The Legacy of Milly, Part 5

Posted on July 17, 2018 by Jennie

In Part 4 the Peace Quilt became part of the permanent collection at the National Liberty Museum in Philadelphia, and Milly became an important part of my classroom.  Children adored her.  She loved singing, and Milly’s favorite song was our favorite song, too – “God Bless America.”

Part 5

“Jennie, can we sing again?  Can we sing “God Bless America?”  This was what I heard from children, every day.  I sing many songs with children, all kinds of songs.  So, why was this particular song the favorite?  I don’t know.  But, what I do know is to pay attention to children and what they gravitate towards.  My lesson plans might be terrific, but I know intuitively that what children are drawn to is far more important.  I paid attention.  And it grew.  When children were in the playground they started singing on their own for other children.  They sang all the time for Milly.  She joined in, and she loved it!

I had to do more, because the children wanted, needed, more.  Veterans Day arrived and we invited soldiers into the classroom to say Thank You, and of course to sing.

Lizzie’s favorite book was an everyday staple.

Milly spent time at school making a red, white, and blue outfit for Gloria- at the request of children.

When the holidays were approaching, I had this pit in my stomach.  I just felt like I was giving hungry children little bits of food instead of a big meal.  So, I decided we would make a God Bless America book for families as a holiday gift.  This would be our own version, based on Lizzie’s favorite book.  What a treasure this book became!


We wrote all the words and made our own illustrations.

I didn’t know it at the time, but this book would have a profound influence and effect later on.  But, I’m getting ahead of myself…

When the holidays were over and we were back to school, things really hadn’t changed.  Children built a ‘hill’ in the snow as their stage to sing.  They were often on the soccer bench at the far end of the playground.  I could hear their voices raised in song.  Everybody could.

Jennie, the children are trying to tell you they want more.  Pay attention.  Do something!  I called Milly.

“Milly, do you think you could make another quilt with the children?”  That was like asking a child if they wanted candy.

“Yes, of course!  What do you have in mind?”

“A God Bless America quilt.”

“I was hoping you would say that.”

And so, we began another quilting adventure.  We already knew what we wanted to have on the quilt, as we had memorized the song – singing it a zillion times will do that.  We had also made our book that illustrated all those words.  But, we needed to put everything into one picture for the quilt.

Again, children made all the decisions as to what would go where.  Milly was there to watch.  They colored the big sketch, which reinforced the words to the song, and reinforced what they wanted.  It was their ‘statement’ and they were proud.

Look at Milly’s big smile!  Children couldn’t get enough of picking fabrics and watching everything come to life.  Look carefully at the quilt:

I didn’t notice it at first.  Do you see the large white center?  That’s the United States of America.  In New York, there is the child’s Statue of Liberty.  There’s “night” and the “light from above”, “mountains” and “prairies” and “ocean”, and of course “home sweet home”.  I wish you could see this in the flesh.

The newspaper wanted to do an article, and the Post Office wanted us to hang the quilt for ‘the world’ to see.

Milly was now quite well known!

“Jennie, where will the quilt go?”  People were starting to ask.  The Postmaster wanted to know.  Our school’s director wanted to know.  Milly hadn’t asked me…yet.  And then it came to me.  The quilt was museum-worthy, much like the Peace Quilt.  But, I wrestled with what museum would be best and most appropriate.  My first thought was the song, “God Bless America”, and I researched Irving Berlin and museums where much of his memorabilia is located.

An interesting fact about the song: Irving Berlin thought “The Star-Spangled Banner” was too difficult.  He was not a big fan of the song, especially as our National Anthem.  That prompted him to write “God Bless America.”

The museums, while wonderful, felt limited in the sense that our quilt was about far more than Irving Berlin.  It was more about patriotism.  Patriotism.  I had hit the nail on the head in defining the quilt and where it needed to be.

My husband immediately said, “Jennie, the most patriotic museum is in New York City.  It’s a restored aircraft carrier, the USS Intrepid.”  Why did I not know this?!  I researched the museum (perfect fit) and immediately contacted the director, the ‘top dog’.  To my surprise she got back to me right away.  Boy, was she excited!  So, we were off – again – with families and children in tow.  Milly’s family made the trip, too.  The event was far more than I expected… and it took a major turn.  Stay tuned for Part 6.

