School Bells – Current Affairs – Grade 1 – Week 33
It hardly seems possible that this will be the 33rd meeting with this group of scholars. On the one hand it seems as if we have always been meeting and, on the other hand, it seems as if we have just gotten started. All too soon it will be time for summer break. I have yet to hear whether I will be able to meet with any of the classes next year. I am hoping that I can meet with the same group of students who will be in the second and ninth grades respectively.
I am eager to hear what these scholars have to say about how to help each other when something has made one or more of us sad.
The scholars are arriving.
Me: Good morning class.
Class: Good morning Mr. Jim. Cookies?
Me. Yes, there are cookies. Tara and Sam please pass them out.
(They do so. No one seems to lose their appetite for these cookies.)
Me: I am eager to hear how you and your families think that we can help each other when we are sad. Suppose we start with sharing some of the events which make us sad and why it is good to be sad.
Tara: I was very sad when our dog died.
Ahmes: I get sad when my mom has to travel for work and is gone.
Sue: I used to get sad about being in the wheelchair, but now I do not think of it very often.
Tommy: I got sad when my grandparents had to move into a place for old people.
Sofia: I get sad when I do something I was not supposed to do and my mother says she is very disappointed in me.
Ahmes: I get sad when someone dies.
Me: Those are all good examples of times when many of us get sad. How can we help each other?
Ahmes: When someone dies the body is prepared and then buried. We mourn for 40 days and then get together to talk about the dead person and why we liked them. Everyone comes together to help each other with their feelings.
Sue: In our family when someone dies they are cremated and there may be something at the funeral home. I do not like funeral homes. They make me even more sad..
Steve: When my friend had cancer and died we all went to the funeral and then planted a tree to help us remember him. I love that tree.
Me: So we all have different rituals or practices when someone dies. Not many of us have a 40-day mourning period although many people used to wear black for so many months after someone died.
Tommy: When someone dies or when my dog died everyone told me not to cry. They tell me that the person or my dog is in heaven. That does not make me feel better.
Me: Yes, many of us are told not to cry when we are sad. Perhaps we need to cry sometimes.
Sofia: Why is crying bad Mr. Jim?
Me: I think it makes other people uncomfortable. Perhaps we think we need to do something and do not know what to do. What do you want from others when you are crying Sofia?
Sofia: I just want someone to listen.
Tommy: What if someone is crying and crying and crying?
Me: That is a great question Tommy. If someone is crying all the time for weeks or months they may need some help. Then we can encourage them to talk to an adult about how they can get past their sadness or at least not cry all the time.
Steve: My uncle says that boys don’t cry but my dad says that all boys and men cry. Some do outside crying and some do inside crying.
Me: Crying when someone dies , moves away, or gets hurt tell us what?
Tara: That we care Mr. Jim.
Me: I agree Tara. It is important that we care about each other.
Sue: My aunt makes a scene every time she is sad and then everyone has to take care of her.
Me: Many of us know someone like that and some adults may need to talk to them or get them to talk to someone.
Susie: My dad says that when we are sad sometimes we have to still do homework and chores. He never tells us not to cry but if we are crying all the time and say we cannot do homework he tells us we can and must do it.
Tommy: When we went to Uncle Jim’s funeral people cried and laughed and told jokes.
Me: Yes, we may have a lot of different feelings when someone dies. We may remember all the good and funny times together which makes us smile or even laugh. We can have more than one feeling.
Sam: I do not like it when someone tells me what I should feel Uncle Jim.
Me: That is a great point Sam. It sounds as if we are saying that when a friend or family member is sad that the most important thing we can do is to be there to be supportive. It also sounds as if we are saying that it is important to not switch the attention to us- that we have to learn to not worry so much about ourselves so we can be supportive. At the same can show people that it is safe to openly share feelings of sadness as well as other feelings. I appreciate your point Sam about not telling people what to feel. If our grief goes on for a long time and we cannot do our chores or homework, we may need to talk to a counselor or someone.
Tara: Will there always be sadness Mr. Jim?
Me: Yes, there is much about which to be sad and there is much about which to be happy. It is important that we experience both and support our friends and family in experiencing both.
Goodness time is nearly up. Once again I am impressed by the willingness of you and your families to talk about these issues.
For next week I would like you to talk about whether there are boy chores and girl chores. How do we as a family decide who does what?
Sue please pass out the assignment while Sofia and Sam pass out the cookies. Thanks!
Ring! Ring! Ring!
Me: Have a wonderful week everyone.
Class: Bye Mr. Jim.
