Students and staff line the perimeter of the courtyard, each class in its assigned standing spot. Most parents have already left to begin their day, but some stay to join the informal circle that we form at the beginning of every day at Cedar Tree. A line of geese passes overhead, or perhaps a jet high above, outbound from PDX. There is a faint chill in the air, foretelling less clear weather to come, when girls will huddle around a teacher carrying an umbrella and the opening ceremony will be just a tiny bit rushed. Mr. Bradshaw greets the students, they respond, “Good MORNing, Mr. Bradshaw!” and he gives the page number and verses of the hymn to be sung. Amazing Grace in September; A Mighty Fortress in October. The same hymn all month; only the verses change from day to day. Typically just two verses. The voices, most of them small and young, blend together in a thin, sweet stream the voices, most of them small and young, blend together in a thin, sweet stream and head up to the sky; with no walls to confine them, there is no resounding echo, no grand symphonic sound. It is over before we know it; then a short, general prayer of blessing on the day, and the familiar words of the Pledge of Allegiance. Then the small ceremony is over. It is the only time all day when the whole school is together, and it lasts less than five minutes. In calm and orderly lines, we separate to our various classrooms and begin the real work of the day; math facts, Latin vocabulary, grammar jingles, phonogram rules, memory work. All of them very little tasks in themselves, repetitive, sometimes tedious; but taken together, over the years they help to build many temples to glorify the mighty God whose praises we have just sung, in the courtyard.
For who has despised the day of small things? Zechariah 4:10
Kathy Chapman is Cedar Tree’s Upper School Latin teacher. She has taught Latin at Cedar Tree since 2000.