Jennie

Posted in American flag, art, Early Education, Expressing words and feelings, Family, geography, history, Imagination, Inspiration, military, museums, patriotism, quilting, Singing, Teaching young children, The Arts, wonder | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 68 Comments

The Big Sky – Lucky Me, Lucky You

Posted on July 15, 2018 by Jennie

The Big Sky.  That’s what I call my view from my backyard.  Every time I see this beauty of nature I remember meeting a brilliant and kind woman from Beijing.  She had just been hired by the company my husband worked for when they opened a field office in Beijing. She’d had a long flight here from China.

I met her that evening, after her flight.  She was telling everyone about what she saw when she woke up in the morning – a brilliant blue sky and white clouds.  She had never seen that in her entire life.  Beijing is so polluted that the sky is always gray.

She told the story like a child describing seeing snow or the ocean for the first time.

Count your blessings.  They’re right under your nose, or right above your eyes.

Jennie

Posted in geography, Giving thanks, Inspiration, Learning About the World, Mother Nature, Nature, wonder | Tagged , , , , | 69 Comments

The Legacy of Milly, Part 4

Posted on July 14, 2018 by Jennie

In Part 3, Milly brought in beautiful fabrics and placed them on the sketch of the Peace Quilt spread out across a big table.  Children came to her like moths to a candle, picking out just the right fabrics.  At last the quilt was completed, and it was a work of art.  We wrote a poetry book and the quilt was big news in town.  I told ‘the world’, including the director of the National Liberty Museum.

Part 4

“Jennie, thank you for telling us about the quilt.  I’m sure it is as stunning as your Peace Peace Portal” said the museum director.”  That was so nice!  She then continued.

“I want to tell you that the museum would like the Peace Quilt.  We want it as part of our permanent display.”

I was shocked.  And here, I’d just wanted them to know all that had transpired since I saw their Peace Portal.  I was thrilled.  Then it sank in- a quilt from my classroom was going to be displayed – permanently – in a national museum. I couldn’t wait to tell Milly!

We talked, laughed, and enjoyed the moment.  Milly was pleased as punch and just as taken aback as I was.

“Milly, you have done so much for us.  You made this quilt.  How can I ever thank you?”

Milly didn’t bat an eye.  “Take me to Philadelphia” she said, with gusto.

Road Trip!

Children and families were eager to go and be part of presenting their work to a national museum.  A good sized group made the trip to Philadelphia.  The director had one request. “Please bring Gloria, too.  After all, the quilt was her idea.”  Yes, Gloria made the trip with us.

My husband and I picked up Milly at the crack of dawn.  As the car went whispering along the highway in the early morning hours we chatted away.  Milly leaned forward from the back seat, putting her arms and elbows up on the back  of the front seat.  She said, “I’m the other woman”, with a low voice and body language that meant she wanted to really talk about herself.  What an icebreaker!  She told us she’d long been separated and has a dear soulmate, another man.  She told us that her daughter had died a few years ago from cancer, and how she’d spent every moment by her bedside, quilting.  Her daughter had two young girls, and Milly was pretty much raising those girls, along with their dad.  Milly talked about the quilting shop she had for years, and I learned about quilting clubs.  She reminisced about life in the 1940’s. We laughed, we cried.

It was the most delightful six-hour drive.  We became good friends.

The quilt presentation was exciting and humbling.  We were treated like kings and queens.  Milly was all smiles.  Gloria never left Grant’s side.  In the Part 3 photo, he and Gloria were checking out the quilt progress together.

The museum made a plaque to place underneath the quilt that reads:

“Peace Quilt” designed by students at the Groton Community School, Groton, Massachusetts.  Their teacher, Ms. Jennie Fitzkee, conceived this project after visiting the National Liberty Museum two years ago.  She saw many visions of peace displayed throughout the Museum, which made her wonder how her young students would interpret this concept.  With the help of a beloved classroom puppet named “Gloria”, Ms. Fitzkee inspired the youngsters to draw their ideas of “Peace.”  Quilter Milly Cunningham used their illustrations of rainbows, happy animals and even trucks to create this beautiful quilt.  The National Liberty Museum is grateful to Ms. Fitzkee and her students for this wonderful gift.

