Buscando a Ruth

Just keep swimming, swimming, swimming...

...So, this is my view from the church parking lot.... :)

I am super jealous of the Thunder Mountain High School Spanish I classes because they got to watch Finding Nemo (Buscando a Nemo) a couple weeks ago while I was in a planning meeting. While I am happy I was part of that meeting because it helped solidify my role in the Spanish classroom for this year, I had a strong urge to watch Finding Nemo ever since. And after a long couple of weeks, I was able to finally watch Nemo and his dad on their adventures. I was admittedly falling asleep during part of it (even though it was only 8pm), but watching the characters let go of the scary things that could possibly lie ahead and say “yes” to adventure was a sweet reminder of what I am doing this year and how cool this all is! I have been forgetting about that the past couple of weeks, as work has piled on and things have become more stressful. But something so simple as watching a decade-old Pixar film (how has it already been 12 years?!) really brings a person back to reality.

So I have been trying to allow myself to slow down a little this week and enjoy this journey, especially as things get busier. I may have let things slow down a little too much, as I am writing my blog at midnight on Sunday night, in between finishing up lesson plans and homework for the week! But it was good for my soul, so it’s worth it! :)

Teaching second grade xylophone class!

My week was not like any other because Lorrie was at the El Sistema conference, and the quartet and I held down the fort at Glacier Valley! And everything I expected us to feel came true- we were excited to try running the music classes on our own (and I think it went very well!), but we were also excited to have Lorrie back. Subbing for just two days made me realize that Lorrie does so much each day to keep things running smoothly; I appreciate all she does a lot more now! But I led my first classes completely on my own this week- a second and third grade class- and even had our official observer from the university pop in for a surprise visit to watch me teach the third grade class- *Insert high-pitched, freak-out voice and twitching eye here*- “No, it’s totally fine that you’re here! It’s okay that Lorrie is gone, and we are doing this on our own for the first time! Sure- I’ll lead this class on my own instead of team-teaching it with Sophia like we originally planned!”. Haha! But it was actually really good for me. And he told us that it was not an official observation that would be sent back to the school, but that he came completely of his own accord on his own time to see how we were, observe us teach, and offer any helpful feedback. And after debriefing with him following my class, I was very happy he had been there! That growth mindset puts a smile on my face when wiser, more experienced teachers offer advice. I’m eager to learn it all!

Sophia and me at the Juneau Symphony rehearsal!

So while we were wading in the scary waters in the classroom this week, I was also able to do something very comfortable and fulfilling to me back on the beach, if you will- I attended the first Juneau Symphony rehearsal! So I am part of the Quartet-in-Residence for the Symphony, and they are paying part of our scholarship; this requires us to join them in rehearsals the week before each concert (being required to play in an orchestra? Count me in!). So while we weren’t required to be there, Sophia and I had been talking about how much we missed playing in orchestra (and let’s just be honest, playing in general…), and we decided to jump in and sight-read some New World Symphony and Shostakovich Festive Overture. And it was a BLAST! I loved it so much. We played under the Symphony’s new music director, Troy Quinn, who is a fabulous singer and conductor. He has such energy and is very nice and engaging. The repertoire was epically fun, and we enjoyed meeting some of the other musicians. We stood up and introduced ourselves as two of the members of their new quartet, and people were cheering and clapping for us- what a wonderful, warm welcome! The people seem so kind and humorous, which makes playing in the ensemble that much more enjoyable and inviting. Sophia and I are planning to go to as many rehearsals as we can!

Besides that, it was a pretty typical week. One of the highlights of my week involved another kinder- I fully believe God created 5 year-olds as a gift of joy and amusement for adults! I was helping with violin class, and all the kids were sitting “criss-cross applesauce”. I noticed a boy in the back who was squirming and talking, so I went over there to see what was going on and help him get back on task. Once I got close to him, I realized that he was pretending to be talking on the phone with his hand and was having a conversation about his day into it. After he said, “Hello”, I pretended to pick up my hand phone and communicate to him that it was time to focus on class, and when I said, “Goodbye”, I hoped desperately that he would go for it and hang up as I did. Didn’t work. But hey- it was worth a shot! Even though my plan wasn’t successful, it was just so stinking adorable!

This weekend sort of flew by, as it began with a 3-hour planning meeting Saturday morning and progressed with hours of work interwoven throughout both days. It was one of those weekends where I spent hours on my computer doing work, and I still feel like I didn’t do anything. But at this point, I just focus on one day at a time, so it’s all okay! I was also able to join Rob and Koren (my landlords) and their friends for Rob’s birthday dinner last night. It was so wonderful to have a delicious home-cooked meal with 7 people who were all born in the 50’s. Honestly, I’ve never been at an occasion that involved me sharing a meal and a conversation with so many people in that age range, and it was so neat! I really value the formation of relationships amongst the different generations. To hear them talk about their stories from the 80’s (a decade before I was born!) when they all met was so cool. They all also laughed over their awful memories as they tried to recall the actual details of how they first met each other. And once the conversation turned to boring, inapplicable topics such as their children, their retirement travel plans, and recipes, I peaced out and helped Rob clean up in the kitchen. They were eager to hear about my program and had wonderful things to say about JAMM and Lorrie and what her program has done for the community, though. They were also fascinated that I am an identical twin, so they asked lots of questions that most 20-somethings don’t think to ask, such as, “What was it like for you when you two split up? Was it hard to feel a sense of who you were?” and, “How is it for you both, now that she’s married and you’re living so far apart?”. It basically turned into me telling them all the awesome and hard parts of having someone you’re so unbelievably close with and are so similar to. I always appreciate telling people the good and hard things about being a twin because most people just exclaim, “Oh, that’s SO COOL! I wish I had a twin!” when they learn this fact about me. But man, by the end of that conversation, all I wanted was to be back in my dorm room at Interlochen (the arts boarding high school Rachel and I attended) with my twinny in our bunk beds. :)

I was also able to socialize with the quartet girls today, which was so nice! I have become really close to them and love all three of them. I’m so happy that we get along so well! We rehearsed at Lindsay’s beautiful house and then made homemade pasta, ate apple crisp, and watched a movie. It’s so strange to me that we didn’t know each other just three months ago. And now we are here, doing something no one else can completely relate to, and we have a bond that is very unique because of that! I love it. :)

I've made a new cat friend- it craws into our backyard every once in a while, and I totally freaked it out when I tapped on the glass to say hi!

So it was a great week full of beautiful, small reminders that I belong here and am having a truly life-changing experience this year. I am so thankful for the people God has put in my life here (and for the cat). I really feel cared for, loved, and surrounded by people I enjoy being with and from whom I can learn. This week will be another big one, as I teach my first Spanish class tomorrow (I am doing a short, week-and-a-half-long unit on Day of the Dead!) and conduct an arrangement of “Yesterday” with the TMHS orchestra on Tuesday night for their concert! I’m also putting together pictures for a new digital story I am creating about El Sistema for my Integrating Technology in the Classroom class and am brainstorming ideas for a unit I have to write and teach next semester. Woo hoo for learning and for scary, new things!

Here goes another wonderful week of learning about teaching, life, and myself!