Sustaining The Light

Dear FJECC Families,

It was late - almost 9:00 - when I lit my Chanukiah (menorah) on Thursday night, but I would not have missed this final night. With all nine candles blazing the flames were vibrant and alive. The 8th - and final - night of Chanukah is bittersweet. There is such joy in the intense light of all those candles burning. And there is a sadness that the holiday is over and we'll wait another full year until the next Chanukah celebration.

I have not been on social media much lately but on an impulse shared a photo of my fully lit Chanukiah. And then I noticed many others in my circle also posting photos of theirs. The sight of menorah after menorah blazing with the bright, dancing candle flames moved me, deeply and profoundly filling me with a sense of connection, of belonging, and of hope.

And I am left wondering, after watching our students so magically bring Chanukah to life in the past 3 weeks in our classrooms, how can we sustain that light well into the upcoming weeks of dark and cold?

How, indeed. As teachers and students begin shifting to other topics of study, and as teachers focus more intentionally on collating information for progress reports, growth is the theme of the next few weeks - noting it, tracking it and facilitating it. Each week I can see that children are getting taller, that faces are changing, that movements and actions are more graceful and confident. The never-ending process of growth and development (which is rarely linear or predictable) keeps us focused on the children, on meeting their needs, and keeping up with their ideas and their energy. That is both exhausting and exhilarating. And it is what will help sustain us.

Also - the winter solstice is next week, after which the hours of sunlight increase just a tiny bit each day. More light; that is always good.

Shalom,
Amy