Graduation

Really it must be said that one of our biggest milestones of 2017 was our oldest graduating from high school.... and then heading off to college!  What a change for us to send one off, and to have one less at home.  She did great.  She chose well.  She has great roomies, great friends, isn't too far away, nor is she too close to home.  Our neighbor (we can see their house right out our front window) also goes there so we can carpool (go figure).  They actually took her back to school a few days ago for Jan Plan - that was a gift and a half!  It's a wonderful blessing to have her so well situated and happy.

Les Miserables

One of the "ups" of 2017 was the boys performance in Les Mis at the local high school.  It was very well done.  Vivace played Gavroche and Andante played Enjolras.  They worked very hard to put this together and all the actors were terrific, which made it a stellar production.  Patience rented a car and drove with three friends home from college just to see them.  They were not disappointed and declared it to have been totally worth it.  All this meant a LOT to the boys.  Our director is amazing and the show received compliments from many who know this production well. 

Among the comments I heard were:

-Never seen a high school production this good.
-Professionally done
-The caliber of the singing was amazing.
-Stunning choreography
-Love the live pit orchestra - made it real.
-Everyone did well (referring to all the actors) and that made it particularly good.  It can't be done well if only some (of the actors) sing or act well.  (Implication is that it would be lopsided and one person's excellent performance would just make the others' seem to be of lesser quality).
-I saw it in Boston done professionally, and this was far better.

Suffice it to say that it wowed people, many of whom knew the show and had certain expectations because of that, and I'm not sure how any acting our boys will do in the future will compare.  It was a "once in a lifetime" experience, and was worth every minute of practice, and every ounce of exhaustion.  Bravo.

The link to the video is below, but please keep in mind (after all that praise) that the recording does not do justice either to the music or to the acting.  This recording emphasizes everyone's faults and you can't hear the orchestra well. I hope you will not be disappointed.  Note also that Vivace had been sick for two weeks (roughly) and was just getting his voice back the night this was filmed.  Normally his voice would be much stronger (and more on key).

Check it out here. https://vimeo.com/246959243 Password: musical2017 (if needed).

If you just want to check out the boys, they are in the opening scene (chain gang), and then again from roughly 50 min on.  

At 1:09.50 ish (start a little before - song starts 1:07?), both boys are prominent and on the risers shouting "Vive la France" at the end of an impassioned song... fabulous moment for me as a mom to have them both together on stage like that.    And again, at 1:22 and many points following that (song starts ~1:20) before intermission...

Welcome to 2018

It seems like just yesterday we were celebrating the start of a new millennium, and now it's 2018.  We'll officially have four teenagers this year, and we work a lot.  But we're employed, our needs are met, and God is still - and always will be, no matter what happens - good.  

Last year had a lot of ups and downs.  I prefer to look at and consider the "ups," but losing my dad was rough.  Still is.  We miss him.  The day he died, he spent with Vivace and Papa Bear, shopping for a glove.  He ate dinner with his beloved.  It was a full and wonderful day - such a blessing.  And then he was gone.  

I've learned a lot about enjoying the moment because we just don't know what tomorrow will bring.   But living in the moment is often a challenge. I guess if I have a New Year's Resolution, it relates to this.  I want to make time for what's important in the "bigger" and "longer-term" view of my present life and simply put the work down, no matter how important it might be.  I want to set aside time to be with and enjoy doing things with my immediate family, even when work screams for my attention, which it always does and probably always will.  The tyranny of the urgent is tough, and with all the transitions and needs of the past couple years, there has been a lot of urgent that could not be ignored.  But even in the midst of that, I need to set aside time to spend with my family when I'm not distracted or working (or both). Exercise is key, as is playing games - something I love to do.  I want to make these a priority.  Over our Christmas vacation in Stowe, I swam with my youngest, we baked and cooked together, and we played poker (Texas Hold 'Em), Clue, Apples to Apples, "basketball," and Stock Market. These are good memories and time well spent.  

I also need to bathe all of this in prayer and root all that I do firmly in God's word and will, whether it be work at home, teaching, caring for my mom, or time with my family and friends.  Reading the Bible regularly - not just from time to time - is a necessity and is also something I want to improve on this year.  It is in the Bible and in personal worship time with God that I usually find comfort, encouragement, wisdom, and understanding, gifts that God generously bestows and which I desperately need.  He has sustained me this past year, and I am thankful for Him and for His mercy and faithfulness every single day.  

We wish you all a happy 2018!

Do you love me?

It's been a whirlwind of a year.  I am struggling to process the simple fact that six months of 2017 are already behind me.  Literally, I do not know where the time went.  That said, the two weeks since school got out have been heavenly.  I have so needed to be home.  Unfortunately, there is much still to be done for this to be deemed a "successful" summer.

One of the things I need to make time for is my children, especially Constance.  Last night, she curled up next to me on the couch, and essentially told me she wants me to spend more time with her and to stop thinking about my students and classroom.  She's jealous - quite literally - for my attention.  When I ask her for her thoughts on classroom arrangement etc, instead of feeling included and that her opinion is valued, she seems to feel threatened, as though I could possibly care more for them than her.  While this is not at all the case, I need to recognize her need, which is very real and very appropriate. She is still young, and wants to know she is cherished and important enough that I will think about and spend time with her.  I remain thankful that she takes the time to speak to me that I may know her concerns and her heart.  May God grant me wisdom as I interact with her this summer and may she be reassured of my love and affection in ways she can understand and feel.

