the continuity of quality

 new actors in the play

the French have a saying:

"the more things change, the more they remain the same,"

I have often found that a discouraging idea,

fearing that despite our hopes for progress,

we slip again and again into dysfunction,

today I saw a hopeful take on that continuity,

of true lessons learned again, and practiced,

a relatively new Friends high school teacher

has, on his own, brought kids from his chemistry class

to the early school, where they demonstrate

the "wow" of science to 3-5 year-olds,

a potentially magic time when doors can lead into wonder, or maybe not,

this teacher remembers both being a kid

and the doors that opened for him, or didn't,

the young ones circled on the floor

before his caring students, belying stereotypes of the distant adolescent,

they carefully, sensitively shared the "wow" of the demonstrations,

I loved to see the soft caring within the high school students

who knew how to tend the curiosity and wonder

within the young ones before them,

responding with care to ideas that missed the mark,

and more enthusiastically when a 5 year old knew what a "catalyst" is,

as a school we just published a book of stories from former staff

who used their time with their students, well,

how wonderful to see that same care, that same vision

still alive and well,

things change,

thank God the centrality of love, competence, and joy,

has not changed, just new actors in the play.

by Henry H. Walker

May 15, ‘25