Hey! Who turned out the lights?!

Due to finding myself in a teaching rut, I spent some time last week looking through college materials to find new ways to teach my students choral techniques. I picked up lots of tips that I've started using in my classroom. One that has made a HUGE difference in the sound of my choirs is turning out the lights while they sing a particular part of the song. I knew it would force them to listen to each other; however, what I didn't realize was that it would made them less nervous to sing. Consequently, everyone sang louder! It was such a pleasant surprise. It made me realize again just how inhibited students feel around their peers. No wonder no one sings half the time! They're all scared of each other.

Anybody got a quarter? Or eighty?

Fundraising is only required for my 8th graders, since they have a uniform to purchase and festivals to cover. We offered the option of fundraising to my seventh graders, because there were fun prizes involved depending on how much students sold.

One of my 7th graders turned in his fundraising packet with only one item sold. He had one order for a wallet that was $25.00; however, his payment envelope was heavy and bulging. I soon discovered the person paid with 3 one dollar bills and the rest was in quarters and some dimes. The buyer of the wallet literally must have dumped out a piggy bank in order to pay for it. So who bought the wallet in coins? It turns out it was my student himself who was the recipient of the item! It touched me because in order to get any prizes, he had to sell at least three items. He only sold one item (by buying it himself). And, the wallet was one of the more expensive items in the booklet! It was obvious that he really wanted the wallet. It was one of the only items for a boy being offered through the fundraiser. I wonder if he wanted it for himself or to give as a gift. In any case, I thought it was so sweet that he used his little savings.

I can't wait to be a mom.

Talent Day

What a fun talent day today! I learned new things about my students, which is always fun.

In one of my classes, one of my very musically talented boys was playing a pop song on the piano and singing. He had convinced a few boys in the class to be "back-up dancers" on the spot, and they all bailed except one. I thought to myself, "This oughta be good." I expected the back-up dancer kid to get up there, get embarrassed, laugh a lot, and not dance at all. I figured I would have to tell him to sit down after about 30 seconds. To my pleasant surprise, he got up there and really started busting some funky grooves while my other student played and sang. He even got the audience to clap in time with the song. He took it seriously from beginning to end.

Another one of my students brought his guitar teacher to accompany him playing the guitar. His mom came to watch as well. He was really good! Another kid from a different period busted out his guitar skills as well and I think we were all pretty shocked. He is a quiet kid, but man, can he play!

Joy in the Journey

I realize that lately, I've seemed extra cynical about my chosen profession. I really do love my job, however, and I wouldn't choose another profession if they paid me to.

Here are some reasons why:

• My co-workers. Yesterday, I was walking down the hall and saw the P.E. teacher, "Coach," walking toward me. When he got about five feet away from me he stopped, bowed, and said, "Your highness" as I passed. It was so unexpected and funny. I laughed and said, "Well THAT was fun!" How wonderful to be treated like royalty within the four walls of a middle school (when often you're treated more like the court jester).

• The music. My concert choir is singing a medley from the Phantom of the Opera and my sister Christina is going to do some ballroom choreography with them. I spent yesterday after school practicing the accompaniment, as I will be the one playing since it's a show piece and not one I will conduct. How glorious it was to spend time with some of the most heavenly melodies ever written.

• My students. Hearing a 12 year old boy mumble a song against his will and realizing he can actually carry a tune is a very exciting experience. Being able to look at him and say, "You have a good voice!" is a privilege.

• My hard classes: Yesterday, I was talking to my principal and told her I was frustrated and wanted to quit (half jokingly) because of a particularly difficult period of 7th graders I have this year. She said to me, "No, you're not going to quit, you're going to figure this thing out. You learn the very most from your hard classes." She was right. I spent my whole prep period yesterday pouring over material from college to remind me how to be a better choir teacher. Today during 8th grade testing, I studied a group choral technique book and more material from BYU and took notes. I am anxious to apply new things in my teaching. Having difficult experiences has motivated me to move beyond complacency. It forces me to learn and grow.

