There’s something truly special that occurs whenever I find myself wandering the hallways of Perry Browne Elementary School, considering it was my first school. Obviously things have changed a bit since I last sat behind a desk there, yet some things never have, namely my Kindergarten teacher, Diana Hickling.
It was with great pleasure that I visited with Mrs. Hickling’s class yesterday for my third installment in The Evening Sun’s Delivering Christmas series – to enjoy some holiday cheer with her third-graders, play a Christmas song or two (or six) on the guitar and speak with them about the importance of good reading and writing skills in this day and age.
Mrs. Hickling met me as I was making my way to her classroom (ironically located in the space where I spent the sixth grade) and I’ll admit I was more than a little nervous about speaking to – and performing for – her third-graders. To add to this, I was informed that Mr. Lawton’s class would also be joining us, increasing my apprehension. Yet in the end, it turned out I really had nothing to worry about.
I managed to get myself settled in just before the approximately 30 third-graders (was I ever that small?) filed into the room, many with a little wave as if to say “welcome back.” In no time, everyone was seated and, following a brief introduction by Mrs. Hickling, I got down to business.
While my little question-and-answer session with the kids may not seem very holiday-like, Mrs. Hickling and I had discussed a writing project her class would be participating in several months back. When I thought about it, I realized that an opportunity to get the children excited about writing (and reading as well) was, in a way, the best gift I could ever give them. They had all manner of questions for me on life as a newspaper reporter, which I tried my best to answer. But the real fun began when we wrapped-up our chat session and I pulled out my trusty Fender nylon-string acoustic.
Mrs. Hickling had informed me that the kids “absolutely love music,” yet I was unprepared for their reaction when I announced “Silent Night” as my first musical selection. I hadn’t thought of it before, but most of these youngsters – just a couple of weeks back – had performed at the city’s annual holiday tree-lighting ceremony. Needless to say, I was caught off-guard as their voices joined mine in song and let me tell you, these kids are good.
“Silent Night” led to “Winter Wonderland,” “Silver Bells,” “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” and several other favorite Christmas songs. Throughout, the children joyfully sang along, peppering me with questions between musical numbers. I’d obviously underestimated Mrs. Hickling when she’d mentioned the kids’ love for music, because these young boys and girls have an innocent passion for it that was inspiring to say the least.
I wrapped up my visit with another brief question-and-answer session, this time concerning my musical history, and it turns out my only failure was a blessing in disguise – I’d neglected to learn “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” and “Frosty the Snowman.” That’s OK though, because I now have an open invitation to visit with this talented and respectful group, just as long as I promise to learn them for next time.