the room. But despite all the trouble that the cold weather caused, Beth still enjoyed the winter season. She marveled at the beauty of the large feathery snowflakes as they veiled the trees and ground. She loved the sound of her school bell as it pealed loud and clear across the schoolyard, calling the children in from their frosty playtime.
It was the third week in November when Beth decided it was time to begin preparations for the Christmas concert. She wanted every student to partake in the program.
Of course, there would have to be a reenactment of Christ’s birth. That was expected. She mentally assigned her older students the major speaking roles. The youngest children could be the animals who would happily “baa” or “moo” on cue. She wondered if Mrs. Young had had her baby yet. Wouldn’t a real baby in the manger be wonderful!
From the bookshelf she withdrew a book, Plays, Poetry, and Prose for Children. No doubt parents with children in the older grades had watched most of the plays in the book, but she hoped something would inspire her to write something original. A few of her students were exceptional poets. She’d pick the best poems and have the authors recite them.
Ideas were coming so quickly, she went to her desk and jotted notes to remember them all. After vowing she was a great teacher, Beth was adamant that this concert be the talk of the town for years to come.
When Beth announced her ideas to the children that morning, they were so excited they couldn’t sit still. She had to remind them that no Christmas preparations would happen unless they got all their work done and it wasn’t long before they all buckled down to their assignments.
Inga’s mother kindly donated the use of her piano, so Beth felt obliged to allow Inga, who said she had taken lessons, to be the pianist. But upon hearing her play, Beth had her doubts. She prayed the girl would improve with extra practice.
For the next month, every available moment was devoted to memorizing poems and lines, perfecting piano solos and duets, practicing Christmas carols and rehearsing the pageant. Notes were sent home with the children as to what props and costumes were needed, and Beth marveled daily at how the ingenuous mothers could fashion something out of nothing.
The concert was scheduled for the Friday before Christmas Day. As a reward for her students’ diligence, Beth suspended afternoon classes on the Wednesday and Thursday preceding the big event. The time was spent making Christmas decorations. The youngest children crafted paper chains and strung popcorn and cranberries on thread; the older boys, with stronger, more calloused hands, used tin snips to cut stars from flattened cans; and the older girls’ nimble fingers fashioned angels out of lacy remnants. Each child decorated a large envelope to hold samples of his best penmanship and poetry.
The evening before the concert, several men in the community, including Tom, built a stage at the front of the classroom to enable all to see the program.
When the big day arrived, the little schoolhouse was charged with excitement and the students spent the entire day putting up their decorations. Yards of paper chains draped back and forth across the room and angels hung in all the windows. Around the top of the blackboards, winter scenes were stenciled with chalk, while a large “Merry Christmas” was attractively written across the side blackboard. The piano, decorated with spruce boughs and ribbons, was pulled away from the wall and a blanket hung between it and the front blackboard, creating a backstage. The older boys were assigned the task of pushing desks into the back corner, and bringing in extra benches from the shed outside. The small, but stately Christmas tree, cut by one of the fathers, stood proudly on a table in the front corner. Soon it was decorated with the tin stars and popcorn strings.
Beth dismissed the children early in the afternoon so they could rush
It was the third week in November when Beth decided it was time to begin preparations for the Christmas concert. She wanted every student to partake in the program.
Of course, there would have to be a reenactment of Christ’s birth. That was expected. She mentally assigned her older students the major speaking roles. The youngest children could be the animals who would happily “baa” or “moo” on cue. She wondered if Mrs. Young had had her baby yet. Wouldn’t a real baby in the manger be wonderful!
From the bookshelf she withdrew a book, Plays, Poetry, and Prose for Children. No doubt parents with children in the older grades had watched most of the plays in the book, but she hoped something would inspire her to write something original. A few of her students were exceptional poets. She’d pick the best poems and have the authors recite them.
Ideas were coming so quickly, she went to her desk and jotted notes to remember them all. After vowing she was a great teacher, Beth was adamant that this concert be the talk of the town for years to come.
When Beth announced her ideas to the children that morning, they were so excited they couldn’t sit still. She had to remind them that no Christmas preparations would happen unless they got all their work done and it wasn’t long before they all buckled down to their assignments.
Inga’s mother kindly donated the use of her piano, so Beth felt obliged to allow Inga, who said she had taken lessons, to be the pianist. But upon hearing her play, Beth had her doubts. She prayed the girl would improve with extra practice.
For the next month, every available moment was devoted to memorizing poems and lines, perfecting piano solos and duets, practicing Christmas carols and rehearsing the pageant. Notes were sent home with the children as to what props and costumes were needed, and Beth marveled daily at how the ingenuous mothers could fashion something out of nothing.
The concert was scheduled for the Friday before Christmas Day. As a reward for her students’ diligence, Beth suspended afternoon classes on the Wednesday and Thursday preceding the big event. The time was spent making Christmas decorations. The youngest children crafted paper chains and strung popcorn and cranberries on thread; the older boys, with stronger, more calloused hands, used tin snips to cut stars from flattened cans; and the older girls’ nimble fingers fashioned angels out of lacy remnants. Each child decorated a large envelope to hold samples of his best penmanship and poetry.
The evening before the concert, several men in the community, including Tom, built a stage at the front of the classroom to enable all to see the program.
When the big day arrived, the little schoolhouse was charged with excitement and the students spent the entire day putting up their decorations. Yards of paper chains draped back and forth across the room and angels hung in all the windows. Around the top of the blackboards, winter scenes were stenciled with chalk, while a large “Merry Christmas” was attractively written across the side blackboard. The piano, decorated with spruce boughs and ribbons, was pulled away from the wall and a blanket hung between it and the front blackboard, creating a backstage. The older boys were assigned the task of pushing desks into the back corner, and bringing in extra benches from the shed outside. The small, but stately Christmas tree, cut by one of the fathers, stood proudly on a table in the front corner. Soon it was decorated with the tin stars and popcorn strings.
Beth dismissed the children early in the afternoon so they could rush
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