By: Nancy Hand
As instrumental piano music plays, Glickman Elementary School’s 5th grade girls enter the school library that had been transformed the night before into a fancy tea party café. The tables are elegantly set for the school’s fifth annual Fruit of The Spirittea party.
The purpose of this tea party is to bring awareness to the 5th grade girls of what it looks like to be loving, joyful, peaceful, patient, kind, faithful, and gentle while modeling goodness and self-control. The goal is also to make them feel uniquely special, build community, foster old & new friendships, and to receive a crash course in table etiquette.
I am a native of the city of Springfield, MA, and I have been helping children as a Paraprofessional in the Springfield Public Schools for over twenty years. I enjoy what I do and thank God every day for new opportunities to be a light in the lives of others. And on down days, it is often a student or staff member that uplifts my spirits. For that I am very grateful.
When I began planning the Fruit of the Spirit tea parties, I received encouragement and prayers from a few dear friends. One of those friends has moved away, and so I use the tea cup she gave me every year as a reminder of how precious friendships can be. The positive feedback that I have since received throughout the years from co-workers and the girls themselves has been humbling to say the least.
This year’s fifth grade girls tea party was a huge success, and I’m looking forward to the many blessings awaiting us all at Glickman Elementary School for next year’s tea party with a purpose.
Nancy Hand is an instructional paraprofessional in the Springfield Public Schools and a member of the Springfield Federation of Paraprofessionals.