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Tuesday O’ Tradition

By Becca Kello
January 26, 2009
This entry is part 6 of 14 in the series 52 Memorable Tuesdays

January 20, 2009 - There are few things in our nation that really make me feel a deep sense of pride. As a country we do very few things in common, which is kind of the beauty of the U.S.A. I feel that our country still has a certain grace when everyone stops what they are doing when a funeral procession passes to show respect to those who are mourning. Today was obviously a day of similar traditions, and let me tell you…I am a sucker for tradition.

There is something about a good strong tradition that makes me feel connected to the past, present, and future all at once. The inauguration ceremony was littered with traditions, even down to who stood where and when they could stand on this side or that. This tradition is downright silly, but I still like it. The only thing that puts chill bumps on the back of my neck more than a good tradition is pomp. I love the formalness of the whole ceremony and all the songs.

It all started back in November, not the planning of this event, but my effort to explain the office of Presidency to the eighteen three-year-olds in my class. The week of the election, we covered all the topics: who gets to vote, why we vote, what the President does, etc. In an effort to describe the Presidential race, I told my class that a few men were running for President; to which one of my students ardent and gravely said: “We don’t run in the classroom!” So, on this Tuesday I experienced a different world view than most: a three-year-old’s.

With my class I discussed how Obama would be our new President and what that means, and we even tried to watch it, but no matter how good the rhetoric Obama had, he couldn’t hold their attentions for more than four minutes. (No really…four minutes was all they made it through!) While we were waiting for his speech to begin, a little girl in my class said “Where is Barack Obama? He HAS to talk to us!” This, to me, was beautiful, and a perspective quite overlooked. Barack Obama wasn’t just making a speech or providing sound bites for pundits, but he was talking to us, as a nation: the people who voted for him, those who didn’t, old, young, racist, Christian, atheist…everyone. Really, he was talking to the world, because the majority of the civilized world was listening. This little girl’s simple statement made what Barack Obama said much more personal for me.

So, after school, I made my way home to watch my TiVO’d history, without three-year-olds standing on their heads while Obama talked with the world.

Posted in 52 Memorable Tuesdays, Resolutions Underway.

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