We always made St. Patrick’s Day a special occasion when I was a youngster because the hired man, Dan Sullivan, was Irish.  He wore a tiny green bow on his work cap.  It was a game which one of us children spied the bow first when Dan and my dad came from the barn for breakfast.

St. Patrick's Day Dinner - Image: istockphoto

(Dan worked for my dad on the farm and was a surrogate grandfather for us children.  He took his meals with us and rented a room from a neighbor.)

Mother cooked corned beef and cabbage, with boiled potatoes, onions and carrots, one of Dan’s favorite meals.  Often Mother baked a cake and colored the icing green.

She had a close friend, Aunt Pat, whose maiden name was Kirkpatrick.  Pat always sent us cards on this holiday.  When these friends were in their 80s, Pat still sent a St. Patrick’s Day card, even when she didn’t mail one for other holidays.

When I was substitute teaching the other day in kindergarten, the teacher’s plans called for me to read a story about leprechauns, to use coloring and counting sheets with a St. Patrick’s Day theme, and to discuss the holiday during circle time.

Do you have any St. Patrick’s Day traditions your children will remember?

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St. Patrick’s Day Family Traditions

I was impressed that they were having such an enjoyable time on their own. It’s wonderful that their teachers are nurturing the youngsters’ love of books.  I hope this carries on as they progress through school.

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Children Choosing Reading

And the movie, Twilight?  The students I talked with today, in general, liked the movie.  They acknowledged it didn’t follow the book entirely, but that didn’t deter them.  Some said they waited in line in the cold outside the theater the first day it came to their town.

How long did you wait in line to be admitted to the theater?

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More About Twilight

Remembering 9/11 occurred across the country today. 

 At the school where I was substitute teaching, the students and faculty gathered at the flag pole in front of the building.  Police and firemen from the community, along with other citizens joined them for a short talk, pledge of allegiance, and to sing “This Land is Your Land.”

On 9/11/01, I also was substitute teaching, in first grade that day, when the principal stopped by my room and handed me a note, mentioning what was happening and that the television in the teacher’s room was on.  Until we knew more, we weren’t to alarm the students.

Since than we have comforted, found comfort, remembered, reminisced, and wondered “Why?”  Friends and relatives have gone abroad to defend our country and to keep terrorism at bay.

What do we say to our children, when they ask, like my grandson did tonight at the supper table, “What was 9/11?  Why did we have the ceremony at school today?”

Then we realize that he was too young to grasp the what was going on as we watched the television for more than a week, waited for names of people we knew and loved, wondered if there would be another attack soon.

It was a day that changed much in our country…and the world.

(Amazon images; click for DVD details)

(c)2008 Mary Emma Allen

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Remembering 9/11 at School & Home

Who is Mary Emma Allen?

 I’m a writer, wife, mom and grandmother. I love to read, write, travel and spend time with my grandchildren. We all live in a multigenerational home in New Hampshire with assorted animals and often visiting cousins and school friends.

I have a degree in elementary education and currently do substitute teaching in grades K-12. This, along with having grandchildren in the home, keeps me in touch with young people’s reading and interests. My favorite class at teacher’s college was Children’s Literature, and I’ll always be thankful my professor encouraged me to pursue my love of writing for children.

In the course of writing this blog, I’ll mention some of my writing projects, past and current. Currently I also write a weekly newspaper column and do some travel writing. I’ve been a newspaper reporter, travel editor, and have written books for children and adults.

My b5 media blogs, in addition to One Book Two Book are: Quilting and Patchwork, Alzheimer’s Notes, and Home Biz Notes. I also have an author blog that I try to update periodically: Mary Emma’s Potpourri of Writing.

I’ve had more than 200 children’s stories published in magazines and anthologies.  An anthology of my stories, which I also illustrated, is Tales of Adventure & Discovery.  I’ve produced a coloring book to accompany it, too.

©2008 Mary Emma Allen

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Who is Mary Emma Allen, Co-Blogger at One Book Two Book?