Fall. Or autumn, as some may call it. When the leaves paint the trees with reds and oranges and yellows, when those stubborn evergreens hold on to their rich greens through the cold season, when the air gets nippy, folks pull out their sweatshirts and jackets. In California, we may not get a lot of cold weather, but it’s a prelude to the coming winter months.
But, as some mistakenly do so, Thanksgiving and the season of fall should not be overlooked. It’s a time of giving and happiness, when we see friends and family and bond over turkey, ham, mashed potatoes, and football.
In school, fall means semester report cards, Thanksgiving break, and the dreaded finals. Finals, like a dark cloud overhead, are broken temporarily by Thanksgiving break, where sleeping in, traveling, and eating delicious food are all on the agenda. While we all have our holiday plans, whether that’s traveling or staying home during the break, teachers have their lives too. They have family and friends and experiences that they get to come home to. Let’s take a peek at what those plans may be.
Maestra Hoffman (S) shares that she celebrates the autumn season with Día de los Muertos, a joyful holiday that celebrates past family members. She describes that “it’s vibrant and celebratory and it helps us honor those who came before us.” Joel Bradford (S), a current AP HUG teacher, gives voice to his opinion, stating that “it always starts to feel like fall when it starts to get darker and cooler in the evenings. It always starts to feel like fall when it starts to get darker and cooler in the evenings. I take my dog for a walk every night…and as that walk starts to get cooler and darker, it starts to feel like fall.”
With autumn comes not only cooler weather, darker evenings, and brighter mornings, but also the holiday of Thanksgiving. People celebrate the holiday of giving and thankfulness in many different ways, and that includes our teachers. Jacelyn Chavez (S), both a teacher and the coach of the Women’s Volleyball team, describes her Thanksgiving holiday as a big family cookout. Going over family assignments, Chavez details that “my husband is a chef, so he’s always on turkey duty. My niece, Addi, and I are usually on dessert duty.”
Madison Waltemeyer (S), a business teacher here at YLHS and the person behind the Mustang Market, is busy all year round. But Thanksgiving is a chance for her to slow down and catch up with family. “I make the carrot cake and charcuterie boards, my brother makes the mashed potatoes and cream corn, and my mom and grandma make all the main courses for the rest of the family…We often have a mix of American Thanksgiving food along with enchiladas, Spanish rice, white rice, and kalua pig,” she explains, as her family is a mix of German, Mexican, and Hawaiian.
Physics teacher Bryan Bloom (S) sheds light on his holiday traditions, explaining that “I now do a friendsgiving with friends that I have known most of my life…I am super happy to be with my friends because they really are my family. ” Mr. Bloom says it best: Thanksgiving isn’t just a holiday with turkeys and colorful leaves. It’s a time to spend time with your family and friends. No matter how you celebrate it, don’t forget to recognize its importance.
Sandwiched between Halloween and Christmas, Thanksgiving is often overlooked. Of course, there’s no free candy or presents, but there is a different kind of magic that it holds. Thanksgiving is cozy houses, laughter, rope swings, and cold air. It can be football and pick-up games in the backyard. It can be cooking, talking, or listening to music. It’s poems and pumpkin chai lattes, sweaters and Uno games. Thanksgiving is special. It’s celebrated by so many, so let’s give it the love it deserves.
