A Teacher's Reflections

Halloween is exciting for children.  At school we had a ‘Day in the Dark’, using flashlights and glow sticks for light.  Playing with black playdoh on shiny foil, painting with neon paint and using a black light, and playing with glow sticks in colored water was so much fun.

Before we carved our jack-o-lantern, we hammered golf tees into the pumpkin.  Wouldn’t you love to do this?  When an activity is good for children – in this case developing hand muscles and eye-hand coordination – and it’s fun, it’s a Win-Win.

Our wonderful neighbors came trick-or-treating.  They think Jennie and Steve are the best.

Of course Halloween does not go by without a Jennie Story, The Halloween Story.  By now in the school year, children know our analog clock and can (mostly) read the numbers.  Every day at lunch they ask me what number before my story.  Usually it’s the number 6, but sometimes it’s a 7.  Do you know how important the combination of the analog clock and waiting for a Jennie Story is for learning numbers?  And of course for patience?

For those of you who have not heard my Halloween Story, I tell it in the dark, with joy and worry.  You’ll see…

“It Happened Like This”… When I was eight years old I went trick-or-treating with my little sister, Sarah.  Back then children went trick-or-treating alone.  There were no Moms or Dads.  And, we never went out until it was really dark.  All the way dark.  I dressed up as Raggedy Ann and Sarah dressed up as a scarecrow (although she looked more like a hobo than a scarecrow).  We each had a pillow case to collect all the candy which we called our ‘loot’.  We were so excited!

Then my mother said, “Jennie, don’t forget to go trick-or-treating at Mrs.  Crotty’s house.”  Mrs. Crotty!  Oh, no!  She was really old.  She always looked mean and she never smiled.  Her house was dark brick with big bushes and trees everywhere.  Everything was always dark.  Her house was as old as she was.

I said nothing to my mother.

Sarah and I headed out trick-or-treating.  We had the best time!  We got tons of candy, too.  When we got back home we dumped our pillowcases out on the rug in the den and sorted through all the candy.  I gave Sarah all my Tootsie Roll Pops and she gave me all her Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups.  Yum!

Then my mother said, “Did you go trick-or-treating at Mrs. Crotty’s?”  I had forgotten, of course.  When I heard her words I felt like a lightening bolt had hit me while I was falling off a roller coaster.  Again she said, “Well, did you go to Mrs. Crotty’s house?”  All I could do was look down and shake my head.  My mother was not happy!  She said, “Jennie, I told you to go.  So take your sister’s hand and go right now”.

I took Sarah’s hand and we went back outside together.  Now it was really dark and trick-or-treat was over.  Over!  There were no lights on at anyone’s house.  We slowly walked to Mrs. Crotty’s house.  As we turned the sidewalk and walked up her walkway I squeezed Sarah’s hand and she squeezed mine.  I was so scared.  We got to Mrs. Crotty’s porch which was pitch black and surrounded by weird branches.  As we approached the front door I said to my sister, “You knock.”  “Oh, no” she said, “Mother told you to do it.”  So, I took a deep breath and knocked on the door.

A moment later I heard the door slowly creak open.  Just as I was ready to run away, the lights came on and there stood Mrs. Crotty, smiling.  I’d never seen her smile before.  She said, “Hi Jennie.  Hi Sarah.  Come in.”  We stepped inside the door.  “Wait right there!”  We didn’t move.  She ran to the back of the house and returned with two gigantic popcorn balls, covered in melted butter and caramel.  They were still warm.  Yum!

And I was so afraid.  Silly me.

Here are my three favorite Halloween picture books:

Do you see how ragged Big Pumpkin is?  I learned ages ago from the library that those are the best books, because they have been read over and over again.

Happy Halloween!

Jennie