Have you ever felt like you were stuck on a roller coaster and just couldn't get off? I actually love roller coasters, so under normal circumstances I would be loving life. However, I don't find it so enjoyable when I'm stuck on said roller coaster and start to feel claustrophobic and the end of the ride is not in sight.
I should preface this seemingly negative introduction with a confession: I have in fact, watched several of the Texas Rangers playoff games. As you may realize, they are (at least) four hours later here than local time. This means that even if it's a 4pm game in Detroit, it starts at 8pm here. This sounds reasonable enough, but if a person were watch the whole thing, they wouldn't get to bed until after midnight. For some people this would not be a problem, but for an individual like myself this DOES become a problem. Especially when it develops into a pattern. Miss Black become a monster, comparable to the Incredible Hulk without all the green muscles and potential for saving the world.
That being said, back to the roller coaster. This past Wednesday was the end of the first quarter. Grades are due Monday. My grading pile is many inches too thick. Tonight my handball team plays an elimination match in the tournament playoffs. Immediately following handball I am responsible for close to 40 middle schoolers...not just for a few hours. No, that wouldn't be worth it. I am the staff sponsor for their lock-in AKA all-nighter AKA sleepless night for Miss Black. Tomorrow afternoon I am taking care of my friend Micah. He's six and his parents are out of town so we're hanging out for a few hours. If the Royal Pains make the finals I will be playing the next round of handball Saturday night. Sunday's schedule includes church and small group. There's a lot on the go. I feel overwhelmed...and apparently I'm using my blog to blow off some steam.
I was feeling slightly panicked and lamenting my very full schedule in the staff room this morning when I realized that I was sounding very negative. On a roller coaster our vision is often blurred by the speed or the wind, but I don't want to be blinded or become known as an 'Eyore' so I promptly decided that I should brainstorm some of the brighter things in my life at the moment.
1. My classroom A/C has been working reasonably well after months of not working at all. If I leave it on overnight it's a freezer in the morning and the cold stays in for most of the school day.
2. My first class today was very engaged in the reader's theater they were doing this morning about King Hammurabi's Code of Law.
3. Last year I found it hard to go back to teaching after lunch, but this year I usually look forward to my afternoon classes. They are smaller and we have a lot of fun. Today we are creating scavenger hunts.
4. While I was brainstorming my list of positives, one of the teachers in the staff room told me that I looked pretty today :)
5. The coffee this morning was French Vanilla...yummmm
6. A frustrating conversation I had this morning was resolved quickly and the person who had hurt my feelings apologized
7. The Middle School Senate is really excited about the lock-in and have done the majority of the planning
8. I found enough sponsors who are crazy enough to stay up all night with me
9. I love the kids I teach...and think most of them love me back
10. Supper will be waiting for me when I get home this afternoon: shrimp and bacon fettucine.
Needless to say I won't be blogging this weekend, but I'll see you on the flip side!
PS. For those of you who submitted an answer to last week's trivia question, I played field hockey in middle school and again in my OAC (grade 13 in Ontario) year.
Friday, October 14, 2011
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Miss Black's Handball Debut
To say that sports are big here at DA would be an understatement. Our girls and boys varsity volleyball teams, girls and boys intermediate soccer, varsity and junior varsity softball teams are all on the go. In addition, intramural handball started this past weekend. "What is handball?" you may ask. I myself was unfamiliar with this somewhat obscure sport. It could be described as a hybrid of basketball and soccer. You can dribble the ball three times and take three steps before passing or shooting. Players may not cross the goal crease, and ultimately the objective is to score on the opposing team's net. The game is played on the 'petit poteaux' court which looks like a cement hockey rink.
