Hola, I'm at Columbia right for a teacher professional development day. These things are crap and useless - but at least I go in with an open mind. I wanted to share a really successful lesson I had on thursday, where the kids read and analyzed the lyrics to Imagine, disscussed in groups the words of John Lennon, and listened to the song at the end of the class. For some, it was there first time actually "listening" to a Beatles song, some even sang aloud. It was great to see such a diverse room of kids singing to a song wriiten before some of their parents were born while waving their hands in the air with smiles. Many have few reasons to smile around the holiday season.
Lifes been pretty confusing lately. I'm constantly questioning my effectiveness as a 2nd year teacher. On thursday after 72 hours of constantly listening to 98 Beatles tracks on repeat on the ol' iPod; I realized a few things. Twenty five years certainly goes by quickly. And life in 1964, when John, Paul, Ringo, and George arrived stateside, hasn't changed too much. Reading dozens of artlcles about the late great John Lennon helped me to understand life (his and mine) a little more.
I spent a good hour wondering around Central Park before finally making it over to Strawberry fields. One article mentioned how different John was from the other three Beatles. It went on to tell of one occasion, when an older, bearded gentlemen approached John for an autograph. John commented that Paul always got the attention of the young attractive screaming women. John was more frequently approached by an older generation - more scholarly, more intrested in the philosophies of life and religion than hit singles and mop tops.
On thursday, as I approached the area on the Park directory, marked as Strawberry Fields, I expected a few die hards, maybe some flowers. But on the 25th anniversary of his passing, I found such a variety of people from all ages and walks of life. Hundreds of like minded individuals. Some there to pay respects. I like to think others, like myself were drawn on the occasion to find a little meaning during these strange times - times no stranger or controversial than Feb 64.'
So I really enjoyed my time alone, surrounded by hundreds of strangers. I got a strange feeling walking through the crowd seeing the smiling and teery eyed pilgrims. I called my Dad who had attended similar candle light vigils over the years. He seemed jealous and mentioned that Rich was going to be there too. I hung out for about an hour. I even sung along to a few songs. The nostalgia wore away as I boarded the subway back downtown. I was hoping to run into RIch, or someone to debrief and chat about what was happening.
This was just another way New York amazes me. I hope to bring more experiences like this to the classroom. New York can be genuine and inspiring. Back to learning - I'm off to more teacher's college.
