At the end of his life, the great picture book author and illustrator Maurice Sendak said on the NPR show Fresh Air, ‘I cry a lot because I miss people. I cry a lot because they die, and I can’t stop them. They leave me, and I love them more.’
He said, ‘I’m finding out as I’m aging that I’m in love with the world.’
It has taken me all my life up to now to fall in love with the world, but I’ve started to feel it the last couple of years. To fall in love with the world isn’t to ignore or overlook suffering, both human and otherwise. For me anyway, to fall in love with the world is to look up at the night sky and feel your mind swim before the beauty and the distance of the stars. It is to hold your children while they cry, to watch as the sycamore trees leaf out in June. When my breastbone starts to hurt, and my throat tightens, and tears well in my eyes, I want to look away from the feeling. I want to deflect with irony, or anything else that will keep me from feeling directly. We all know how loving ends. But I want to fall in love with the world anyway, to let it crack me open. I want to feel what there is to feel while I am here.
― John Green, The Anthropocene Reviewed
For my last class of the semester, my students read essays from John Green’s The Anthropocene Reviewed, in which he “reviews” elements of human life: from sunsets to the Piggly Wiggly to diet doctor pepper. Then I asked my students to submit a one-page review of something they have encountered during their time of St. Andrew’s. I got some stunning writing in the mere 30 minutes we dedicated to do this, and I had to share some excerpts for you all below. In this season of sometimes-cliched nostalgia and rose-tinted speeches, I think it is also good to remember our school’s imperfections alongside its glory. After all, the dents and scratches are also part of why I love this place so.
The Adults of St. Andrew’s Episcopal School
The adults of St. Andrew’s Episcopal School have been some of the most influential people in my life both negatively and positively. So much so that the field of study I decided to pursue has been directly impacted by said adults. I often heard throughout my time at this school that St. Andrew’s is full of the dumbest smart people you’ll ever meet. I would be lying if I said I didn’t think about that statement countless times and that it isn’t the most truth I have heard. Multiple teachers, faculty, and administrators have shaped my outlook on life, the way I treat others, and the way I act when no one is watching. Do not be fooled that all of these impacts are pleasant ones. I have had countless teachers breathe down my neck because they didn’t understand the way I worked or lack thereof. These experiences taught me to always give the benefit of the doubt and to ask personal questions instead of demanding answers. Times when me and my peers were enjoying our day whether it be gloomy or sunny and being reprimanded for our boisterous laughter during a free period. Subconsciously, I promised myself to bring joy instead of taking it away. I respect adults for the care they provide to the students here but I dislike the double standard that seems to follow some directions given to the student body as a whole. “We are teaching you all to be independent thinkers so that you go out in the world knowing how to think not to what think.” On the other side of this two-faced coin, there are the teachers and administrators who genuinely brought me so much joy and peace whenever I experienced stress or burnout. When you find people who see you when you’re happy and lift you even higher are the best type of people you can find. Oftentimes kids feel intimidated to speak to adults especially about topics important to them. I’ve learned through my years at St. Andrew’s that teachers and administrators who take the time to not just hear but listen to their students will keep in touch and help through struggles in life. Those people mean a world of difference and help to shape their students into outstanding scholars and citizens to the world around them. I give St. Andrew’s adults 4.5 stars.
-Catherine Bryson
FLIK Corndogs
When I came to the north campus at St Andrew’s, Flik was not in charge of the food at the school. I forgot who it was, but I remember the food being so good. I would eat at school every day and enjoy every lunch I ate. When I first figured out that we were getting a new food company I didn’t think much about it. Then The next year came around and I realized just how bad it would be having a new food company. The food was way worse than before. Then one day there were corndogs for sale. I ate one and all I could think about was the next day there would be a FLIK corndog waiting for me. And to this day I still sit and wait for the days that they sell corndogs. I give FLIK corndogs a 5 out of five rating
-Cullen Cox (Editorial note: that day FLIK coincidently served corndogs.)
The Bus
Every day from 5th grade until 8th grade, I had the privilege of riding the St. Andrew’s shuttle. I took the bus from the lower school to the upper school, and in the afternoon, we would take the bus back to the lower school. Every day we created new memories. Some days, we would sit and talk, and others, we would play games on our Chromebooks, but one thing remained the same every day, we always waited for that one bump on the highway right before the motel 6. We waited and right before the bump we would launch ourselves into the air hoping we would hit it just right so we could feel like we were flying. At least one person would hit their head on the roof of the bus every time. Saying that these were the most influential memories of my childhood might be a stretch, but at the time I might’ve said they were. While I might not remember every one of my peers from the shuttle, these are some of my most formative memories and the best because of the friends I made. Crawling under the bus seats put an aspect of adventure in the confining walls of the shuttle. There was never a dull moment in the mornings. And in the afternoons we would recap our days spent on the playground and share all the drama from our grade. This is what is called an episodic memory, and while that is the psycho-scientific definition, it was not all that robotic sounding. I give the St. Andrew’s Lower School shuttle five stars.