And so, we reveled in all the glory on our car ride home.  We shared stories and wrote thank you notes over the next few weeks.  We were truly humbled.  The rest of the school year Milly continued to come in to visit and play with the children.  Her bond was a strong one.  Children loved her.  They wanted to be with her and play.  I stood back and watched magic happen – every time she visited.

I sing all the time with children, often playing the autoharp.  It’s a staple in my classroom.  On one of Milly’s visits Gloria wanted to sing.  We learned that Milly loves to sing!  She joined us in a chorus of songs.  Did you know that Milly’s favorite song is “God Bless America?”  I did not.  Well, the children were thrilled, as that is one of their favorite songs, too.

The school year ended, and the following year Milly was a frequent visitor.  Something different happened that year.  A group of children loved singing “God Bless America” and often begged for the song.  “Jennie, can you play it on your autoharp so we can sing?”  I did, yet I always played and sang many other songs as well.  This was becoming big, and I respond to big when it comes from children.  That means I had to do something, do more.  I did!  And it turned into a pathway I’d never expected.  Thank goodness Milly was there… stay tuned for Part 5.

 

Posted in art, Early Education, Imagination, Inspiration, museums, Peace, quilting, The Arts, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , | 75 Comments

Wednesday Bedtime Reading

Posted on July 11, 2018 by Jennie

Two of the best children’s books, and total opposites. These classics are not just for children and they’re on my bookshelf. When there’s a terrible day, tomorrow will be better. Thank you, Jean!

Jean's Writing

It has been a terrible, horrible, no good very bad day!

Judith Viorst


But!

Tomorrow will be better.

Kevin Henkes


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The Legacy of Milly, Part 3

Posted on July 10, 2018 by Jennie

In Part 2, Milly came onto the scene, meeting the children and Gloria.  She accepted the “challenge” – as she called it – of quilting a mural which would become a Peace Quilt.  Gloria started the ball rolling with her own blankie, actually her personal Peace Quilt.

Part 3

As I collected photos for this story, look what I found in my archives:
the original sketch!

When the sketch was finished and children had decided that the quilt would be ‘just so’, they spent time coloring their design.  This solidified their images of Peace and reinforced how they wanted the quilt to look.  It was coming to life.

Milly came to school every week with fabrics.  They were gorgeous!  I asked her if she had purchased them at JoAnne Fabrics.  Her silence was deafening.  I compare this faux pas to asking a lady wearing an original Oscar de la Renta if she got her dress at K-Mart.  Milly was kind, she understood.  Each visit we spread out the sketch on a big table.  Children came to find a favorite part of the sketch and pick what they felt was the perfect fabric for that part.

Lizzie was especially interested in the horse and wanted blue fabric.  I smiled a big smile. Here’s why:

This was Lizzie’s second year in my classroom.  Children often spend two years with me as it is a full day, multiage class.  Lizzie rides horses on her farm.  She adores horses.  More importantly, the year before when we prepared for our annual Art Show, Lizzie was struck with the painting Large Blue Horses by Franz Marc.  She worked at her masterpiece over and over- five times to be exact.  By the time she finished the paint was so thick and heavy I was worried it would fall off the wall at the art show.

Can you now imagine the thrill that Lizzie felt when she picked out ‘just the right blue’ fabric?  I did!  And, I told Milly about the art piece while we watched Lizzie.  Each child had a similar story, or a reason.  Milly was the provider of the feast, and children came to the table to find their favorite foods.  It was that simple.  Milly ‘got it’.

As the quilt progressed each week, Gloria would pop in and check things out.

When Milly finished the quilt she asked me about the writing and lettering, how I wanted to say PEACE.  I hadn’t thought about that, I was so consumed with each part of the quilt.  Milly was way ahead of me, she was looking at the forest while I had been looking at the trees.  I said, “Milly, you decide.”  And she did:

She arrived at my house, held up the finished front of the quilt… and I burst into tears.  I never cry, but my tears came out like a flood when I saw this magnificent work of art.  Did you know that Milly only sews by hand?  She never uses a sewing machine.  That means when she began to quilt this fabric, she did so stitch by stitch.  Many weeks went by as she came to school and let the children watch her sew.  They were mesmerized.  It seemed as though watching each stitch connect their special ideas made the quilt all the more important.

