Just for curiosity's sake, how many people who saw that
subject line knew how to finish it? And of those who did, where did you learn
it? I personally learned it on the school bus (along with "Glory, glory,
halleluja, teacher hit me with a ruler" etc.), probably around third or fourth
grade.
My children, who were homeschooled until the end of
August this year, had been deprived of the opportunity to learn such cultural
gems. Actually, since we live in Germany, they wouldn't likely have learned
those particular ones anyway. (And, although I could have taught my children
that part of my heritage, I neglected my American cultural duty and didn't.)
Guess what: there are German versions, too. And not having grown up here, I
didn't know them, so wasn't able to teach them to my children, and my husband
apparently being culturally illiterate didn't even know them. Happily, the
children are now attending school, and so have had the chance to learn things
they never could have while isolated at home.
An example: previously, my children were the only ones at
playgroups and tumbling and such who knew all five verses of the main "Saint
Martin" song for the Martin celebrations in November--most people only sing
four. The first four have to do with Martin, a Roman soldier, giving half of his
cloak to a beggar in the snow. In the fifth verse, the Lord comes to Martin in a
dream and thanks him for what he did for the Lord--based on whatever one does
"for the least of these" is doing it for the Lord. I learned that fifth verse
from a book--most people don't know it. But little did I know that there are two
more verses, which Marie and Jacob now can sing loud and clearly, as can
three-year-old Lukas. In those verses, Martin rides through french fries and
salad (instead of through snow and wind), stops at a Coke machine and drinks
Cola like a pig, and then there's a rich man dressed as Superman who asks Martin
for help, saying he'll make him a sandwich if he doesn't.
Another one of these songs, which in the original starts
with "Evenings when it gets dark and the bats are flying", was sung by my
children as "Evenings when it gets dark and the school explodes". Actually, I
had a hard time disapproving of that song as much as I felt like I should...
Now it's the season for Advent songs, and Jacob, who
since he was two and a half could sing several of them very well, came home
today singing "Look, the (word I refuse to use) candle is lit!" rather than
"Look, the first candle is lit!" Advent is a big deal here, but very secular,
even in the Catholic (public) school my children attend, and as far as my
children can remember, there hasn't yet been a single mention of Christmas being
Jesus' birthday celebration. They have, however, talked quite a lot this week
about Advent being the count-down to Christmas and how many days are left, and
today in Jacob's class all got to tell what was in their Advent calendar--my
children have paper ones with pictures, most children have chocolate ones, some
have Lego or other toy ones, and at least one child in Jacob's class has
TWENTY-FOUR packages hanging on the stair rail, and today's contained a pair of
pajamas. (I actually got to be in Jacob's class for the first half hour this
morning--another story.)
At least Jacob won't be going to school tomorrow. His
class is going to see a play of "The Little Witch", a book that I just happened
to see while waiting for the appointment with Marie's teacher a week and a half
ago and of which I read the first 26 pages while waiting, and already told her I
don't like. And just the week before last there were news articles about parents
who were put in jail for not sending their children to a play that was a school
field trip, so I wasn't quite sure what to do. My husband called the principal
yesterday, and all he got a chance to say was "Jacob's class is supposed to see
"The Little Witch" on Friday..." before the principal (who is also Marie's class
teacher) interrupted him and said, "Oh yes, we talked about that last week. I
can excuse Jacob for you." So Jacob is excused for tomorrow, and I'm looking
forward to getting to cuddle with him and continue reading one of the many books
we're in the middle of at the moment--"The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe",
"The First Four Years", "Dinosaurs by Design", or "The Berenstain Bears' Big
Book of Science and Nature", just to name a few.
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