Dear LREI Community,
Thanksgiving greetings, one and all. Today was a busy day at LREI—tending to our community, to the ties between students, between the ages, among friends. These are essential moments in a school that relies on these relationships to support the progressive curriculum, the students’ learning, and the general sense of exploration that fills our days. We need to rejuvenate these relationships from time to time if they are to bear fruit at the most important moments.
There are all sorts of Thanksgiving traditions at LREI, from lower school bread baking to the students in the middle school writing an original song about those things for which they are thankful, to the high school’s Thanksgiving tree, festooned with leaves adorned with expressions of gratitude (visit the Charlton St. lobby next week to check it out). Thinking back to my own schooldays, we would share a “turkey” meal, often wearing either Pilgrim or Native American garb, recreating the apocryphal story of the first Thanksgiving, sitting around my suburban classroom cooperating with the other Pilgrims and “Natives,” pledging friendship in our construction paper headdresses. The values embedded in these moments were not bad (though they might have come with some that are problematic), it was simply not a truthful depiction of that specific moment in American history. The connection to the land that the Indians had might well be accurate as might be the bravery of the Pilgrims, leaving home for a great unknown. (You can read some views on the true story of this moment in Lies My Teacher Told Me, by James W. Loewen.) I would also suggest that the holiday’s ties to the harvest is not of significant consequence to many of us, those that can have abundance whenever we desire. Yet for tradition’s sake we stick to the fall as our time for being grateful for all we have. A good decision, I think.
I don’t mean to take all of the tradition and good feeling out of the holiday. I truly love Thanksgiving. It is my favorite holiday, without question. Good food, long meals, engaging conversation lingering into the night. Most of all, I value the time I have on that day, and on the few days that follow, as it is focused on spending time with those I hold most dear, without the pressure of giving and getting anything but love and affection. I can comfortably put aside the holiday’s origins, as long as I recognize the injury the story can cause, and be grateful for all that is bountiful in my life—love, friendship, collegiality, and a veritable cornucopia of practical comforts. The holiday is also a meaningful time for me to renew my energy for giving to others throughout the year.
Finally, in this time of political discord, I read that some are concerned about gathering with loved ones who may be on another side of the political conversation. I would suggest that we look to the lessons from the fictionalized account of the first Thanksgiving. Sit with those whose culture differs from our own, acknowledge that we rely on each other for survival, and find common ground from which understanding can grow. Iam eager for this to happen with the students in school and look forward to practicing it myself, this weekend, over a piece of apple pie.
Wishing you a restorative time with family and friends and the sense of peace and security that comes with being grateful for what we have.