Forest for the Saplings

My mother told me a story today about a 3rd grade class at her school who I find myself wanting very much to meet. They read a story this year about a girl who was half-Caucasian and half-Native American that introduced the children to what life is like where traditions and social norms have been upset. I wasn't given particulars of the story, but the only thing the girl has in her possession is her "sack of promises", which consists of memories and items that mean something to her, that define who she is and where she comes from.

The teacher of this 3rd grade class challenged her students to go home and bring back their own sacks of promises (items that mean something to them, the 6 or so things that they'd take from a burning house, etc). The teacher was tentative secondary to her experience with this assignment with her class last year, who brought in more banal items, like candy, etc. However, this current group of children surprised her.

One student, who my mother described as "ADHD to the max", pulled a flower from his sack. As he pondered it in his hands, he told of a time when he was in a field filled with blossoms. Twirling it between his fingers, he went on to explain that this flower meant something to him because it was the only one of its kind, and it reminded him that, like this flower, he was an individual.

Another student's sack contained two coins, one foreign and the other domestic. The first coin was from Uzbekistan, reminding him of the place he was born and the orphanage he was from. The second coin was from the US, representative of the opportunities that he now has available to him.

And those were just two.

All I could think as my mother related this to me was "How amazing..." My mind immediately began to light up and I became excited for this group of students who have such insights into themselves and humanity at such an age. It's been a long time since I've come across a young one which such an awareness, and it refreshes me. Now all I have to do is hope and pray they don't lose this ability to see the forest beyond the trees.