Rain Day!

Yep, they cancel school for wetness here... Oh, how I wish that was true. No, due to a teacher meeting/prep issue that I don't entirely understand, my Tuesday classes this week are moved to Friday, giving me a peculiar "second weekend" to recover from a grueling... one day of teaching. Actually, I'm digging it--I have a lot to catch up on for school and life and today is the perfect day to get things accomplished (she boldly asserts at 9am). It's rainy, so I won't be tempted to play outside, and it's Tuesday, so I'm not Friday-exhausted. And I don't have shows to watch this early in the week. This no-TV thing is not quite working as well as I'd imagined for productivity... I keep finding new and fabulous shows to watch on Hulu or Netflix...

Things that need to happen today:
*Programs (this one's almost done, I just have to enter in the Spanish translations that one of my teachers so graciously provided. So that's another one--*Write a thank you note.)
*Drawing little stage diagrams on teachers' dress rehearsal/concert cheat sheets with class blocking and entrances and exits and such
*Cleeeeeeeaning... Maybe this should be first so my brain will feel cleaner too
*Tackle a chunk of assessment entry (as in, I've already collected the data, I just need to enter it into a spreadsheet, which takes much longer than one would care to think). Teaching would be a lot easier without this learning accountability thing...
*Exercise. Less appealing with the weather, but Idol performance night at the gym sounds adequately motivating...

Happy Feel-Good Moments (Something else I need to stay on top of... The current trend involves approximating memories after realizing I haven't written anything for several days)

*For a while I didn't have an iPod (the story involves a forgetful music teacher, shady construction workers, and the school reimbursing me for a stolen iPod), but I still needed to enjoy the weather and run outside... I actually now prefer running without music. Quite enjoyable.

*My music theatre club loves Pippin, which is great because I love Pippin.
Jennifer (out of breath from a full "Magic to Do" run-through): "That was FUN!"

*I have had two students in the last two weeks share original songs (more like lyrics but it's a start) with me. Way cool.

*Between helping to decorate/cook for a young adults event at church and feeling more and more like a "veteran" at coffee hour and brunch, I'm really starting to feel substantial connections to my church community.

*When you feel like no grade is going to be prepared for the concert, all you need is one class of rockstars to turn your thinking around.

*The highway trombonist returns... this time practicing riffs much more complex than the octaves he was drilling last I jogged in on rehearsal. Great improvement, sir!

*At my request, the professor who leads Wartburg's May term NYC trip (who sadly is leaving Wartburg next year!!) came to meet with my principal about including PS 43 as a partner school for field experience... It was surreal to have Dr. Fiene and Dr. Delucchi (my principal) in the same room sharing laughs and setting up logistics that will very likely lead to Wartburg students being in my school this time next year... Awesome.

*With the arrival of my high school friend Tim to the "neighborhood" (15 minutes on the train), I realized I have quite a few close friends in the area... interesting as many New Yorkers label anything above Central Park as the "boonies" of Manhattan. Seriously, I don't really know anyone who lives BELOW 110th...

Love, Hugs, and Productivity!
Kate =)