Vent

Dear Parents,

I know you love your children very much and want them to have the best experience possible in middle school. But please consider carefully the fact that you have no idea what it's like to teach 12 and 13 year olds, many of whom would rather be anywhere else but in your classroom. You don't understand what the state requires each teacher to teach in the semester they have with your students. If you drop in randomly on a teacher for a 45 minute class period, this is not representative of everything they do in the classroom for the whole semester. If they are doing a worksheet instead of singing the day you stop by, it's because they have to learn how to identify notes in order to read the music on the paper, just like the alphabet. You don't know the alphabet, you can't read. It's very similar, really.

Give teachers a break. Seriously. Come take over my class for a day and see what's its like to put up with other peoples' kids' garbage and a state cirriculum asking you to teach kids to read and notate music along with singing and then you tell me why you didn't get around to singing fun songs all period long.

Sincerely,
Ms. Katie Houston
Choir Teacher

Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Teacher?

Today, I had a fundraising specialist come in and introduce the fundraiser he is helping my students do this year. It's amazing how 12-14 year old kids react to simple incentive prizes like a "room-a-rang" (a squishy boom-a-rang) and a glow in the dark alien that grows to six times its size when placed in water.

In one of my 7th grade classes, I have a student who NEVER STOPS TALKING. Never. No really...NEVER. The problem is, he is so dang funny that I have the hardest time disciplining him. He makes the whole class, including me, laugh at in opportune times. Today, I had to remove him from the class and put him in my office because he couldn't stop making comments during a test. It was silent in the room once he was out of sight.

I let him come back in the room for the fundraising presentation, because I knew he'd get a kick out of the prizes. I decided that enough was enough and before I lost all authority over the class because I can't discipline the kid, I needed to call his mother. I'd already spoken with him several times and it wasn't getting any better. His mom and I had a nice chat and I emphasized over and over again that he is a very talented kid and is really very funny; however, he is somewhat distracting. She said she'd talk to him.

When I came back out of my office, he said, "You didn't." When I told him that I actually did talk to his mom, he said, "Now I can't go to the opening BYU football game because you did that." I started feeling terrible! How was I supposed to know? It's so hard when the most distracting student of the semester is a nice, friendly kid who loves to sing and pariticipate but just can't shut up. I kept trying to remind myself why what I did was completely necessary. News of the phone call kept him very somber for probably the next fifteen minutes. I felt awful. Luckily (?), by the end of class, he was joking around and mostly back to himself. On his way out of the classroom when the bell rang, however, he said, "Thanks for ruining my tomorrow plans."

He really had me believing this whole thing was my fault in the first place. How does THAT happen?

Move Over, Darling!

In case you're unfamiliar with the movie, Move Over, Darling! is one of my all time favorite films starring Doris Day. I highly recommend seeing it. It's an oldie, but a goodie.

On to the related story.

We played the game "Memory" in my 7th grade choir classes. The kids had their game attitude on and were definitely more energized than normal. I heard one of my students in the front row saying, "Ms. Houston, Ms. Houston!" She was holding her notebook sideways and facing me so I could read the words she had scrawled over across the front: "MOVE HIM PLEASE!" There was an arrow below the words pointing to the right where a rascally boy was sitting beside her and driving her nuts. I couldn't help myself and probably laughed to which she responded, "No, seriously. Please."

Here are a few more pictures from the fair that I just got from Tessa's camera!

An Interesting Choice of Words

Sometimes when a student says something to you like, "I've had the same headache since July 4th," you don't know quite how seriously to take them. You figure they must be exaggerating a little. Well, I learned that the student who told me this at the beginning of the year was not kidding around. She found out last week that she has a tumor on her brain and has to have surgery this week. I can't imagine what a scary, difficult time this must be for her and her family. She is amazing, however, because her attitude is so bright despite the circumstances.

