SO MUCH has happened since November so I will probably have to do this in sections.
Christmas Season in the Classroom
This Christmas we had fun learning about different traditions and celebrations in different countries.
We received packages from our friend globe trot Scott who told us about different traditions and celebrations from different countries he visited. It was lots of fun going to the office each week to see if we got another package. We learned about Israel and the celebration of Hanukkah. We made latkes and dreidles. We also learned about Christmas celebrations in Sweden, Mexico and Germany.
Unfortunately with 4x's as many children picture taking was not a priority and I only got a few pictures of all the festivities.
Teaching about Christmas traditions from other countries can be tricky especially when it comes to learning about the different traditions of who brings the presents. The tradition of the bringer of gifts varies from country to country. For some Saint Nicholas (Saint Mikuláš in Czech) brings gifts on the 5th or 6th of December. Or he brings small treats and places them in shoes. In parts of Sweden they have a gnome called tomten who brings gifts on his sled pulled by a goat and likes to eat porridge. The tricky part is the fine line between real and imaginary. For some kids Santa is real. I covered the whole thing with "this is what the people believe in their country, or this is their tradition."
The true kicker for this one came when we learned about Mexico and the tradition of having the 3 wise men bringing the gifts. After I shared this tradition with the kids, one of my students pipes up.... "Miss Robinson that is impossible.... the wisemen are dead!" Oh Dear! What do I do now? How do I stop this snowball from rolling? Dashing all the kids beliefs about who really brings presents. So I redirect it back to where the tradition of gifts came from. Why we give gifts. The magi brought gifts to honour the baby king Jesus.
Having a class with a variety of religious beliefs and traditions makes for sharing the truth about the Christmas story all the more special. Being in a country where many families teach that the baby Jesus brings the presents, makes it difficult to uncover that baby Jesus is not a fictional character. He is real and his birth is more than just a nice Christmas story.
This is why I have my students memorise Luke 2: 1-20. It is rooted in their hearts and minds and I pray as the years pass, this planted seed of God's word grows stronger.
Below is the video clip from the Christmas Concert. Not the best recording but gives the idea :) We did something a little different this year and had the grade 2's and 3's sing a song that is from
Luke 2: 8-14
When we are Weak He is Strong
The last week of school before the break is a very busy time. It is a horrible time to get sick and be stuck in bed. Since March my parents planned to be in Prague for Christmas. The day before they were getting on a plane to come was the day I went to sit up to get out of bed and found myself in agonising back pain. The kind of pain where you don't dare move, for once you do, it is impossible to find another position where you are not in pain. It was crippling, it was painful and it was unexplainable. In the past I have experienced back pain as a result of over exerting my back muscles with a lifting activity. No such activity had occurred. I believe it was just my time for another lesson in humility and relying on the Lord to carry to me through.
I am blessed by an amazing flatmate who cared for me and took care of my class. I spent the next two days in bed, missing the field trip to the Christmas markets. However I was not going to miss the last day of school before the break. So with my parents in tow I hobbled to school.
We celebrated our last days with a variety of traditions including breaking pinatas.
So thankful to the team of helpers I have.
Adventures with Mom and Dad
When school let out Mom and Dad and I spent a restful weekend together gearing up for our trip to the Christmas Markets in Dresden.
I have learned many lessons when travelling by train. Always make sure you have your passport and that you are on the right platform going in the right direction, make a seat reservation when taking a longer journey, and my newest lesson: always check the date on your ticket before you board the train.
When I booked the tickets for our trip I was planning to go on the Monday the 18th, but the cheaper day turned out to be the 19th so I booked for the 19th. However, my plan for the 18th never left my head and so in my mind we were setting out to venture to Dresden on the 18th.
So we bundle up and head out early to the train station for our 8:20am departure on Dec. 18th.
We get on the train and there are people in our seats! Their tickets have the same numbers as ours... how can this be... so we amble to the next available car that happened to be empty to inspect our tickets. Only to discover they were for the 19th! OFF the Train! We leaped off in a hurry just as the whistle began to blow. No harm no foul and it gave an extra day for my back to feel much better.
So we wandered the Czech markets instead and enjoyed our one day of Prague snow which promptly melted after these pictures were taken.
The following day we did make it to Dresden and enjoyed a day of shopping, eating, and exploring.
On the 20th it was Mom's birthday and we celebrated by going to Cafe Louvre (favourite restaurant) and seeing the markets in Old Town Square.
It was a lovely evening.
We left for Warsaw Poland on the Friday to spend Christmas with my Aunt B. (Mom's sister) and Uncle D. and Cousin E. Again, few pictures were taken because more time was spent visiting.
Emily and I conquered a difficult jigsaw puzzle, Mom explored pottery shops and Dad enjoyed sitting by the fire.
While in Warsaw we got to see the lights and spend some time with Aunt B and Uncle D's church family. Christmas carol sing, gingerbread house building and making new friends.
Building a gingerbread house. It was an intense process and a labour of love. Final product not bad!
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| First attempt failed but with a little more care it came together |
We had a wonderful visit. Aunt B and Uncle D. have been in Poland for almost 2 decades. Now they are in the process of finishing up their time in Warsaw and will begin a new journey in their ministry that may be leading them to a country in the middle east. I will miss not going to their place in Poland for Christmas.
After our trip to Poland we had a few days left in Prague. Enough time to take in the Nutcracker and a Christmas Carol Ballet and a Slavia hockey game. No pictures of the ballet... but did get a few at the hockey game. Seeing a Czech hockey game was on Dad's bucket list and the team did not disappoint with over-time and a win during a shoot out. Great way to wrap up our visit.
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Selfie at the ballet ... Dad took better pictures on his phone.
I didn't bring my camera and my phone camera is not great |
Mom and Dad were troopers on their return flight as they hit delay after delay and almost got stranded in Calgary. After 10 hours delay in Calgary they made it on a flight home. It was great to have them here and getting to share an European Christmas with them.
I spent New Years Eve with some friends playing games and watching the crazy people light fireworks in the street just outside the apartment. Anyone and everyone sets off fireworks on New Year's Eve so you can enjoy the booms and flashes of light from the comfort of your living room.
I always head out to watch the show on New Year's Day set off by the city. This year commemorates the 100th year of the forming of the Czech Republic when it became Czechoslovakia in 1918. So this year is a year of celebration. The fireworks display was a smattering of red white and blue to celebrate this milestone in the country's history.
We started the new school year with saying goodbye to one student and saying hello to a new student; keeping my numbers steady at 16. Looking forward to what the new year has in store.
