How awesome is it that our kids aren’t even phased that Barack Obama is President and that he is African American? It’s not a big deal to them. Who cares? I love that it is not a big deal to them. As far as they are concerned he isn’t any different than any other person who could have been up at that podium being sworn in today. I was torn as to whether I should even mention it. Should I press upon them the importance of today? That would mean explaining to them at least a little about racism and the ugliness that goes with it. I decided that I wasn’t going to say anything but then Liam watched it in school today and he came home telling us that he was part of a historical moment because he had witnessed the first African American President being sworn into office. So, I guess the school kind of did it for me. I am glad they watched it and discussed and I am glad he knows that he was witnessing history. He doesn’t fully grasp why it’s important, but I guess that’s not important right now. Someday when he is older he might get it a little bit, but unless you have lived as an African American I doubt you can fully understand what today means. You can appreciate it, but I don’t think you can truly, truly grasp it.
Archive for January 20th 2009
As I was thinking about this historical day today I started to think about other historical events that have taken place in my lifetime and I realized that I spent and am still spending an awful lot of time in various schools. I was in second grade when someone tried to assassinate President Reagan. I remember the teachers wheeling out the TVs and we watched it over and over again. Really, how many times do eight-year olds need to see someone get shot? When the space shuttle blew up I was in gym class. We were square dancing and our principal came on over the intercom to tell us. My last day of student teaching was the day the O.J. Simpson verdict was read. Most of the teachers were standing outside the teachers’ lounge watching them read the verdict. I think we left the kids to fend for themselves for a few minutes. I was reading The Three Little Wolves and the Big, Bad Pig to my class of fourth graders when we learned that something was going on in New York on 9/11. That was the day I was going to tell my class I was expecting, but I couldn’t. I was too busy trying to explain to them, without breaking down into tears, what I had seen on TV in the teachers’ workroom while they were in the library. And today I was serving nachos, apples and carrots to a bunch of Catholic school kids while the lunch lady and the other mom that was volunteering watched what we could of it on the little TV they had brought in for the three of us so we wouldn’t miss it. Thank you to Mrs. Roberts for bringing in the TV and thank you to the custodian who brought in the very long extension cord.
Sunday-Chicken Enchiladas
Monday-Chicken Pot Pie with Cornbread Crust and Salad
Tuesday-Spaghetti with Italian Sausage
Wednesday-BBQ chicken, potato salad, corn
Thursday-dinner at the in-laws
Friday-Chicken Noodle Soup with some really good bread from the bakery
Saturday-out to eat?
Between two five-year olds:
Cissy: We can read, can’t we?
Isaac: Yeh, we can.
Cissy: Have you ever heard of Hooked on Phonics?
Isaac: No.
Cissy: It’s really good.
Sitting here watching Barack Obama come out of church on this Inauguration Day and watching the reaction of the people waiting for the Inauguration to begin who are watching his every move this morning on the large screens set up on the Mall makes me nervous for him. He is more than a president; he is a rock star. When he came out of church this morning the crowd went wild-WILD. I know I haven’t watched too many inaugurations, but I think most people would agree that this day is different. There is so much hope and emotion surrounding this day. There is so much expected of him and so much that needs to be done both here and abroad. There are people waiting for him to fail so they can say I told you so. There are even more people who want him to succeed, to deliver on all of those promises he made during his campaign. They want their lives to be better and they want hope not only for today but for the future. I wish him the best for a thousand different reasons, but I do not envy him.