Written April 18, 2017
It hardly seems possible that this will be the 33rd meeting with this group of scholars. On the one hand it seems as if we have always been meeting and, on the other hand, it seems as if we have just gotten started. All too soon it will be time for summer break. I have yet to hear whether I will be able to meet with any of the classes next year. I am hoping that I can meet with the same group of students who will be in the second and ninth grades respectively.
I am eager to hear what these scholars have to say about how to help each other when something has made one or more of us sad.
The scholars are arriving.
Me: Good morning class.
Class: Good morning Mr. Jim. Cookies?
Me. Yes, there are cookies. Tara and Sam please pass them out.
(They do so. No one seems to lose their appetite for these cookies.)
Me: I am eager to hear how you and your families think that we can help each other when we are sad. Suppose we start with sharing some of the events which make us sad and why it is good to be sad.
Tara: I was very sad when our dog died.
Ahmes: I get sad when my mom has to travel for work and is gone.
Sue: I used to get sad about being in the wheelchair, but now I do not think of it very often.
Tommy: I got sad when my grandparents had to move into a place for old people.
Sofia: I get sad when I do something I was not supposed to do and my mother says she is very disappointed in me.
Ahmes: I get sad when someone dies.
Me: Those are all good examples of times when many of us get sad. How can we help each other?
Ahmes: When someone dies the body is prepared and then buried. We mourn for 40 days and then get together to talk about the dead person and why we liked them. Everyone comes together to help each other with their feelings.
Sue: In our family when someone dies they are cremated and there may be something at the funeral home. I do not like funeral homes. They make me even more sad..
Steve: When my friend had cancer and died we all went to the funeral and then planted a tree to help us remember him. I love that tree.
Me: So we all have different rituals or practices when someone dies. Not many of us have a 40-day mourning period although many people used to wear black for so many months after someone died.
Tommy: When someone dies or when my dog died everyone told me not to cry. They tell me that the person or my dog is in heaven. That does not make me feel better.
Me: Yes, many of us are told not to cry when we are sad. Perhaps we need to cry sometimes.
Sofia: Why is crying bad Mr. Jim?
Me: I think it makes other people uncomfortable. Perhaps we think we need to do something and do not know what to do. What do you want from others when you are crying Sofia?
Sofia: I just want someone to listen.
Tommy: What if someone is crying and crying and crying?
Me: That is a great question Tommy. If someone is crying all the time for weeks or months they may need some help. Then we can encourage them to talk to an adult about how they can get past their sadness or at least not cry all the time.
Steve: My uncle says that boys don’t cry but my dad says that all boys and men cry. Some do outside crying and some do inside crying.
Me: Crying when someone dies , moves away, or gets hurt tell us what?
Tara: That we care Mr. Jim.
Me: I agree Tara. It is important that we care about each other.
Sue: My aunt makes a scene every time she is sad and then everyone has to take care of her.
Me: Many of us know someone like that and some adults may need to talk to them or get them to talk to someone.
Susie: My dad says that when we are sad sometimes we have to still do homework and chores. He never tells us not to cry but if we are crying all the time and say we cannot do homework he tells us we can and must do it.
Tommy: When we went to Uncle Jim’s funeral people cried and laughed and told jokes.
Me: Yes, we may have a lot of different feelings when someone dies. We may remember all the good and funny times together which makes us smile or even laugh. We can have more than one feeling.
Sam: I do not like it when someone tells me what I should feel Uncle Jim.
Me: That is a great point Sam. It sounds as if we are saying that when a friend or family member is sad that the most important thing we can do is to be there to be supportive. It also sounds as if we are saying that it is important to not switch the attention to us- that we have to learn to not worry so much about ourselves so we can be supportive. At the same can show people that it is safe to openly share feelings of sadness as well as other feelings. I appreciate your point Sam about not telling people what to feel. If our grief goes on for a long time and we cannot do our chores or homework, we may need to talk to a counselor or someone.
Tara: Will there always be sadness Mr. Jim?
Me: Yes, there is much about which to be sad and there is much about which to be happy. It is important that we experience both and support our friends and family in experiencing both.
Goodness time is nearly up. Once again I am impressed by the willingness of you and your families to talk about these issues.
For next week I would like you to talk about whether there are boy chores and girl chores. How do we as a family decide who does what?
Sue please pass out the assignment while Sofia and Sam pass out the cookies. Thanks!
Ring! Ring! Ring!
Me: Have a wonderful week everyone.
Class: Bye Mr. Jim.
Written April 18, 2017
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