Peace, brothers and sisters
Mood:  amorous
Oh, my gosh. I can?t believe my good luck! Finally a teacher?s room with NO CIGARETTE SMOKE! yahoo. There is a partitioned off place in the copy room reserved for smokers with plenty of ventilation. No one smokes in the teacher?s room and the air is fresh and clean. What a relief.


Monday, April 11th
First Grade Welcoming Ceremony

This day has no equivalent in America to my knowledge. The 2nd and 3rd graders came to school on Thursday and Friday to get started with the whole planning of it. As i walked to school this morning fresh, new - much smaller students - were filing in to school. You could see the nervousness in their faces and eyes. There are 194 new 7th graders this year. There were about 300 parents and relatives seated in the back of the gym to witness the beginning of their junior high adventure. The band played and speeches were made. Former principals and teachers from their elementary schools were also there. Each one was introduced and stood and wished the students well. As the new homeroom teachers called each student?s name each stood with a loud ?hai? for all to hear. At the end of this ceremony the kids all marched out proudly to applause and music..
Since the gym can?t hold everyone the 2nd and 3rd graders were in classes during this ceremony. After about an hour?s break (I?m sure to rearrange the gym seating) we filed back into the gym again. This time the 2nd & 3rd grade boys and girls were seated on the floor on one end of the gym. Seating for all the first graders faced the elder kids. As the lights were dimmed the band played and in marched the 5 new classes of 1st graders. Each class marched in like an Olympic team with a numbered placard carried proudly in front of them. Spotlights blazed down on them and applause was enthusiastic and continued till the last student entered. Now it was the 2nd and 3rd graders chance to welcome the new kids. The student council members planned this whole affair and it included a fun group quiz to help introduce the teachers. The quiz was an A, B, or C type (which teacher do you think is the oldest? Which teacher do you think taught a famous movie star when she was in junior high?) There was singing and a band performance and cheers led by the student cheerleaders. A slide show of the different club activities and highlights of the school was shown. Again at the end of this ceremony the kids all marched out proudly to applause and music.

Wow, I wonder what happens to our new junior high kids when they enter on their first day. I don?t think that they walk away with such a strong feeling of acceptance as they do here. We could learn something from these very ?traditional? Japanese ceremonies.

"The root of all violence is in the world of thoughts."
Sri Eknath Easwaran