Play on, Mr. Nathan

Garden Avenue School, Toronto

Last night at my daughter’s school we had a memorial for a young teacher who had died earlier in the year, who was very popular with the younger kids.  They called him Mr.Nathan and he was known for playing soccer out in the yard with whoever was there early for school.  “Play on” was something the kids remembered him saying as he encouraged them to keep moving.  This tribute installed on the fence was designed by another parent in the school who described it as her grief project.

There were some very moving elements in the service, including tributes from students, an adaptation of a Sarah McLaughlin’s “I will remember you” song into a rap that the kindergarten kids performed supported by the school choir.   The school choir held the ceremony together with a number of pieces.  Some kids were really struggling to get through the words which offered other kids a chance to accompany them with their own voices that could carry the song.  At the end of the ceremony the teachers tossed a bunch of beach balls into the crowd and the kids were able to run around for a bit.  Everyone was moved and at the end of the time I sensed a feeling of satisfaction that we had done a good thing by offering such a tribute to life that mattered to these young lives.

As I watched Mr. Nathan’s parents, I was glad that they were able to hear so  many examples of how their son had made a difference to these kids and how they would carry his memory.  I hope they took some comfort from that, I believe they did.

My daughter didn’t have a close relationship with Mr.Nathan, but she said she was glad to be a part of the service in the playground.  I believe that the organizers created a good opportunity for kids to support each other, where they got to see their teachers cry and hear their parents talk about their own grief.  It was okay to cry and be sad and there were lots of creative ways to respond and to remember.

There was a lot of teaching done that evening out on the playground.