six princesses, persuasion, and a rousing game of moods

sometimes it is nice when someone says "you have been working very hard- how about a play date?" that was the invitation i offered to my speech class today. after a week of incesent note taking, writing and identifying propositions, working on deduction, recognizing propoganda, handing in rough outlines, taking two quizzes and being assigned in-class work, i could tell they needed a break.

so since it was richelle's birthday, we had a party day complete with disney princess napkins, plates and blowers ( it was the theme she wanted ). then we played moods and laughed about saying "To be or not to be" in an embarrased way or "Girls dig me" in a girlish way.i'm sure it helped them with characterization and portraying proper emotion, but we didn't talk about how it was educating them, we just had fun.

so for a moment, we got to play.... now i will prepare to teach a 10th grade girl how to speak with an irish accent, make copies of health test chapter 10, grab a piccalo and flute to show in music class, and try to get some worksheets graded. funny, though, i feel quite refreshed. no wonder children like recess ! :)

a titanic undertaking

i have the capabilities of becoming intense. i will admit it. there are times when it is helpful and times when it definately has cost me something. three months ago when our history teacher asked me to help a duo of sophomore girls with a dramatic presentation to enter at history day, i was a little underwhelmed. it was a history day project- a little research, a little writing, a litte memorizing. but as the days progressed, i became wrapped up in the story of the these two girls who were on the titanic. i wrote a script. i stayed after school for hours working on timing and emotion and blocking and then we went to local competition. any speech person will understand my jerk reaction was to grab the judges comment sheet before reading anything else and hide myself in a corner, frantically reading what they liked, what they didn't. superior rating. going to state. BIG problems with the script and paper. so i sat down with the girls. said that it was their choice- go to state with the requirement that we rework everything they had already done, go to state keeping everything just as it was knowing we wouldn't be competitive, or just not go at all.

they chose option number one.

so i came back to school the next monday and researched and re-wrote the script and gave them copies. i said " we have five weeks till state- there is a lot to do but it is managable" so one week went by, then two, then three.

now we are at week four.

i have two sophomore girls with a brand new script that haven't even begun fixing their process paper or their bibliography. these girls have fair animals to keep, two sports practices, jobs after school, youth group responsibilites, oh, and school work to do. so i sit them down and say , " you have to do this right or we're not doing it. this new script requires a lot more from you than the first one."
and then i look at their faces and realize what i must look like to them. an woman obsessed with a project that i am only supposed to coaching- not dictating. i take a breath, say a prayer and apologize for raining my intensity on their heads instead of encouragement.

so today we begin to memorize, block, practice our new titanic script to present at state next saturday morning. it is a titanic undertaking.

happy days

not that the two of you won't know who you are, but i just want to say what a blessing it has been to be in contact with my two really great friends this past week. it is one of those things that just makes me happy- a special God-blessing sent my way. have a great week- i love you both!

Saul and Samuel

Here's one beautiful thing i learned this weekend about God and His perfect plan for our lives....

"Saul learned that obedience is better than sacrifice. Samuel learned that sometimes obedience IS the sacrifice."

i have often looked at this verse as an either/or situation- how precious that God may look at obedience to His sometimes very difficult direction as the sacrifice He wanted all along. just like Elijah by the brooke- he didn't move until he was told. he saw the water dry up, he felt the isolation, he had to wonder where God would put him next or even if he would live through the drought; but he stayed - obedience and sacrifice.