by Jan Shoop and Lois Jamieson
Daily life at StarShine is often full of delightful happenings and surprises that abound with the spirit of these wonderful students. Several years ago, if you were to walk into Ms. Mosca’s 2nd/3rd grade classroom you might see a caterpillar turning into a butterfly, children feeding small fish in a tank, or a chicken hatching. On this particular day the campus was abuzz with news. The chicken was hatching in Ms. Mosca’s room. Most everyone went to see it.
A few days later Ms. Shoop, the principal, was walking by Ms. Mosca on the sidewalk and asked how the baby chicken was doing.
Ms. Mosca in all seriousness replied, “The chicken passed.”
“The chicken passed?” replied Ms. Shoop.
“Yes, the chicken passed,” responded Ms. Mosca.
Ms. Shoop, being the concerned principal that she was asked, “Well, what did you do with it?”
To which Ms. Mosca replied, “The class held a chicken funeral.”
“A chicken funeral,” Ms. Shoop said aghast!
And then thinking carefully, she asked, “Just where did you hold the chicken funeral?”
“In the vegetable garden,” replied Ms. Mosca casually, “We dug a hole and put the chicken in it and then the children each threw a handful of dirt in the grave.”
Ms. Shoop wasn’t quite sure she wanted to know more, but she went ahead and asked, “And then what happened?”
“The children asked me to say a few words.” said Ms. Mosca.
“And what did you say?” asked Ms. Shoop with a worried look on her face.
“Well---I gave it some thought and I said….THE CHICKEN PASSED!” replied Ms. Mosca.
To me, this little story speaks volumes about the resilience and loving nature of the children at StarShine as well as that of the great educators teaching them. And if you ever visit the StarShine garden I’m sure one of the students will show you the exact spot where the chicken passed.
Simple Parent Tips
Ageless at 80
Simple Parent Tips
Ageless at 80
