UNDER CONSTRUCTION

Penn View’s most senior class filed into Mrs. Baker’s classroom during fourth period and noted the construction materials awaiting them.  “We’re building it today, aren’t we?” 

With only sixteen days left in their school year, a construction project was imminent.  8^th grade Bible students participate in hands-on learning via the construction of a temporary structure called a sukkot.  These wood and cloth dwellings are built during the Jewish Feast of Tabernacles to celebrate God’s protection and provision.  Fruits are generously hung in sukkots to signify thankfulness for an abundant harvest.  

Jewish families actually live in their sukkots for the first seven days of the feast. To my knowledge, all of our students slept at home.

Mrs. Baker began her instructions with a sensible caution.  Pointing to one of the many sprinklers dotting the ceiling of her over-sized classroom, she directed their attention upward:  “See this?  If that gets broken, water will come out of the ceiling.”  

You see, there were to be large pieces of precut lumber and many long sticks involved in the construction process.  At the hands of teenage builders, there is lots of room for mishap.  Their teacher spoke with conviction, like a woman who may have already experienced dousing by sprinkler.  But no.  Her words were inspiring and sure.  “This has NEVER happened and it IS NOT going to happen today.”  She proceeded to tell them in excruciating detail how to carry the sticks with a partner to avoid inadvertent sprinkler activation.  This had nothing to do with the weight of the sticks as all of the students were fully capable of lifting a stick; this was all about staying dry.

More instructions followed.  It all started out with official-sounding terminology.  “There are four hinged sections, a hole, and a pin….” But soon... (though she still had firm command of the room and an extremely organized building plan) her vocabulary for construction items began to endearingly deteriorate into descriptors like “hardware gizmo” and “knobby thing.” 

I must admit, my sisterly love for her grew by leaps and bounds during her uncharacteristically vulnerable moment of creative hardware identification.

She described the tasks at hand.  Students could choose to help build the sukkot or they could begin creating paper chains and fruit which would hang on the finished product.  

I’d like to believe girls can wield jackhammers and boys enjoy embroidery with the best of them, but pretty much all the boys headed for the construction zone while the girls gathered around the box of construction paper to imagine what beautiful produce might be formed.  

“Am I the only boy here?,” asked Ben, who is obviously secure in his masculinity and otherwise astute enough to know that being the only guy cutting out fruit in a circle of girls beats lifting wooden beams any day of the week.  You go, Ben!

Like the conductor of a great orchestra, Mrs. Baker used voice and gesture to direct the constant flow of activity surrounding the emerging sukkot. 

Four of the tallest boys were stationed on the corners of the newly erected frame.  The boys received roofing sticks which were passed by not one but TWO students, just as Mrs. Baker requested.  

“You boys are being very careful.  Thank you....”

Once the sticks were in place, the construction workers were sent back with the others to make some fruit and vegetables on strings.

 

Addison seems to be enjoying himself!

The cloth coverings, finished chains, and colorful produce were placed during 6^th period when a second 8^th grade class was in session.

 

Chain Gang

Mrs. Baker always goes above and beyond to make sure her students learn the material at hand. The last time I saw someone hauling this many chains it was Scrooge's partner Marley in a Dickens' Christmas classic.

Penn View's completed sukkot is a sight to behold.  The stick roof is in place, cloth walls are stretched across the frame, and produce is hanging from the rafters!  It looks surprisingly cozy, making me want to go home, grab some fruit, and build a blanket dwelling of my own.  

This wonderful tradition associated with the Feast of Tabernacles will be a great memory for our students for years to come.  And thanks to early and wise admonition, our sprinkler system remains wonderfully intact.