Those of you who knew me "way back when" may remember that I was, at one time, very athletic. For others of you who have come to know me in more recent years, this may sound somewhat far-fetched, but alas, it is the truth. Here's a trivia question for you, my reading public: Do you know which middle school AND high school sport I played back in the day? (Answer to come in an upcoming post)
So handball...last year I was a spectator, but found myself unexpectedly saddened to be sitting on the sidelines. There's something about the lights at night, the music, the excitement, that made me want to be a part of it all. I wanted to jump in, so this year I did. I'm not going to lie, I was nervous, terrified really. I had visions of myself falling over children, falling into the net...falling in general. I couldn't think of other embarrassing feats, but I was sure I would accomplish something epically ridiculous in front of staff, students, and parents. I went so far as to arrange a tutorial and practice before the 'season' began. All my best intentions were for naught. I showed up to school for the season opener feeling like the inexperienced, insecure, rookie that I was. As I approached my team, the Royal Pains, waving my hellos, my foot caught on a stone and I found myself splayed across the pathway...backpack, water bottle, and shoes strewn about. I think my teams morale faltered as they helped me up and brushed me off. My worst fear had come true before I even stepped on the court.
Though I wasn't the MVP I did have a great time and I played hard. We are 2 for 2 after the first weekend. Next weekend will be a challenge as we are up against two tough teams.
Mr. Austin is the unofficial photographer at DA. He takes hundreds of photos at any given event and posts them almost immediately. He caught some amazing images of jump shots and great plays as seen below, but as I was browsing through the album I lamented to my friends Danielle and Cori that my athletic prowess had not been recorded for friends and family at home.
Rudyo takes a jump shot to score as Blue crushes Orange.
Aaron approaches defender, Phil, as he launches the ball
Amber, Royal Pains team captain, scores on her jump shot. We win 6-3 over the Midnight Furries.
In response to my laments, today I received the cartoon below, capturing my handball debut, compliments of my friend Danielle. She’s been having a lot of fun with ‘microsoft paint’ lately. Check out her artwork…and entertaining anecdotes at: http://missbowers.blogspot.com/ In other news, she also had to confiscate a machete recently…she has all the fun.
And so, without further ado...Miss Black (aka Alicia)'s Handball Debut:
Those of you who knew me "way back when" may remember that I was, at one time, very athletic. For others of you who have come to know me in more recent years, this may sound somewhat far-fetched, but alas, it is the truth. Here's a trivia question for you, my reading public: Do you know which middle school AND high school sport I played back in the day? (Answer to come in an upcoming post)
So handball...last year I was a spectator, but found myself unexpectedly saddened to be sitting on the sidelines. There's something about the lights at night, the music, the excitement, that made me want to be a part of it all. I wanted to jump in, so this year I did. I'm not going to lie, I was nervous, terrified really. I had visions of myself falling over children, falling into the net...falling in general. I couldn't think of other embarrassing feats, but I was sure I would accomplish something epically ridiculous in front of staff, students, and parents. I went so far as to arrange a tutorial and practice before the 'season' began. All my best intentions were for naught. I showed up to school for the season opener feeling like the inexperienced, insecure, rookie that I was. As I approached my team, the Royal Pains, waving my hellos, my foot caught on a stone and I found myself splayed across the pathway...backpack, water bottle, and shoes strewn about. I think my teams morale faltered as they helped me up and brushed me off. My worst fear had come true before I even stepped on the court.
Though I wasn't the MVP I did have a great time and I played hard. We are 2 for 2 after the first weekend. Next weekend will be a challenge as we are up against two tough teams.
Mr. Austin is the unofficial photographer at DA. He takes hundreds of photos at any given event and posts them almost immediately. He caught some amazing images of jump shots and great plays as seen below, but as I was browsing through the album I lamented to my friends Danielle and Cori that my athletic prowess had not been recorded for friends and family at home.
Rudyo takes a jump shot to score as Blue crushes Orange.
Aaron approaches defender, Phil, as he launches the ball
Amber, Royal Pains team captain, scores on her jump shot. We win 6-3 over the Midnight Furries.
In response to my laments, today I received the cartoon below, capturing my handball debut, compliments of my friend Danielle. She’s been having a lot of fun with ‘microsoft paint’ lately. Check out her artwork…and entertaining anecdotes at: http://missbowers.blogspot.com/ In other news, she also had to confiscate a machete recently…she has all the fun.
And so, without further ado...Miss Black (aka Alicia)'s Handball Debut:
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