Today, her mom kept her home in preparation for this week's surgery. I had the students in her class make cards to give to her. I overheard one student telling another, "I'm saying on my card, 'Get ready for your lobotomy!'" I whipped around and said, "You didn't actually write that, did you?" She turned her card to face me and sure enough, she had written exactly that on her card. Without embarrassing her, I tried to suggest that perhaps that wasn't the most appropriate thing to write on a card to someone who is undergoing a serious brain operation.

Middle school. You gotta love it.

Tall Tales

The half hour I spend after school each day is an opportunity for me to clean up from the day's activities and plan and prepare for the following day. Sometimes, students will come in and want to chat. Because it's a busy time, sometimes I just go about my business while they follow me around and talk on and on...and on. I'll throw in an occasional, "Oh" or "Uh-huh" or "Wow!" Unfortunately, I'm not usually 100% tuned in.

Today, however, I did notice that one of my students from last year covered a wide variety of topics in the 5-10 minutes she was in my room after school. She talked about her hectic year, she gave a full detailed report of the day her grandfather passed away this summer, she talked about her 1 and a half year old cousin's reaction to the viewing, she mentioned a family in her ward with 8 kids who all have names beginning with J and she told me what their names were, she talked about how her brother just got home from a mission and is getting married in December, and she told me about the other siblings in her future sister-in-law's family, one of whom is a friend of hers.

My favorite part of the whole conversation went like this:

"She has two brothers. One is a freshman in high school and one graduated from high school. They are SO tall. I have to do this [cranes neck upwards] to look at them. I mean, they're even taller than YOU are...that's how tall they are. One of them is almost seven feet tall."

I love to get a glimpse of how my students view me. I guess I should be grateful that not many of them are taller than I am.

The funny part about this whole scenario is that I probably was the girl in middle school who follower her teachers around and talked on and on...and on.

Life IS Fair!

Weeks ago, when my roommates asked me what I wanted to do for my birthday, I told them I wanted to go on a roommate date. We each asked a boy to come and my roommates planned the activity. They kept it a secret until we got there. We ended up at the state fair! I was so excited. I have never been to the Utah fair in Salt Lake City before.

We saw senior citizen square dancers, a little too real looking award winning porcelain dolls, pigs, cows, sheep, a 700 pound butter sculpture, one of the guys in our group eating fried alligator, and a man carving a log sculpture with nothing but a chain saw. We rode a few rides (I gracefully declined joining my roommates and their dates on "The Zipper" which basically is a ferris wheel where you're strapped in and your car does somersaults as it goes around) and Lane and I ate a foot long hot dog. We had the true fair experience and it was a blast! We ended the evening at Leatherby's, my favorite ice-cream shop.

Try to remember the TENTH of September...

For those of you who aren't familiar with the musical, "The Fantasticks," that is my own take on the song that begins, "Try to remember the KIND of September..."

I had a wonderful birthday yesterday, thanks to such loving family and friends.

Here are some of the highlights.

I woke up early and opened a birthday package my mom sent. Annie bought me some jewelry that was exactly my style. My mom also bought me some beautiful earrings and she filled the package with my absolute favorite candy bar, 100 grand.

I had flowers delivered to my classroom from my dear cousin Sheralyn. It was such an unexpected surprise and it really made my day!

I had a fifth grade class sing to me (Kate's students over the phone), a high school class sing to me (Melissa's students over the phone), and two middle school classes sing to me (my kids in person). To complete the full spectrum of age, I had a friend of mine in grad school, my married brother and his wife, and a 55 year old man (who happens to be my sweet Dad) leave me singing messages.

This is what I got myself for my birthday after school got out:



We ate at the pizza factory. I wanted that pizza in the shape of my age so bad.



Then, my roommates hosted a party where I got to be reunited with family,

(my cousin Bracken)

(My sister Christina)

Former roommates and their spouses/children,

(Dana and the incredible blanket she bought me for my birthday back in January because she knew I'd love it)

(Briana and her husband Nate...shout out to Shelley who somehow didn't get in a picture but who gave me a sassy gold clutch that I adore!)

