sandie