-Avery Decker
Mrs. Paula Pratt’s Office
Whenever you wanna have a good time and most likely eat some food, you just need to head on over to Mrs. Paula Pratt’s Office. She may or may not be in there, but most likely there will be a group of guys in there with some food. As well as the guys and the food, whenever Mrs. Paula will be there, she’s always gonna be in the mood to either make jokes with you, give you some good advice about whatever you need. She might as well talk to you about college, but that’s every so often.
This past semester I’ve found the love coming from Mrs. Paula’s office because of how I have branched out and started to hang out with some guys that have the same kind of beliefs that I have. Not dissing at all my other friend group at all, but in Mrs. Paula’s office, I am able to talk about what I care about most without getting any questionable looks from around the room.
One bad thing about the office is that it isn’t always available when you think you need it. Whenever Mrs. Paula is doing her job and helping students, there isn’t always that openness about it that it needs sometimes, but that’s really the only bad part.
There are certain moments when you are able to be around those who don’t think like you think for periods of time and eventually those people might get on your nerves or say something that isn’t too cool with you. So you need that break from them and to go and seek others who have a similar way of thinking like you that are easy to talk with and help ease your nerves in some way. I think that that’s what Mrs. Paula’s office is to me, some sort of a getaway from stress of school and what not or negative thoughts or comments I’ve interacted with throughout the day and that’s why I give it 4.5 stars.
-Banks Egger
Review of SA In The Eyes of Thomas Greener
Forty – Five students and the church hall of St. Andrew’s Cathedral is all it took for Sherwood Wise to begin St. Andrew’s Episcopal School on September 8th of 1947. For the past 77 years, St. Andrew’s has immensely grown from 45 students to now over 1,000 students and two campuses located in Jackson and Ridgeland, Mississippi. The mission and values of St. Andrew’s help foster a community of excellence. St. Andrew’s strives to hire educators of immense backgrounds who are dedicated to enriching the lives of the younger generations. Being a St. Andrew’s student is not just about the academics, its not just about the grades, its not about the GPA, its not about who is better at what subject. Being a St. Andrew’s student is about the community built within, its about the education provided within, its about the environment created between the students and the educators, students and administrators, educators and families, administrators and families. The education given by St. Andrew’s is one of the most extensive programs in the State of Mississippi. I have been a student of St. Andrew’s for the past 15 years and there have been many occasions where myself nor my parents didn’t think I would succeed at St. Andrew’s. My parents and myself have had extensive conversations with educators and even administrators to understand how I as a student can succeed here at St. Andrew’s. It has been an extreme and sometimes frustrating experience but I have succeeded and now I am graduating. St. Andrew’s not only taught me how to be independent, but they taught me how tough the real world is going to be. The heart of St. Andrew’s revolves around the educators. The educators play one of the most important and significant roles in the working of St. Andrew’s – they are the direct line of educating their students. As I went from grade to grade and sometimes not knowing if I would succeed to the next, the administrators and educators knew inside of them that I, Thomas Stribling Greener, could pass. Yes it was difficult, yes it was frustrating, but it was completely worth it. I will never forget the knowledge I have learned from being a Saint. This knowledge that I have gained will be extremely valuable and helpful as I continue growing and maturing into the real world. I know I don’t always say this but I thank St. Andrew’s for allowing me to learn from them. I thank St. Andrew’s for always being in my corner when needed, especially during tough times. I truly appreciate all the educators and administrators of St. Andrew’s. I appreciate all that I have learned from St. Andrew’s. I APPRECIATE ST. ANDREW’S! I APPRECIATE THE EDUCATORS! I APPRECIATE THE ADMINISTRATORS! I APPRECIATE MY PARENTS! I APPRECIATE THE ST. ANDREW’S COMMUNITY! I am forever grateful for St. Andrew’s Episcopal School. St. Andrew’s will forever be a 10 out of 10 in my book.
-Thomas Greener
Teaching ENG12
Teaching is a whole lot like parenting. It is the best of the best and the worst of the worst, all tied up in a single absurd package. As someone who has spent my literal life in schools of all kinds since the age of 4, I can say with decent authority that whoever came up with the idea of one adult shepherding a group of 15-25 young people into a serious examination or study of a thing that they may or may not love using a range of tools/skills that they may or may not have discussing a text they may or may not enjoy or even connect with is bonkers, right?
Also I just threw a book at Bralan and spilled lemonade all over him on the last day of class. Like ruined-his-day sort of situation. This is the kind of flawed teacher I am.
Still, there is nothing like the hush over a room when everyone is reading, or thinking, or writing together. There is nothing like getting to connect with some students here by just putting in the time being together week after week, month after month. There is nothing like sitting on my couch over the weekend and laughing out loud at something they wrote. There is nothing like failing and getting better and failing and getting better at something that is impossibly hard and impossibly fulfilling.
I give teaching Eng 12 a 5/5.
-Julie