Semi-Sterility

Dear Friends,

As soon as autumn rolled in, my students and I went to Chudleigh’s apple farm, in Milton. Although we didn’t pick apples, we had an amazing time visiting the animals, running through the haystacks, and wiggling our way down the tallest slide. We even swung from a rope, à la Tarzan and Jane!

The bright sun glowed amongst the shapely clouds, not the dark, ugly kinds that hang over Ontario teachers’ head at the moment, but the sparkling white kinds that create a breathtaking contrast against the pure, azure sky. 

Students were walking in pairs, carefully listening to the guide, cheerful and excited, free of constraint. I couldn’t help but think of Jean-Jacques Rousseau who believed children develop and learn better by interacting with the physical world.

The only disappointing aspect of our trip was the semisterile orchard. There were so few apples on the trees and on the ground, that while we were riding in the tractor, a couple of my students started playing “I spy an apple” game!

“Look Madame, two apples, four apples, five apples!” They yelled in my ear, astonished.

If you live in Ontario, you know that last year’s unexpectedly mild March tricked the buds to blossom. Then, the few frosty days in April stole apples’ dream of coming to life.

Although the realities of global warming and the sad story of the apples that didn’t make it, lingered in my mind for a while, on our way back to school, I felt an immense sense of peace and satisfaction. With the sun, shining on me through the front windows of the bus, and the children’s chirping filling the space behind me, I became one with the universe. As a pleasant lassitude took over me, I almost fell prey to the hands of a sweet siesta, just like a happy kitten, by the fireplace.

To keep myself awake, not so much for children’s sake, but to save face in front of parent-volunteers accompanying us, I forced my brain to conjure up some thoughts and ideas. That’s when I recognized the collaboration between Mother Nature and Ontario’s Premier - no more apples for teachers!  Accepted and filed!   

What have you accepted and filed today?