The Shining...er...The Shiner

So...we play on a community softball team. I was nervous because I haven't played softball outside of PE but I do love the sport. I am certainly the handicap but I sure am trying hard. On Monday, Shawn and I were warming up when the ball bounced off my glove and hit my cheekbone. This is probably one of my proudest moments...my "trophy for bravery" if you will. I am not proud that I can't catch...just proud that I got hurt trying something new!

The Great Debaters

I loved it! I LOVED it!

HOORAY!!!!!!!

Today was my last teacher day! I love the students and I love giving so much time to them and their activities but our little three month separation will be good for all of us. I am really excited to get lesson plans in order for next year and I have some fabulous ideas that I hope will be fabulous in reality.

We officially finished the play last week and it turned out to be a HUGE success. Our students are SO talented and great. I learned how to create the illusion of aging with theater make-up and how to apply a bald cap. Who knew these skills would EVER come in handy? (I really mean EVER!) Our school has a very rich tradition of athletics and band (our band took 1A State for the 23rd year in a row) but there isn't much for anyone else to be involved in. When we came to this school last year, Shawn told the principal he would be willing to help with the theater program and she chuckled then informed us that we were the theater program. So, here we are. We don't have the first clue about all of this but the students are AMAZING, and they are SO thankful that we have set up the program again. We had them all over for cast party last night and I relished in listening to them laughing hysterically over silly games and the little things that would spark lines from entire scenes in the play.

Graduation made me cry a little, but I get so excited for our students and the exciting things in their futures. I loved high school, but I CHERISH my memories from college. College was the best time of my life and I would go back in a heart beat if we could eat and have a house while I went. The speeches rejuvenated my desire to be a better teacher and to create ways to better prepare my students for college. A new year will be refreshing!

The Diary of Anne Frank

So...I love Anne Frank.

I love my eighth graders right now who like to make comments about how things seem to them.

I love my eighth graders reading The Diary of Anne Frank (the play).

We finished reading the play last class period and then today we did some activities to help us think about what we read. I also read some excerpts from her actual diary to them and we talked about the similarities and differences between the play and her diary.

They love her, connect with her, and want to read her book. (Can I just tell you how gratifying it is to me that they want to continue learning about her and read her story?)

I love the power and influence her life...her very short life...has on my 13-14 year-olds.

They cannot believe that she died.

I also read a few excerpts from Miep Gies' book about the moment when Otto Frank returned to Holland, then, when a few months later, he received the letter that told him his daughters were dead, and then when she decided to give the diary that she had been saving for Anne to Anne's father.

Let's just say that I have never read Miep's experiences and I LOST IT while reading to my students.

I am so grateful for Anne Frank's story, her insights, and the courage of her father to publish her innermost thoughts.

ALL THE WORLD IS A STAGE!!!!

Yes...I realize that the title is screaming a quote at you. We are feeling consumed. Rehearsals are ending late every day and our spare time is spent planning, pondering, creating, buying, etc. any little aspect of the spring production.

As with everything else we do here, the kids make it all worth it. (They better...they are the only reason we put so much time into this!)

The set isn't so much put up yet but it will be next Monday. We are cutting it a little closer than we wanted but things should be okay...we hope.


And, yes, the stage is in the gym making for incredible sound! We like to create added entertainment to the theater experience. My favorite aspect of the stage is the lighting that is controlled through the breaker box. When the principal fifteen years ago decided a theater program was a waste of time, he had all of the wires cut to the dimmer switches. When lights fade...oh wait...they don't...ever.

Daddy's Girl

Ever since I have been small I have loved being with my dad. Perhaps it started when I was little and he would take us into town on Saturday mornings to run errands and get a treat. If he worked on cars, I liked to hold the lamp and find tools for him. If he was building something, I tried to help him find the screws and hold the washers in place, and he made me feel useful because my fingers were smaller than his and I could reach into tricky spaces. He has always had skills that I admired and I always kind of wanted to learn them from him but I never did. For some reason I didn't want to be too much of a girly girl, even though I totally am.
My dad didn't really teach me his skills because I hardly stuck around to learn. He would sometimes get impatient with me or with his project and that was my cue to leave. (Along with basic skills, my vocabulary was stocked with four letter words!) I still find huge satisfaction doing projects with him. In fact, a couple of months ago I even helped him install speakers in his jeep and I felt so proud.

Well, now I am the "technical director" of our spring production. I am basically just making sure the kids don't chop off a finger with a saw, but I have also been trying to get involved and help them build stuff (except that I have NO desire to even touch a saw). The other day they were putting together a small staircase and I thought I would pick up a power tool and help them along. Bad idea! I couldn't, for the life of me, control the cordless drill. I have even used drills before! The kids shook their heads and gently took the tool away from me. I decided then and there that I am okay with the inability to build a staircase! I guess I should have stuck around my dad a little longer and just embraced a new vocabulary. (I'm all about vocabulary...right? I AM an English teacher.)

We Are Approved...

This past week we received the news that we are now certified to become adoptive parents. The approval process itself was an ordeal as we faced a family emergency with our caseworker, a cancelled approval meeting, a message that said that we could not be approved until May, another message that said that we could be approved with a letter from the State Board of Education, us calling everyone and their dog trying to get that letter, finally getting that letter, and then, on Wednesday, us finally getting the approval pending a background check that clears in late Apr/early May. Needless to say Shawn and I are very excited about this news. In fact, we want baby shopping this week in search of a crib, a travel system (car seat/stroller/hand warmer/phone all in one easy fold up package), and even some outfits and home decor. We also were able to watch conference with our family and hang out with our friends.