(Lisa's daughter Melanie...Lisa and Caleb were there, too! We didn't get a pic together.)

Friends from my mission,

(Shannon and Sylvia)

Friends from home,

(Veda and Jessica, and somehow, Tracy didn't get pictured!)

and ward friends!

(Cory, Rob, Abe, Brie, Luke)

(Dane and Tessa)

(Katie and Lane)

(Kate and Stiffy)

(Brandon and Jacob)

(Jackie, Melissa, Nate, and Tavin)

(Shane and Rob)

Oh, and some random friends we met briefly last week in an interesting set of circumstances involving Kate's harp who we invited to my party...and they actually remembered!

(Kevin, Jolene, and Larry)

I blew out candles,


And even got serenaded.

Who could ask for anything more?

Oops

It is never my intention to humiliate my students and make them hate Jr. High.

But sometimes it just happens by accident.

In one of my 7th grade choir classes, I have two students that used to sit side by side named Chase and Chelsie. They both have strawberry blonde hair and Chelsie's is cut short. They honestly look like they could be brother and sister. I had to switch some seats around a few weeks after school started, so they no longer sit by each other. I still, however, apparently associate them with one another. Yesterday, I asked for volunteers for talent day and Chase raised his hand. I said, "Okay, Chelsie, good." I called a 12 year old boy by the name of a GIRL in the class in front of all of his peers. He was like, "What?! I can't believe you just called me Chelsie!" I tried to make it up to him by giving him a candy bar, but I don't know how soon he'll forgive me for that.

In other news, a group of girls in concert choir today did their talent day presentation to, "Let's Get Down to Business" from Mulan with some modified lyrics. It was a kick in the pants!

Let's get down to business
We'll start with warm-ups.
Let's hope we have voices
Like angels above.
You better sing the notes she tells
you to.
Come on take this clue:
Houston will make this choir using you.

Try the best you can
Find your voice from with-in.
Once we work together
We are sure to win.
You will sit in the desk if you don't behave
So come on, get the clue.
Somehow she'll make a choir out of you.

I'm never gonna catch my breath
Say goodbye to those who knew me
Boy will I be a fool if I try to skip.
This gal's got us scared to death,
Hope she doesn't see right through me.
Now I really wish that I knew Grand Staff!

(We're Show Choir)
We must be swift as the coursing river
(We're show choir)
With all the force of a great typhoon
(We're show choir)
With all the strength of a raging fire,
Let's take our voices farther than the moon!

Time is racing towards us
Till Christmas arrives!
Heed Houston's orders,
And you will survive!
We're made for this, that's for sure,
So pack up, come on, let's go.
Houston can't make this choir without you!

When they told me they changed the lyrics using me at the beginning of their presentation, I was afraid it was going to be something like, "Houston we'll find a man for you!"

Writer's Block

I'm not going to take it personally. I'm not. I'm just going to assume that my 7th grade students had writer's block, which is why a few of them came up with lyrics like the following for the 6 measure songs I had them write in class today:

"I hate music so much, I hate music, I hate music."

"I have to pee really, really bad. I need to go pee."

"Ty won't say uncle. Uncle, uncle, uncle, uncle, uncle."

Charming, really. I had to stay neutral and look at the quality of the composition, not the choice of lyrics.

There were normal ones, I promise. Okay, maybe three from each class. That would make about 9 out of 130.

Arlo and Josiah's Blessing Day

Dana and Jason blessed their boys in a small meeting after church. The boys were recently sick in the hospital and still must be extremely careful of germ exposure.

Lisa, Mellie, and Caleb (above) and the proud parents with their boys (below).

Josiah (above) and Arlo (below)

Dana prepared an incredible feast for after the blessing.

Jason and Arlo (above) and Deborah and Monica (below).