More Odds & Ends

* I like teaching private lessons. It's the most focused teaching environment there is. In particular, I like playing duets with my students. My wednesday lesson is a 7th grader who reads better than most of the high school kids. I just started back up with her again (after the summer) and it made me realize how much I missed playing.

* I realized the other day that recently I've been putting my feet in thrid position (ballet) when I conduct. It keeps me from knocking myself off balance as I'm throwing my arms around.

* Today a kid got "locked" in one of our practice rooms for over an hour. Well, the truth is that the door doesn't lock, but the knob can get stubborn and a lot of people think that they're locked in. You just have to crank it really hard. I dind't know he was in there.... he's in my fifth period class, and somehow got "trapped" in there before third. He ended up calling a friend on his cel. By the way, this kid has a bunch of anxiety issues and misses a lot of school. His mom came and picked him up after the incident. Idon't feel particularly responsible, but I think it's time I put a work order in on the doors.

Balance to the Force

I think I'm becoming a happy person again. Things are just starting to feel like they used to. I'm way more busy than I was before, and still it feels like no matter how much work I do, I'm always behind.

Even so... I feel like I'm being a better teacher. Having so many beginning students is taxing, but it's also forcing me to be more on the ball.

Today I pulled out six different instruments in the course of one class period... and demonstrated them all. One kid looked up at me and asked "Is there anything you can't play?"

Today I didn't let the girls in the back of choir who chew gum and do homework for other classes off the hook.

Today I had a good day in AP Theory... one of those days where it didn't feel like we were working hard, but we were.

Yeah... it feels good to be me again.

Okay... you tell me...

I have a kid in my 1st period class whose father just passed away. Should I refrain from putting the plastic skeleton in the practice room as a Halloween decoration?

The Tao of Me (Pt 2)

So here's the deal, so far this school year is turning out to be much more managable than I had anticipated. I'm not saying it's easy, but better than I thought. I suppose that's sort of like Leonidas figuring out that he faced hundreds of thousands of Persians, and not millions. Still, it's something. Another thing: the more the year unfolds, the more my Zen factor strengthens. You know, I'm starting to approach 40... I just don't have the energy to worry as much as I did.

But things around me are starting to rattle. The rest of the campus is showing the stress of the least couple years of Palpatine rule. I think our drama teacher is about to go out in a blaze of glory. He's already fuming at palpatine... and now he's locking horns with other staff. So far, I'm not anywhere near that crossfire... something I'd just as soon avoid given the number of students we share. But it's getting to the point where it's affecting the students. Today, a number of the drama students were meeting in my classroom to discuss what they were going to do.

I didn't listen in. It looked like something heavy, so I shut my office door. (Although I talked a little with one of the students afterwords. ) I got a little info about what was going on.. but not much. Again, I'd just as soon not get involved.

*DRAMA TEACHER* is a very capable teacher and director, but he's also extremely proud, and has a tendency to fight when he should deal. I hope he realizes that in the grand scheme of things, teachers are weak entities; it is the support of students and families that will carry us through difficult times (as I can attest to so well). Alienate yourself from them, and you're left to face the trials alone.

Fortunately, that's not something I'll have to experience. In my corner of the world, support is coming in stronger than ever. Let's hope I have the wisdom to continue to nurture it.