We’re blocked in by the Georgia Marathon! We happen to live on a street nestled right in between two paths of the race, so we are freakin’ stuck! We live inside of the race path. Oh well…what are you going to do? This happened before (see previous post from September 2007) last year and we just had to wait until they re-opened the roads (after the race is complete). And we had the musical Cats planned at my school and everything…
Today from 8-9pm was Earth Hour, an event in which our favorite planet’s inhabitants were invited to turn off their lights to reduce worldwide energy consumption. The funny part is that I retired for a nap at about 6:30pm and slept all the way until 9:10pm. When I woke up, I said, “I’ve slept through the Earth Hour!” But, then I realized it was ok! haha. It’s the one event you can sleep through and still participate in, because all the lights were off.
Last night’s Will Hoge concert at The Loft was incredible! All night long he screamed his heart out, weaving seamlessly between rollicking refrains and heart-wrenching hymns. All of his catalog was well-represented, from Carousel to his new Draw the Curtains, and the crowd was clearly eating it all up, singing at the top of its lungs amid fan-girl (and fan-boy) bobbing. But even the collective cries of the entire audience couldn’t match his impassioned scream! To end the show, as part of the encore, he even stepped away to vocalize his way through a improv’d “Hearts Are Gonna Roll.” You know you’re good when you howl all night and still have enough in you to end the night without a mic. It has been a while since Will has come to town, and I sincerely hope he’ll be back soon. Until then, I’ll have to listen to his new CD Draw the Curtains on repeat.
By the way, his entire discography is available online to listen to streaming at his website: http://www.willhoge.com/music
It’s been a while since we’ve last seen Zach TV. Here’s the first episode of S2. I hope you enjoy.
Just this week, my transfer to the International Baccalaureate (IB) program residing at Douglas County High School was approved. About a month ago I was offered this exciting opportunity. Although I was attracted by it immediately, I wanted to weigh all of the factors carefully.
One of the most difficult parts was that I knew I would have to part ways with my current students at Chapel Hill High School. I’ve seen some of these students everyday for nearly 2 years. Friday I had to come to grips with that aspect rather painfully as a few students found out that I would be leaving the upcoming year. A few got angry and a few got sad. A few asked me “Why?” A few asked me not to go. I even cried a bit when they regaled me with all the things that I do that no other teacher would do, like roll around on the floor, crazy TPR movements, and put two chairs on top of each other and say “Roci-NANTE!” A few students said that I was leaving because I didn’t like some of the students that I had taught. I tried to stop that line of reasoning immediately; I told them that there were not any negative reasons for my leaving. I told them that I wasn’t leaving to get away from anything! My experience at Chapel Hill has been an absolutely excellent one. But it was difficult for me to respond them as I didn’t know quite what to say.
A few of my closest students stayed behind and talked to me a bit. They told me not to be sad. They said that it was a great opportunity. They told me that they would support my decision fully. I thought that was such a mature response. It was nice that my school day ended with their words, and for that I am very thankful. We resolved to make the remainder of the year the best ever!