Our next step while Milly quilted was to make a book, a Peace Poetry book.  We took all of the children’s ideas and put them into a rhyme:

A dog and a cat
A heart on a tree
Autumn leaves falling into the sea.
Stars and a rainbow
Triangles of white
Chicks and flowers, peeping and bright
Puppies and kittens
A cow and a moon
A big bright star, a truck that goes vroom
A horse and duckies
A heart that is red
The color of yellow, peaceful thoughts in my head.

When the quilt was finished there was a big ‘todo’ in town.  The newspaper came to do an interview and get photos.  The library wanted to hang the quilt for a while.  This was big!

  

Does the quilt look familiar to you?  I hope so – it is my blog photo!

When the dust settled I told ‘the world’ of this remarkable quilt, including sending an email to the National Liberty Museum.  I thought they might enjoy knowing all that had transpired since we recreated their Peace Portal.  Their reply was not at all what I expected, and completely changed the course of events.  Frankly, it was a shock.  Just when I thought this was finished, that our quilting adventure was at an end, I was so wrong.  Little did I know what was about to happen was the beginning.  Stay tuned for Part 4.

Jennie

Posted in art, Early Education, Imagination, Inspiration, museums, Peace, quilting, The Arts, wonder | Tagged , , , , , , | 64 Comments

Words of Wisdom, Beautifully Illustrated

Posted on July 8, 2018 by Jennie

Quote from “The Power and the Glory” by Graham Greene.
Words illustrated by Eric Carle.

Jennie

Posted in art, Early Education, Eric Carle, Expressing words and feelings, Imagination, Inspiration, Quotes, wonder, young children | Tagged , , , , , | 43 Comments

The Legacy of Milly, Part 2

Posted on July 6, 2018 by Jennie

In Part 1, I discovered a Peace Portal at a museum and recreated it in my classroom.  Peace became a big deal and very real to children.  When I saw quilts that were murals, I knew I had to make a Peace Quilt with children.  The only problem was finding a quilter.  At last I met Milly.  It was an unexpected meeting.

Part 2

“Milly is the best quilter, not just in town but everywhere.” said the director of the Senior Center.

“Great!  When can I stop by and meet her?”

“She’ll be here on Wednesday with her quilting group.”

Wednesday couldn’t come fast enough for me.  As soon as school was over, I was there.  I walked over to Milly and introduced myself.  She smiled (sort of) and I bounced around, telling her all about the Haitian quilts I had seen at the Bennington Museum.  I was so excited!  I showed her photos of the quilts, spewing story after story of each one and their art.  I noticed that the other quilters were looking down at their work, sewing like mad, as if making eye contact with me would bring a plague upon the group.

The more I talked, the faster they sewed, and the lower their heads dropped.  All six of them.  Hmm…  Milly hadn’t said a word.  Not One Word.  It occurred to me that perhaps I was behaving like a child who had been let loose in an amusement park.  But, this was such a terrific idea.  And those quilts were stunning.  Each one told a story.  Here are but a few:

I finally stopped, not sure what else to say.  Clearly I had overwhelmed if not alienated Milly and her fellow quilters.  I put the brakes on and told Milly all about the Peace Portal, and how making a Peace Quilt would be the culmination of all we had done in the classroom.  I held my breath.  I asked, “So what do you think?”

Milly quietly put down her sewing.  I’ll never forget what she said to me, her very first words:

“I am a traditional quilter.  I quilt blocks, squares.  I have never seen or done any quilting like that.  This would be completely new and different – a challenge – and I’d like that challenge.  Yes, I will do this.”

And so, a Peace Quilt was about to be created.  First, the children had to design the quilt. What does Peace look like?  How does Peace make you feel?  How was I going to link that concept of Peace to a quilt?  How would I start?  What would I say to children?  After all, the Peace Portal was last year, and many of the children were new.  And then it came to me.  I knew right away.

Of course… Gloria!

Yes!  Gloria has a blanket.  We always called it her blankie.  What if she wanted to call it her quilt, her Peace Quilt, because it makes her feel so good…peaceful.  Brilliant, Gloria.

