Angels... and angels

Angels are very busy beings. Apart from attending quarterly staff meetings with other hosts of angels, we have to watch over our wards, ensuring that they are safe, and always on the path to goodness.

An angel is usually assigned to a ward very early in its life, where we watch it coo and gurgle. When our wards grow up, our mission becomes more hazardous, as they are always on the move. You can imagine my trepidation when my ward announced she was off to Co. Durham in the North of England to participate in a Harvest Festival!

I enquired upstairs as to the purpose of this visit, and was told that it was a sort of get-together between teachers from Europe, who meet occasionally to exchange information about their respective countries, which they then share with their class. Simply put, the children get to learn about other European cultures, learn and share how they live their lives, and hopefully promote social diversities. Heavenly!

So while all this was going on, I got to meet other guardian angels who operate in England (Southmoor Greenland Community Infant School from Co. Durham, and Staunton and Corse School in Gloucester), Norway (Bangsund Skole) and Portugal (Escola 1 CEB de Parceiros in Leiria). We love our work - especially this Mother Nature Project which the children of the five above-mentioned schools prepared.

The Assembly Hall at Southmoor was bedecked with flags and pictures of the partner schools for the occasion. The students presented a simple, yet sweet activity praising God for the abundance in Nature. Bless 'em!

My ward visited classrooms, and took in the similarities and the differences of teaching environments in the UK. That same day she visited Catchgate, a state-of-the-art ecological school. I was very impressed with the amount of space and light in this school because, as you know, angels love light.

The next day, at the official project meeting, our wards discussed the various activities set out for the coming year, such as handling the ongoing task of exchanging e-mails and letters. This year the European friends will be embarking on exciting, ambitious activities.

Each partner school will put together and exchange audio-cassettes and mini-dictionaries in their respective languages (Maltese, English, Norwegian and Portuguese). By next June these dictionaries would have 50 illustrated words in each of the languages of the partner countries.

Also, every school will investigate and depict a favourite folktale or legend as a collage, using seasonal materials. Viewers can eventually view this project by visiting the website www.mothernature.ik.org.

And because angels love music, we have inspired the teachers in our care to have pupils making musical instruments using a range of natural and recycled materials. Once made, students will then experiment with them and collaboratively compose a piece of music. Angelic!

Angels are busy spirits, but we love our work. The best part of my job is being surrounded by children. In Spring 2004, St Albert the Great College will be hosting the head teachers' meeting to discuss progress and the project impact on the different partner schools. My ward loves children too, though the next time she asks help from her guardian angel (that is, moi), she should remember that she is surrounded by hundreds of them, all wearing uniforms, trying to be angelic. Like us.

Ms Buttigieg is deputy head i/c of Junior School, St Albert the Great College, Valletta