Sharon Capriccioso, a retired Blessed Sacrament teacher, poses for a portrait inside her Midland home. (Katy Kildee/kkildee@mdn.net)

With the beginning of each new school year, I wanted to get to know my students.

I felt I could plan my lessons more appropriately if I understood the human inside of the precious children who were scurrying in to greet each new day. Did they love outdoor play, did they spend time reading, had they formed friendships yet, and how had they spent their summer. What excited these little ones? Each class has their own “personality” and I was excited to learn about them. 

The back of our classroom held a long bulletin board with a couple of smaller ones. On the longer board I had the heading, “A Fond Farewell to Summer.” The children wrote about their summer and we posted their compositions… and they were beautiful! Each year, though, I felt there was something I was missing. There was something the children were missing, as well.

We needed more time to express ourselves verbally. Not every child was able to put their thoughts in writing easily, and that is just as it should be in those early years of learning. Finally, one year, as if by magic, I happened upon a poem. I knew when I read the poem, exactly what would help us to become a family. The children would love our activity and I couldn’t wait to learn a little more about these amazing students who were entrusted to my care. The poem follows:

What Shall I Pack in the Box Marked “Summer”? By Bobbi Katz

A handful of wind that I caught with a kite

A firefly’s flame in the dark of the night

The green grass of June that I tasted with toes

The flowers I knew from the tip of my nose

The clink of the ice cubes in pink lemonade

The Fourth of July Independence parade!

The sizzle of hot dogs, the fizzle of Coke

Some pickles and mustard and barbecue smoke

The print of my fist in the palm of my mitt

As I watched for the batter to strike out or hit

The splash of the water, the top-to-toe cool

Of a stretch-and-kick trip through a blue swimming pool

The tangle of night songs that slipped through my screen

Of crickets and insects too small to be seen

The seed pods that formed on the flowers to say

That summer was packing her treasures away.

We discussed the poem and what it meant. Then, I brought out a large box that I had covered with summer wrapping paper. They whispered among themselves with wiggles and giggles all around. I explained to them that it was time to pack our own summer away. After giving each child a small brown bag, I explained our homework. They were to bring a small treasure from the summer to school the next morning. We would have time for each student to share it and then place it in the box until the following spring. The box of treasures would go home with me to be stored.  

Sure enough, the next morning the children scurried into the room with their mysterious treasure. (This is the type of homework they don’t forget!) I knew we needed to begin our day with the sharing since they wouldn’t concentrate on much else all day. One at a time, out came their carefully chosen item. Their explanations were wonderful. They were allowed to take three questions. 

Some treasures were a postcard from a grandparent, a beautiful shell from a beach, a colorful feather, a stone with lovely markings, an invitation to a birthday party, a book they read and loved, a tiny Beanie Baby, a craft created by the child, an award and so much more.  The children were a captive audience, clapping when the presenter finished.  I was proud of them for appreciating their classmates.  Following our school day, I brought our “summer box” home.

These children were 8 and 9 years old. Did I really expect every one of them to forget about their summer treasure and leave them with me? Little did they know, they taught me a valuable lesson to carry with me in the future teaching years regarding this activity.  Perhaps a week after our assignment a little one would whisper in my ear that he/she missed the item packed in the box and wanted it back. We quietly did a switch… the child found another item and I brought the original to school and handed it over. Each year, there were about four quiet exchanges. Nothing was said to the other children. 

On a humorous note, from fall to spring is a very long time for children. Therefore, most of us, including me, forgot what we’d packed away by spring. That was a whole new and exciting adventure. I called up each child, they opened the bag, and we all squealed at the precious piece of magic they had packed away. I still smile at the memory and at the lesson I learned.

What will you pack in your “Box Called Summer?” I’ve decided, however, I’m not telling…just in case I want it back!

Sharon Capriccioso taught school at Blessed Sacrament School for more than 20 years. Here, she writes about the lessons learned from her students. Her lessons will appear on the fourth weekend of each month in the Opinion section.