Still Ringing True

I was just doing some research regarding setting up my classroom for next year (anyone out there familiar with flexible seating?)... and somehow rather than connecting me with a middle school blog, I ended up on my own blog.

So I read it - or at least my latest post (which was a year ago).  And wow.  So much has happened!  And yet so much of that blog post still rings true today.

Without attempting in one post to review a whole year, the 2016-2017 academic year is over.  I had other interviews last summer and was hired right before school started as the 7th & 8th grade classroom teacher for a private Christian school 30 miles south of where we live. There wasn't much time to get my feet under me before school began, but with a great administrator and co-workers, all went well.   It was a great fit, and a full and satisfying year, yet I'm thankful for the summer break.

Teaching all the core subjects, with little planning time ahead of the school year, was a challenge.  I enjoyed it, but there is much I can and will do differently next year.  The transition of me going back to work full-time, and at a distance from home, required adjustment from and for everyone in the family.  There was a lot going on personally as well, with my parents settling in, Patience manoeuvring through her senior year and college decisions, everyone getting sick, Andante's theatrical involvement, Vivace's sports injuries, Constance's academic ambitions, and more.  My dad passed away suddenly and unexpectedly (though peacefully) in January, and there wasn't much spare time or energy with which to handle that emotionally or practically - but of course God provided what we needed.  Frankly, however, it was a hard year.

Last summer was a time of transition, of regrouping, of reflecting on the prior year, and of forward-planning without knowing quite what I'd be doing in the fall.  This summer will also be a time of regrouping, reflecting, and forward planning.  There are still tasks at home to complete, boxes to be gone through, baseball games to attend, taxes and finances to work on - none of that has changed, though we are a year older and wiser and certainly more experienced.  I think I successfully stole second, and it was a wild whirlwind of a play.  This summer will hopefully offer a bit of a breather before moving on.  Indeed, the TS Elliot quote from a year ago still rings true:

And to make an end is to make a beginning.  

The end is where we start from.

This time, I know I'm going back to the middle school classroom I left a few weeks ago.  Taking what I learned and accomplished last year, I can move forward with more confidence as well as more time to plan.  I'm already ahead of where I began last year! And the Lord will guide and direct, as he always has and always does.  Proverbs 16:9 states:

The mind of man plans his way, 

But the Lord directs his steps."  

I'm thankful indeed that this is true and that I can trust him every step of the way.  

"The End"

I'm feeling a little nostalgic today.  It's probably "nothing," but I finished school yesterday, two of the kids are off at school in the throes of the "last days of the year," my freshman is taking his last two exams and will be done around noon, and my newly minted senior is upstairs asleep.  It made me think of my beloved Pooh Bear at the end of his many adventures....

The end of "Winnie the Pooh"

My student teaching is over, I graduated from the TAP program in good standing, my portfolio is done and approved, I have my teaching license in hand, I have worked full-time all year (unpaid in the fall, paid in the spring), I've prepped resumes, applied for teaching positions, had interviews, and been told others have been selected. My position in the computer lab has been cut so I have no job to go back to in the fall. I'm done with this year. Completed successfully. The End.

I loved this year. I loved classroom teaching. I loved learning how to do it "properly" and much better than before. I loved the training I received and the people I met along the way. I loved the school I worked and taught at. I loved the students. I loved my co-workers. Lest you think I wear rose-colored glasses, there were challenging times, difficult students, heart-breaking concerns to address, and personal and professional issues to resolve. But there is little I would change; I learned much and grew a lot and will miss it all.

A student came into the lab yesterday while I was wrapping up some grading for one of the French teachers. She was done w/her exams and I congratulated her on finishing the year and asked her how it felt to be a junior. She expressed what we all often feel - growing up is hard and she didn't want this year to end. We had a great conversation. We spoke of hope, and of positive growth, and of not really wanting things to be the same - but of fear and trepidation at what is new and unknown. She may "never want to leave high school," but nor would she really want to stay. You outgrow it - you change - and this can be for good. We talked about innocence and wisdom. We talked about progress and stagnation. We agreed that change is not in and of itself good or bad. And we also agreed it is often difficult. I shared several quotes (I've been collecting them). One relates to baseball. All progress is risk; you can't steal second if you keep a foot on first. (Corollary: If you stay on first, it's an automatic out when the next man up gets a base hit - a no win situation!) There are many life lessons in baseball. But I digress.

It's been a good year, but it has come to an end. It's time to regroup, to enjoy the summer, and to get some much needed work done around the house. There are boxes to be gone through, parents to help settle in, taxes to be completed, people to spend time with, much baseball to be played, children to help with assignments and jobs, and business tasks to accomplish. I'm unemployed - but I have plenty to do. And I'm far from lonely; I'm surrounded by a very beloved group of people, most notably my kids and husband. Not sure if this summer is me hanging out on the base and getting ready for the steal, or if it's me stepping off the base and taking the risk. We'll see; either way, the year is now complete, and it's been great. God has taken care of all our needs and I am going to choose to trust him with this next step. Meanwhile, it's time to go do the laundry. I will leave you with this thought from TS Eliot:

And to make an end is to make a beginning. 

The end is where we start from.

Certification

And today I was approved as a licensed educator in the state of Vermont.  :-)