Saturday, December 31, 2022

Northshore Notes: Teaching Children

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     Well, we made it through 2022, almost. The year ends with a sweet reminiscence from our Northshore bureau chief, Caren Jeskey. They didn't offer yoga in school when I was a kid. But this sure makes me wish they had. Happy New Year.

By Caren Jeskey

     After spending hours writing and erasing and writing and erasing, at 10:00 pm last night I realized I have a full-fledged case of writer’s block. So, I took a note from my fearless editor Neil and decided to offer a piece I wrote in 2001 for Yoga Chicago Magazine, a simple and sweet story on this last Saturday of 2022.

     This past summer, I had the pleasure of teaching yoga to sixth to eighth grade Chicago public schools students. They were enrolled in the DePaul Preparatory Academy, a summer enrichment program. We met weekday mornings in a classroom at DePaul downtown. I’d surreptitiously (and very carefully) burn a stick of my favorite incense, Nag Champa, before the children arrived. “Why does it smell like marshmallows?” they’d ask.
     They’d request to “please start class with that lying-down pose.” They’d take their shoes and socks off, and lay down on their backs on yoga mats. I’d talk them into a deep state of relaxation, savasana. A form of meditation. Sometimes snoring would ensue. After allowing the tired kids to decompress for a while, I’d gently talk them back into the room; they’d wake up rejuvenated and ready to try some yoga poses.
     I encouraged the children to ask questions during the times we sat around discussing whatever was on their minds. “How do planets float in space? If teachers know things, how come they look in books to teach us? Is there life beyond our world? What is love and hate? How do you forgive someone you care about even though they were wrong? Why are there locks on 24-hour Walgreens stores?” Fun conversations would commence.
     It was a good-vibe class. The youngest student told me “besides lunch, my favorite class is yoga.” He shared that yoga helps him get over feelings of anger. I once taught the children how to use techniques to keep an ornery teacher calmer. The teacher came to me afterwards and said “I don’t know what you told the kids, but they were terrific today. Thank you.” Once must have let it slip that something unusual was going on. I simply asked them to sit next to someone new that day, rather than the friend they normally sat next to (and probably chatted with a lot, frustrating the teacher). I suggested that they think “may you be happy, Mr. O” when he seemed angry.
     When we practice peace towards others, we might see it in return if we are lucky. And at least we are not adding fuel to the fire.
     On the last day of class, a perky, muscular girl of 12 with a calm demeanor sensed my frazzling nerves. We were completing displays for families to visit during the closing ceremony later that day. (I found that it was much easier to teach yoga than it was to get the children to complete a more academic assignment). She took my hand, gazed into my eyes, and said: “Ms. Jeskey. It’s OK to have a bad day. Even if you do yoga.” She rejoined her poster-making group, lay down on her stomach and got back to coloring. I was a little embarrassed, then realized she was only giving back to me what I had been offering her all summer. Kindness.
     So now back to the present day. December 31, 2022. I’d love to know where my former students are today. They'd be in their 30s by now. I hope they've all landed on their feet. I've often wondered about the 12 year old who brought gin in a 7-Up can to class. At that time I took him to lunch and let him know that people cared about him.
       Reflecting back to memories of connection with other humans is reassuring, especially in these disconnected times. Wishing you a safe and cozy New Year’s Eve. See you in 2023.

     "A child said What is the grass? fetching it to me with full hands; how could I answer the child? I do not know what it is any more than he."
        — Walt Whitman, Song of Myself

10 comments:

  1. Great idea having Yoga on the curriculum. I can't help but think that classes such as that, more PE, and music for everyone would go a long way in making school more fun to attend while sneaking in classes in the ABC's.
    Happy New Year!

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  2. Thank you In kindergarten, we had a quiet, maybe a nap, time. turn down the lights, lay on a mat while the teacher read a story. None of that in first grade..

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  3. Thank you for another year of EGD. And thank you for the added blessing of Caren Jeskey on Saturdays. And today's especially: the universality of Yoga is so evident in this piece. I've just taken up Yoga, in my 70's, and find myself relating easily to the experience the students are having.
    Thank you! And Happy New Year!

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  4. What an incredible blessing to get a daily dose of Neil and Caren in this forum.

    It is worth noting that, for all the troubles in these "disconnected" times, troubles are part of life. This Trumpian idea of "making America great again" is manipulative pseudo puritan bullsh-t. I grew up in a world with polio, the Cuban missile crisis, crawling under my desk to prepare for nuclear attack, assassinations of great leaders, murders of civil rights workers, the Vietnam war and the draft, and on and on. It's a wonder I can crawl out of bed from PTSD. My parents had the Great Depression, self righteous puritans outlawing beer and creating the mafia, and World War II. That's the America they want to go back to?

    The puritans are at it again. Screw them. As Goethe said, "let everyone sweep in front of their own door and the whole world will be clean"

    Thanks to Neil and Caren for helping us sweep in front of our door.

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  5. Love the interaction with kids. Art Linkletter had something of the right idea, although in retrospect, his TV show seemed a bit exploitive.

    And Whitman is great...in small doses. I was trying to get through "Leaves of Grass" before rewarding myself with Neil's new book, but had to stop half way through. I'll get back to "Leaves" soon -- I'm up to October in "Every Goddamn Day."

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  6. Happy New Year, CJ, NS and to all the readers here.

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  7. It’s nice to be on this journey with all of you.

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  8. I'm looking forward to another year of EGD, and, hopefully, to many more. Happy New year to everyone here.

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