Across our schools, fifth grade students are reading and studying Christopher Paul Curtis’ Bud Not Buddy. In it, Curtis writes: “A bud is a flower-to-be. A flower in waiting. Waiting for just the right warmth and care to open up. It’s a little fist of love waiting to unfold and be seen by the world. And that’s you.”
The unfolding of love we see from our students continues to provide hope in our ninth week of distance schooling. We can see some of what students love in their work on Bud Not Buddy itself, from students at Sacred Heart:
We also see students eager to work out virtually alongside Mr. Corinealdi–”Coach G” from Mt. Carmel-Holy Rosary. One of our first teachers to create online learning opportunities for students, he hopped on Instagram Live to lead a P.E. class the first day we were out of our buildings. Now, he is splitting his screen so students lead workouts alongside him and feel part of a wider community:
While the ways our school communities are expressing their connections to each other may be new, the traditions of loving service go back far, as St. Mark the Evangelist took time to recognize this week. They honored thirty years of service by Teaching Assistant Roxanne Starks:
And St. Mark’s also took time to reach out to the newest members of the community, welcoming the new students who will be joining in the fall:
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As St. Athanasius Principal Jessica Aybar noted this week, part of caring for each other involves reminding each other–even students–that it is important to take care of ourselves. In the midst of her busy days as a principal and mom, she took time out to record a Loom story video with her son Vin, reading Jory John and Pete Oswald’s book The Good Egg, a reminder of self-care relevant for lots of different ages:
But nowhere were little bursts of love more evident than in the teacher appreciation messages that continue to resonate even after teacher appreciation week came to a close. While students and parents posted many heartfelt and delightful pictures, messages and videos, the ones from our middle schoolers stood out.
St. Charles student Nayel’s animated, detailed explanations of why she appreciates each of her teachers are a delight, particularly her praise of math teacher Gigi Scott: “Mind you, I don’t really like math, but you make me LOVE math”…
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Nayel showing some #teacherlove to our middle school team! #teacherappreciationweek ? ?? ????
Immaculate Conception School’s student leaders collaborated with the help of Dean Trista Rivera to communicate together how much they appreciate their teachers. By supporting their gratitude with evidence, they no doubt warmed the hearts of their teachers even more:
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Our students express gratitude for the hard work and service their teachers exhibit each day.
Mt. Carmel-Holy Rosary compiled a number of student messages of appreciation into one presentation:
And St. Athanasius compiled over seven minutes of appreciation videos, available on their Facebook page, @stathanasiusbronx.
The short clip below shows two students–among the youngest and oldest in the school. We love how they express equally earnest gratitude in quite different ways. We are particularly moved by the eighth grader’s recognition of St. Athanasius teacher and dean Fiona Chalmers, whose efforts at empathy for a student in a difficult transition clearly made all the difference:
Bud Not Buddy is a story of a gutsy young person in the midst of the Great Depression. This spring, Partnership students are engaged in their own courageous quests, and it is our honor to witness and contribute to them.