Homecoming 2010

Homecoming has come and gone. It was really fun and very memorable. For fear of rain we packed up our equipment prematurely and gave up playing live at the Thursday rally. Instead, we used the cd. The paper printed a picture with a whole lot of dancers with their hands in the air out on the football field. That was really cool, but the live band looked sad when it was over. Anyway, we still had Friday. The only thing wrong with that was that our guitarist, Jesse, got sick and had to miss that, too. He's one of those nice guys who deserves better.

Still, we cheered, I rapped (ha!), I announced, I sang, I danced. It was silly, good fun and the team won the game as well. Through it all, the professor was a regular rock star. It was his most fun week of high school. He rocked the keyboards, the drum line, and he had fun at the dance. I guess what I feel the most about all of this is thankful. A couple of my colleagues expressed amazement that I would get out and lead the students in a dance. I'm kind of surprised myself. In high school I was always too afraid to dance. I guess it took me years to get up the nerve, but there are some high-schoolers out there, mine included, who will never forget the fun we had together on Homecoming 2010. I love this town and I love this school. I hope the multi-media class makes a video that preserves it well.

Magic Spells, Lessons, and Dancing

When considering teaching, I've always enjoyed the wizard metaphor. For me, the greatest magic spells are the ones that are the most memorable. So for the young romantic, the special gesture or surprise note that sticks in the mind of the one he loves is the most powerful magic. There's always an element of risk as well because spells like that can just blow up in your face and burn you to the ground with embarrassment.

Another obvious parallel is the teacher who takes a risk to reach some students. Tomorrow is the beginning of Homecoming Week, a time when at least some of us go out on a limb to celebrate with the students. I know I'll be laughed at tomorrow, but it's all in good fun. I'm particularly lucky that my son is so cool about accepting the embarrassing things I do. Some kids would be mortified by a parent who is a teacher who participates in the goofiness of Homecoming. Lucky for me, the professor just has fun with it. In fact, he's in on some of it. He'll be playing the keyboard at the pep rally.

I, on the other hand have to start "the dance." That's right. An old, bald, bearded man will step onto the gym floor and start the dancing. I won't be alone; the dance and drill team will join in and so will the cheerleaders, but the hundreds of others, including students, teachers, and even administrators could very well back out. I guess it's the risk that provides the adventure and whether they join in or not, it will still be one of the most memorable times at the school for many students. That's a spell worth casting.

Years from now they'll say, "That guy was crazy." And if they smile and laugh when they do, then the spell will be an obvious success. Don't you want people to smile when they remember you? I think it's worth the risk of a little embarrassment, and it's just going to be so much fun, even if it's just me and the girls. There's a country song called "I Hope You Dance" that I often think of when I'm afraid of being embarrassed. It reminds me that dancing and living with embarrassment or ridicule is so much better than sitting there, wishing you had the courage to go for it. I want my students to have that kind of courage and so, in the spirit of Bob the Tomato I say, "It's for the kids," and jump right in. I know I won't regret it.

Macbook

I believe the school district has been wildly successful with the idea of giving all the teachers Macbooks. I say this because now I spend more time working than ever before. It's easy. "The kids are on the home computer," is not an excuse anymore. Not only that, but when everyone at home is otherwise occupied and I find myself with no one to talk to, I can always update the gradebook. And then when that's all done, here I am blogging away as if my random thoughts matter. It's kind of cathartic, I guess, or maybe that's pathetic. Whoa, I'm thinking in rhymes. I suppose I should use this creative energy to further the limerick war.

There was a dog from San Diego
Who often would chew an old leggo
Until he learned about
How it hurt coming out
And he switched to a comfortable eggo

There was an old coot from New York
Who would not, could not use a fork
Or a spoon, for that matter
To scoop up his batter
He'd use nothing else but a spork

(These are really starting to get lame.) :)

To Catch a Thief of Life; Fear

It's interesting how fear paralyzes us. The unknown can be so scary that people just want to curl up on the floor and waste what little time we have. I have students who are so afraid of embarrassment that they'd rather fail and be stuck retaking my class forever just because they don't want to speak in front of the class.

I always try to make a big deal out of it when I know someone is facing their fear. Sometimes this is counterproductive because some people really don't want any attention at all. Most often, however, it draws smiles.

The thing I hate the most about fear is what it steals from us. I can remember times in my life when I was too afraid to take a chance and I know I lost those opportunities. Nothing I can do about it now, but I do regret those times.

A few years ago, I was asked to be the speaker at our Homecoming rally in central park. It was a first for me and I thought I should do some kind of a welcome. I'd always wanted to sing Queen's "We Will Rock You" at a pep rally so I just stepped up to the mic and did it a capella. Silly as it sounds, taking that chance will forever be one of my favorite memories. I had kids who never liked our pep rallies coming up and cheering me on. I really felt appreciated. The risk was that I'd look like an idiot and be laughed off the bandstand, but instead, every year I have people asking me if I'm going to do it again. I'm a bald, bearded English teacher and for a few minutes each year they let me feel like a rock star. How lucky is that?

Now, I'd like to distinguish the kind of risks that I want people to take. I'm very much a safety first kind of guy so I hate hearing about reckless drivers, experimentation with drugs, and promiscuous behavior. The risks I want to see people taking are the kind that make awesome memories and never hurt anyone. I had a silly friend who started to sing "America" at the end of a small town fireworks display. I was afraid that people would see him as making fun of their little town since we weren't from there. I was kind of uncomfortable with him because he thought things like that were funny. However, on this occasion everyone around us joined in and it turned into a poignant moment where patriotism swells and I was proud to be standing and singing with total strangers. That's a risk I wouldn't have taken, but I'm glad I was there for it.

We seem to live in an age of fear politics. I wish that more people would recognize the damage that fear does to us. People who are not like us are as they are for reasons that we should try to understand. Religion in particular is too often twisted to turn people against each other. That's the worst of blasphemies. All of the world's major religions agree that we should take care of each other and love each other. Fear of each other's differences erodes the American spirit, or any spirit for that matter. Some people even want to tell the rest of us "how" to be American. As Americans we usually don't respond well to overbearing commands.

So I appear to have started babbling. Step up to the mic and belt out your freedom. You'll find others like you who appreciate your taste. Face your fears and live strong. Don't let fear steal anymore life from you.

Limerick time.

There once was a dancer named Katya

Whose favorite food was foccacia

Spinning dough in the air

She danced on a chair

But she slipped and her doughball went splatcha!

It seems we're all hard up for rhymes these days.

A CIA agent named "Louie"

Was on a case that got quite gooey

He stepped in some gum,

Got glue on his thumb

And found himself sticky and chewy.

Phew! Maybe I'll think of better stuff later.