A typical end-of-the-year project that I pick for my students is to make a poster with pictures and speech bubbles from their favourite time of the year.
When projects are displayed in class, to no one’s surprise, summer comes up. The projects’ collages bring together photos of exotic beaches or Greek islands, and speech bubbles expressing their relief and joy, because schools are out All students this year picked summer as their favorite season.
For their presentations, they describe first the pictures and then their favourite game. All students create a circle standing next to each other. They have to to ask a question to their classmate on the left. The respondent is required to answer avoiding Yes or No. In case they use any of these words they lose. The questions asked need to be on their projects. When I give the signal, the game begins.
– Why do you like summer the best, Peter?
– I don’t go to school. What about you, Maria?
– Well, I can play all day long. Besides, I look a lot more beautiful in my summer dresses. Well, Angel, can you please tell us if this coast depicts a Greek summer destination?
– Can’t you see the Greek flag on the boat in the background? Of course it depicts one of the most famous Greek islands. Please, don’t ask me which one it is because I had collected so many photos that I got confused. Anyway, to me it makes no difference whether it be Thasos or Santorini, for example. What about this picture of yours, Anestis? Is this your family?
– Absolutely. That’s my dad and this little boy beside him is me. My mum is reading a magazine and my brother and I are looking for worms on the beach to use them as bait for our regular fishing activity which is what makes summer my favourite season. Have you ever gone fishing, Annie?
– Are you crazy? Girls are not keen on such activities. What I love doing in summer time is collecting shells and pebbles from the coast. My friends and I schedule a competition every 30th of August. The one who collected the most unusual shells and pebbles wins. It has never happened to me to be the winner but I do not quit. What about you, Eliza? Have you ever taken part in such a competition?
– Well, I’ve never heard of such a thing, so far. Actually, there is a sort of competition for us, too, but it’s quite different. Ours takes place every night and I’ve been lucky enough to be the winner several times. The subject of our competition is imagination. Soon after the night falls, we look at the sky and try to spot the most impressive star designs. Have you ever observed the patterns stars create in the sky, Manos?
– In the first place, this is too romantic. Hello, I’m a boy. We gather at a friend’s house and spend our time playing games or watching sports. Does the phrase “UEFA Champions League” ring a bell to you? Ask me and my friends what it feels like a whole year without such matches. Summer sweet summer! Don’t you see your daddy glued to the TV set on July’s summer nights, Dora?
– Of course, I do but I really can’t see the point. Anyway, to me summer equals not getting my mind occupied with any sort of concerns. To me, not sticking to a schedule means total freedom, which is why I love summer. I’m free. Don’t you feel the same way in the summertime, Miss Christine?
When my turn comes, I always feel that I’ve lost the point of what summer means to me.
Children’s responses echo alarmingly in an adult’s mind. I’m afraid I’m not an exception.
Yet, I feel privileged being surrounded by those souls who unconsciously guide me to look for my lost innocence.
Our last day at school always reminds me of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s quote in Little Prince: “Grown-ups never understand anything by themselves, and it is tiresome for children to be always and forever explaining things to them”.
For this, I would like to thank my students for always being there and tirelessly explaining things to me.
Author: Christine Pesiou
Leave a comment!