Day 166

The Dancer

This has been a very happy last week at my school.  Today was the Talent Show, organised by the Middle School student council.  It is astonishing to watch another side of the students you teach.  One grade 6 girl, who doesn't excel much at any academic work, sang Leona Lewis' Bleeding Love like a professional, this deep voice full of tone and emotion, emerging from this young kid, and she, taking over the stage, emitting such a confidence.  The audience adored her and she came off  to roars and applause, her face beaming her elation.

The audience loved the teachers' show too, and Lady Gaga and the Gaga dancers brought the house down!

I was in the 'bully' teachers' musical number.  We were all fairly confident, even those among us with no natural dancing talent, because the best dancer was to dance in front so that we could watch her for our cues!  Except that, when we were all taking her lead, she suddenly forgot the moves herself, and it kind of fell apart somewhat, but we all did our best and were complimented by the kids afterwards!

Then it was Field Day.  Students were divided into 5 groups and each group did a different event for 45 minutes, then changed over to the next one.  They played "old fashion" games, like throwing water balloons in pairs to see who lasted the longest.  Soccer was played by two teams.  "Capture the Flag", the Obstacle Course, and Close Combat were the other events.  It was largely run by the 11th grade kids, who were really good at keeping things in check and establishing rules.

I learned how to play "Capture the Flag" which I have never played before.  It is fun to see kids running flat-out, striving to catch someone from the other team, or to rescue their team-mates, or to grab a flag!

Keeping children busy, and happily busy, learning, experiencing, makes for a better world. And a good mix of physical and mental activity.   If you have a curious mind and you get to run about every day, I think much of life is better, not so many drugs, not so much depression.

John Malkovich, who gave the commencement speech at our graduation tonight, (his son was graduating) made an interesting comment about drug use.  He said, "Sure, man has always wanted oblivion, but never oblivion always.  Remember that." 

Time suddenly shows me these graduating students I have taught since 6th grade.  Then they were just little bright sweet things.  Now they are all adults, the guys thick and swarthy, or enormously tall and lanky, all with defined jaws, longer noses.  The girls all beautiful, fresh-faced, wearing pearls and high heels (I wonder why that is the status symbol of growing up, being able to wear high heels, which are just about the most stupid shoe ever invented).  Life is waiting for them, big LIFE out there, away from our little safe family of a school.  We had the biggest graduation class yet, 22!

Another drawing from Six Flags, a kind of pseudo mill.