Milly came to meet the children, meet Gloria, and hear all about her idea.  I have never seen a friendship develop so quickly.  Milly and Gloria hit it off right from the start.  We gathered for a group meeting. The conversation went something like this:

Gloria (she’s a little frustrated):  “Everybody calls this my blankie, but it’s not.  I love this. But, it’s a Peace Quilt, not a blankie.

Long pause.  Then Gloria continued.

It makes me feel good.  I love snuggling with my Peace Quilt.  Look at all the pictures.  See, there’s a puppy, and lambs.  Look at the pink.  I like pink.  And the best part is the back with all the stars.  When I go to sleep at night, I have my stars right with me.  This is my Peace Quilt.

Wow!  You could have heard a pin drop.  Gloria asked, “What do you like on my Peace Quilt?”  Fifteen children descended on her, each one wanting to look.  After all, they were now really looking at the quilt as if they had never seen it before.  It was amazing what they saw.  And yes, the stars were the most popular.  Gloria then turned to Milly and said “Hi.”  They stared at each other.  Just stared.  Then Gloria spontaneously gave Milly a snuggle in her neck.  Milly grinned from ear to ear.  “What do you think, Milly?  What do you like?”  They had a long and lively discussion.  Children watched.  Gloria said, “We could make our own Peace Quilt!  What do you think?”  “Yes we can, Gloria.” said Milly.

Over the next week we pooled together all of our ideas.  Children had terrific ideas of Peace!  They understood.  Gloria had helped them to do that.

Little baby peeping chicks
Kittens
Stars (many votes)
My heart
Cows
Flowers
Ocean of blue and green
The color yellow
Autumn Tree
Puppies
Horse
White Triangles
Rainbow
Duckies
Big Star
Dogs
Truck that goes vroom
Hearts

We rolled up our sleeves, rolled out the big paper to sketch our ideas, opened our hearts, and got to work!  A classroom parent and artist came in put all the ideas of Peace onto paper.  Not an easy task when the children are in charge.

Little did I know how the sketch would look, much less the quilt.  And then, what would happen with the quilt?  How would Milly do this with the children?  More importantly, would she connect with children?  Stay tuned for Part 3. 

Jennie

Posted in Early Education, Imagination, Inspiration, museums, Peace, quilting, The Arts, wonder | Tagged , , , , , , | 72 Comments

Boston Pops, 4th of July, and Music

Posted on July 4, 2018 by Jennie

I moved to Massachusetts in 1984.  Since then, I have faithfully watched the Boston Pops perform every Fourth of July.  Back then, John Williams was the conductor.  He was the man who wrote the music for my favorite movies, “ET”, “Indiana Jones” and “Jaws”.  I couldn’t believe he was conducting the orchestra I was watching.  This was seeing all that I had been listening to for many years.  I was hooked on ‘Pops Goes the Fourth’.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QAnky-QJwII

Here’s what matters: their music is universal, from opera to pop to country, and everything in between.  Exposure!  Children need to hear music and see music performed.  They need to listen to different sounds; not just high and low, but sounds that make them feel and wonder.  They need to see a variety of instruments, looking and listening to the sounds they make.  They need to watch musicians play the instruments so they can make a connection with sound.  They need to wonder what it would be like to blow a horn or prop up a cello, or pull a bow across strings.  They need to imagine doing just that in order to make music.

A few years ago I watched Melinda Doolittle sing.  One of the best parts of her performance was her saxophone player.  Then, there was the Sons of Serendipity with their harp and cello.  The sounds of those instruments took me to another place.  I thought,

“What if someone asked me who the artists or composers are, or what the titles of the songs are, or how I explain music to children.”

Instinctively I knew the answer.  Appreciating and understanding music comes from listening and looking, feeling and exploring.  It includes both vocal and instruments.  That’s what I do.  Can a preschooler love Vivaldi or the cello?  You bet!  The Boston Pops concert does that every year.  So do I.  Rarely do we listen to ‘children’s songs’.  We move, feeling the beat.  We listen to classical music (often painting while listening), popular music, patriotic music.  “How does that make you feel”, I ask.  We learn about different instruments and their sounds.  Best of all, guests come and play for us.  And, I play the autoharp.  In the words of Hans Christian Anderson, “Where words fail, music speaks.”

