Praise Songs
Tonight I am still beaming from the wonderful events of yesterday’s historic inauguration. It was an amazing morning, made all the more so because I got to share it with my first grade students and about 60 second and third graders.
Imagine. All those kids sitting quietly on the rug, watching our new president get sworn in. I’ll remember it forever. I’m sure they will too.
Highlights:
* Music composed by John Williams and performed by Yo Yo Ma, Itzhak Perlman, Gabriela Montero, and Anthony McGill.
* The line in Elizabeth Alexander’s poem, “Praise Song for the Day”:
A teacher says, “Take out your pencils. Begin.”
(The “dailiness” of those words heard while in a school with a room full of children and their teachers.)
* the Benediction by the Reverend Dr. Joseph E. Lowery.
Stephanie Parsley said:
Dianne, I loved the benediction! It made me cry, then laugh. And the pencil line, too. How awesome to experience the day with your students.
Stephanie Greene said:
I LOVED that line, Dianne. The way she brought in the simplest, most minute action to make even the youngest among us identify. I envy you your inauguration experience.
Dianne said:
It *was* awesome wasn’t it? It’s nice to know we were all sharing these moments at exactly the same time.