As long as the grass shall grow

Dear LREI Families:

At last week’s Thanksgiving assembly there was much sharing about the people and things for which we are thankful. I mentioned how much I enjoyed hearing students singing the words to and humming the melody of the song “Indian Prayer” in the hallways and classrooms in the weeks leading up to the assembly. As the strains of the song floated through our shared spaces, my thoughts turned to the origins of the song. After some searching, I discovered that some of the lyrics were originally a prayer for peace from the Cheyenne nation:

Let us know peace.
For as long as the moon shall rise,
For as long as the rivers shall flow,
For as long as the sun shall shine,
For as long as the grass shall grow,
Let us know peace.

Equally interesting is that these words were often used in treaties between our government and many of the Indian nations. Unfortunately, history shows that we rarely lived up to the promises protected by these words. These words are also found in the song “As long as the grass shall grow,” which was written by Johnny Cash and Peter La Farge. As I thought about the background of the words that we sing in “Indian Prayer,” I was struck by the importance of our moral and ethical obligation to keep our promises. In a way, those things for which we are thankful are the consequence of promises kept by others either directly for our benefit or indirectly. At the assembly, I asked students to think about those promises that others have kept for them, the promises that they have kept, and, perhaps most importantly, those promises that each of us have not kept. As Thanksgiving provides us with moment to give thanks, it is also a moment to think about how we can be better at keeping those promises that should be kept “for as long as the grass shall grow.”

One promise that we did keep this year at our Thanksgiving assembly was to continue the tradition that was started last year of having the eighth graders revise the Byrd Baylor story I’m in Charge of Celebrations. Their revision reflects the collaborative work of the entire eighth grade class. While adults provided some general context and support for the work, the process that gave rise to its writing and the final product were truly student-centered efforts and reflective of our progressive practice. I hope that the this telling of “I’m in Charge of Celebrations” gives you as much pleasure as it gave us.

Click here to read the eighth grade’s adaptation of I’m in Charge of Celebrations. Enjoy.

Best,
Mark