            

 

 

When I was a child I loved Mickey Mouse cartoons.  I vividly remember the one with the orchestra and the wind blowing away all the musicians.  I also loved Mickey Mouse in Fantasia.  It was adulthood before I realized that classical music was the foundation for those cartoons and movies.  Walt Disney did for children what the Boston Pops does for people; bringing a variety of music and instruments into an ‘every day life’.  Genius!

Jennie

Posted in American flag, Early Education, Expressing words and feelings, Imagination, Inspiration, music, patriotism, Singing, Teaching young children, The Arts | Tagged , , , , , , , | 47 Comments

The Legacy of Milly, Part 1

Posted on July 2, 2018 by Jennie

Every good story has a great backstory.  To know how Milly came into my life and tell you about her early years in my classroom, I have to back up and tell you what really happened.  It’s a great story, and began what would become a legacy.  Hang onto your hat!

“It happened like this…”

My husband and I were at a fall wedding in Philadelphia.  We had an hour to spare, and went to the historic district to visit Carpenters Hall. After the tour, we had ten or fifteen minutes until all the museums closed.  Directly across the street was the National Liberty Museum, so we headed over.  Walking into the museum I was thunderstruck by a magnificent Peace Portal.  I stood underneath, soaking in all the beauty.  The museum was closing, and I hadn’t moved from under the Peace Portal.

Image result for national liberty museum peace portal

“I can do this!” I told my husband.  “I need to do this in my classroom. We can build this on top of the loft.  It will be a place for children to go, to just be. Children need Peace.”

And so it came to pass.  I contacted the National Liberty Museum to get permission to recreate their Peace Portal.  They were thrilled.  Little did I know that Peace would become an enormous part of the lives of children.  They loved being on the loft- sitting, thinking, reading and playing under the Peace Portal we had made.  Children felt the same way that I felt under the “real” Peace Portal.

       

I decided to talk to children and ask them how Peace makes them feel.  Colin said, “Peace makes me feel hearty.”  I said, “So Peace makes you feel strong.  That’s terrific, Colin.”  He looked at me in frustration, patted his heart, and said, “No Jennie, Heart-y.”

Their thoughts were so remarkable that we made a Peace Poerty Book in the spring. It is card catalogued at the public library.  Our school year of Peace, from making a Peace Portal to writing a book of poetry was a very good year.

Little did I know, this was only the beginning.  The stage had been set for  Milly.  And Little did I know that the museum would play a big role. 

The following fall my husband and I went to the Bennington Museum in Vermont to see their Grandma Moses collection.  We walked into the front entrance to see a display of Haitian Quilts.  These were murals, as detailed and stunning as a painting.  I was frozen. This must have been what the first people felt when they saw the ocean or the Grand Canyon.

“I know that look” said my husband.  “Do you really think you can make one of these at school?”

“No, but we can design one.  Peace was a wonderful part of school last year, and the children wanted more.  This is IT.  We can make a Peace Quilt!”

We looked at each other and said in unison, “We need a quilter.”

Meeting Milly was not what I expected, and certainly meeting me was not what Milly expected at all…

Stay tuned for Part 2.

Jennie

Posted in Early Education, Imagination, Inspiration, museums, quilting, The Arts, wonder | Tagged , , , , , , , | 59 Comments

The Legacy of Milly the Quilter- a Series of Stories

Posted on June 30, 2018 by Jennie

Milly the quilter, a beloved friend to children in my classroom (and to me!) for ages, and the creator of many quilts designed by the children and hanging in places of prominence, has recently passed away.  Her last words to me were, “Jennie, I am 88 years old.  I have lived a wonderful life.  What else is there?”

I will be posting a series of stories about Milly over the next few weeks.  Her legacy needs to recognized.  Her story, our story, is remarkable. Each quilt we created together was an adventure.  So, hang onto your hats and enjoy the stories of Milly. Stay tuned for Part 1.

Jennie

Posted in Death and dying, Early Education, quilting, storytelling | Tagged , , , , , , | 75 Comments