Lessons From the Little Ones

Sporting a super attractive sunburn and coming off of my "Cairns High," I eagerly jumped into my last two days of service in Sydney for my Fr. Smith Fellowship - talk about surreal. But also talk about going out with a bang - I was blessed to be able to spend these final two days with the children at St. Lucy's School and Santa Maria Del Monte Primary School! Here's a sampling of the joys I experienced!

Monday officially began my last day at St. Lucy’s School, and that same "natural routine" I experienced on my last day at Santa occurred again. I purchased my last "return" ticket to Wahroonga (now knowing exactly how to articulate it so the teller understands), found a window seat on the right side of the train (where the morning sun comes in and the best view of the Opera House is offered), enjoyed the relaxing four minute walk from the station to the school, stuck my lunch in the teacher's fridge, and commenced another day. Everything just felt so natural, as if I had lived the same routine one hundred times over in another life.

St. Lucy's School... they just get it.

The only break from my usual St. Lucy's routine was my new classroom assignment - Year One! The little munchkins were absolute angels, and I assisted them with writing the alphabet, learning about textures, creating patterns with blocks, and I helped a few of them with their lunch! And as I began the commute home, I reflected on my time at St. Lucy's and realized something incredibly beautiful about these little children. My first three weeks in Sydney had been filled with excited and giddy responses, by children and adults alike, any time I was introduced as an American. I was bombarded with both silly and serious questions, suddenly five times more interesting then I was before. And I probably got away with saying heaps of awkward, boring, and bland statements, only because my accent made up for it.

But the children at St. Lucy's were not phased in the slightest by my heritage, by my nationality, or by my accent. I wasn't bombarded with questions about "Life in New York" or asked to "Say anything because it will sound fabulous!" I was simply another hand to hold when walking to gym class, another lap to sit on during movie time, another head of hair to comb hands through... another friend. These children don't discriminate. To them, everyone is the same - a gift from God.

Despite my protests, 7am arrived on Tuesday morning, indicating my final day of service in Sydney. But on the bright side there was some excitement, as it was my first (and only) day serving at Santa Maria Del Monte Primary School, Santa Sabina College's K-5 campus! I shadowed the Year 4 class and the "Kinder" class, and boy lemme tell you they were adorable! I began my day with the Year 4's, helping out with their reading comprehension assignment! A few hours later, I made my way to Kindergarten (I knew I had found the correct classroom when the chairs looked as if they were made for stuffed animals), where I helped the wee one's play "Reading Bingo" and watched as they colored in pictures of the Sacred Heart (always hilarious to note color selection when it comes to five year old's).

The Del Monte Year 4's - be still my heart.

It was particularly hilarious, though, to compare the dynamic of the boys and girls between the two classes. In Year 4, the boys had their own table in the corner, and the girls avoided them like the plague. And when Anna, their teacher, even suggested that they work together on their reading comp assignment, the sounds of disgust and disapproval could be heard down the street! On the other hand, the Kinder boys and girls worked beautifully together, chatting as if they had known each other for decades.

After prayer time with the Kinder's, I made my way back to the Year 4's, where we practiced Italian and had a Maths lesson. To cap it all off, Anna asked if I would entertain the class with a reading of a Judy Blume novel! I surprised myself by not melting into a pile of goo at the offer. Eventually the bell rang - too soon - and after "signing autographs" (really, this has been terrible for the ego) I enjoyed a sunny walk home through the neighborhood. Rachel, Sarah V. and I ended the day with a leisurely walk with Metro, the Pow family dog, and some great conversation! God I love having sisters.

While the two days flew by in the blink of an eye, I really could not imagine a more significant and perspective-filled way of ending my service in Sydney. These young children have such an innocent way of viewing the world, but it was incredibly humbling for me to bear witness to them. It is so easy to get caught up in where we're going and what the future holds. But children never worry about tomorrow - they live in the moment. They keep their eyes on the stars, but their feet on the ground. And that has perhaps been the greatest lesson I have learned thus far.