"I see trees of green…….. red roses too
I see em bloom….. for me and for you
And I think to myself…. what a wonderful world.
I see skies of blue….. clouds of white
Bright blessed days….dark sacred nights
And I think to myself …..what a wonderful world.
The colors of a rainbow…..so pretty ..in the sky
Are also on the faces…..of people ..going by
I see friends shaking hands…..sayin’.. how do you do
They’re really sayin’……i love you.
I hear babies cry…… I watch them grow
They’ll learn much more…..than I’ll never know
And I think to myself …..what a wonderful world."
~Louis Armstrong
Labor Day is over. The State Fair has closed its’ gates. Today is the first day of school for most Minnesota students. I always think of this great Louis Armstrong on the first day of school. Or at least I have since both our sons had the great privilege of being in the second grade classroom of Mr. Messici. He began every year with playing this song for the students. Can you imagine the fresh faces of those second graders, teeth missing, sitting in a circle on the carpet, some nervous, some sleepy, as they listened to the scratchy, throaty voice of Louis Armstrong? They were expecting perhaps spelling words and numbers to add and subtract. They were expecting to have to recall all they had learned in First Grade and to spill it onto the floor. But Louis Armstrong? Instead of stickers or other rewards to inspire children to do their work, Mr. Messici handed out Messici Moolah, paper money he had printed with
his picture replacing the face of famous presidents. He also connected
each child in the classroom with a senior citizen in our community and
helped them forge a relationship with this person over the school year Seniors and children sang, ate, learned and played together.
It was a wonderful year in the lives of seven and eights year
olds…….living as a part of a wonderful world.
Our younger son ran into Mr. Messici last week. The younger one now towers over the teacher. It was a good reunion with both, I’m sure, mentally marking the aging process in their own ways.The Messici Moolah our sons earned has been invested in their learning for more than a decade. The interest has grown as they have matured into fine young men on their own paths. The investment has paid off.
As school begins today, I pray that each child will enter an environment where they learn all they need to succeed in the world…..math, reading, science, history, geography. But more than those academics, I pray that they will learn that it is, indeed, a wonderful world. Many children have already seen much evidence to the contrary. For all children, but especially for those who need a kinder, gentler touch on their lives, I pray that they can walk into a classroom where the teacher knows the investment they are making. Someday they, too, may meet their former student on the street and will see the fruits of their labor and their love.