Yesterday I went to the young relative's elementary-school spring band concert. I really enjoyed the Stomp-style number, where the percussionists pounded away on trash cans and buckets, and the cute baseball piece performed by the whole ensemble.
But what also struck me was the obvious rapport and warmth between even the smallest children and the school principal. He knelt down and chatted with some of the kindergarteners; he joined in the laughter and applause; he congratulated the musicians for their hard work. In contrast, I remember my elementary-school principal being a formidable presence who NEVER interacted with us and only rarely left his office. I think this is a welcome change!
Nice story, and reminds an old lady of her own elementary school in the late 50's, in a little city in the deep South. A photograph hung in the entry to the school, an old man with white hair, just outside the principal's office. Twice every day for years I passed that photo and thought, so that's what the principal looks like. One day in early 1961, a new photo replaced it, of a younger guy with a great head of dark hair: JFK.
ReplyDeleteAHA!
Years later I learned that our principal, Mr. Underwood, worked summers in peach-packing sheds and textile plants to supplement his family's finances. Tempora mutantur....