Dear Editor,
Current and former parents of my students, and community members
who’ve been involved with my classroom over the years, who read the
article in Kat Teraji’s column on Thursday, Dec. 9 must have been
laughing uproariously while thinking,
”
Who’s she kidding? WE are the ones who do all of the work and
make donations.
”
Dear Editor,
Current and former parents of my students, and community members who’ve been involved with my classroom over the years, who read the article in Kat Teraji’s column on Thursday, Dec. 9 must have been laughing uproariously while thinking, “Who’s she kidding? WE are the ones who do all of the work and make donations.”
They are absolutely right. I’m merely a conduit for providing experiences in my classroom. In my weekly “Cougar Cub” I make requests for assistance and donations from parents. I regularly call upon community members for help. Just last Friday Dale Connell and his grandson, Kevin, came in to give a dual presentation. Grandpa told his annual tales about living on the South Dakota plains more than 80 years ago when he was the age of my third graders. His presentation gets better and more thorough every year. It is never exactly the same. Kevin told about his trip to Ghana where he assisted in giving polio vaccine to the entire population of children 5 and under, sponsored by the Kiwanis Club. Coincidentally, we had just read a story in our reader about Ghana!
The parents are the ones who create the costumes for our Thanksgiving program. Parents assist their children in doing “original research” on the character their child portrays. Every year I learn more about the Pilgrims from the research done by the students.
Years ago, we took all Rucker third graders to the Historical Park at San Jose’s Kelly Park. It was expensive and time consuming. As I looked around, I thought, “Why are we HERE? We have all of this live, up close, and personal in our own downtown.” Ever since then, I have organized our third grade spring field trips throughout downtown Gilroy and on First Street. We annually visit Candace Fazzio’s Music Academy, The Gilroy Museum, the library, and other establishments. As part of our follow-up to stories in our reader, we go to the cemetery where the Habings greet us and help us feel comfortable, to Nob Hill Foods, and to several restaurants where we pick up “ethnic foods.” That day ends with a picnic at Las Animas Veterans Park. All of this is related to our curriculum. Everywhere we go we are treated with such kindness and enthusiasm.
Business people know what we’re about and each trip is very serendipitous as we are greeted merrily and generously. One year the owner of one of the antique shops even stood outside with a tray of goodies for us. Dave Peoples makes it a point to be at his door and sometimes gives us the pop-tops from cans to add to those we’re counting to learn place value.
Each provides worthwhile memories and enriches our curriculum. Students regularly write “thank you’s” to our benefactors. At the end of each year, I have students write letters of advice to the next class. One student put it rather succinctly. “If she tells you you are going on a field trip or someone is coming to visit, remember – whether you go out or they come in, you have to write a ‘thank you.’ ”
It truly does take a village – and though Gilroy may be growing, it remains the greatest village of them all!
Janice Krahenbuhl, Gilroy
