The full moon really does mess people up! I swear! Ever heard of that non-scientific theory that people act weird when there's a full moon? If you are a teacher or a doctor in the ER, you probably know what I'm talking about. Everything seems to go wrong. People have more accidents, people are less patient and more reckless, and students lose control of their senses. I think the full moon came twice this week - Friday and Monday (OK, it was really on Sunday... but the effects seemed to last 4 days!). The kids at school were totally wack and beyond control! Rocks flying at my window, 10 students Tardy in one class, 8 students kicked out of class in a single period, and the non-stop chatter of kids that just won't focus! And if you think it only applies to people in service jobs, think again! Tony's drive to Baltimore took forever and a day (like 7+ hours) due to traffic problems. Coincidence? I think not! BUT, amidst this ridiculous full-moon craziness, it has otherwise been a rather enjoyable week.
I spent every morning of the past week watching Becky teach my students choreography for their upcoming performance (May 22 and 23 -- you should come!). There is nothing like watching a super-hyper, fun-loving girl get my students working hard and dancing up a storm. The kids all love working with her, and they did a fabulous job learning a lot of complex choreography in a week's time. I've since been walking around dying to break out in dance any time I hear (on the radio or in my own head) a song from our 50s-60s-70s show. I do try to restrain myself and dance in my heart to avoid public embarrassment!
This past week I also spent a great deal of time trying to convince a child and her family that she belongs at my school. They are trying to decide whether or not to switch her from a private school to ours. Their major concern seems to be the social atmosphere of a public, city school. I tried to describe the experience as being a more wholistic view of the world than she would have at Durham Academy. I'd be interested to hear what other people think about the pros and cons of private vs public schooling. Anyways, the girl has plenty of vocal talent, and absolutely loves performing, so I really hope they decide to enroll.
Friday afternoon and most of Saturday, I was at the Durham Public Schools Middle School Honors Chorus workshop. The kids worked hard with clinician, Maribeth Yoder-White, and put on a very nice concert. I enjoyed watching Dr. Yoder-White teach the students and transform their performance of the music over the course of 24 hours. I feel really lucky to have been able to watch two amazing artists work with my students this week. It's so refreshing to see great teachers working with kids and to try to borrow some of their talents to add to my own repertoire.
On Saturday evening, Ameriprise got tickets for employees and their families to a Carolina Mudcats (baseball) game including free dinner. Tony graciously invited me and Becky :), so we hung out at the game with our Ameriprise friends - Chris and Hope, Jason and Dana, Cindy and Domonic and all of their kids. I wish I had brought my camera, because the little girls were absolutely adorable, and we had quite a bit of fun (despite Becky having to endure Tony's craziness!!) ;-)
Lately, I've been feeling abnormally peppy, happy, and optimistic. Despite some of the crap that sneaks into each of my days, I feel like I've had an unusual amount of happiness in my life recently. I attribute this to a recent increase in free time for working out and spending time with Tony and other friends. I also think I've been exposed to a lot of really positive people lately, which makes such a difference in my outlook on life. How lucky I am! So I'll end this post with a quote I found... Here's hoping everyone has a little happiness to share this week!
"Cheerfulness is what greases the axles of the world. Don't go through life creaking." ~H.W. Byles
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