Still no pics, sorry! I will try to grab my camera when I leave the house tomorrow to take some shots so I can update here.

I don't have students tomorrow....we have an end-of-trimester work day at school, which is much appreciated by yours truly! Choir contest is coming up, and I need to clear out all the crap from this trimester and get focused on the rest of the year (only 12 more weeks!!!! ). On Saturday, I have ~25 kids attending a choral festival for the day (with me) and getting them rehearsed despite school delays and cancellations (we rehearse before school) and various illnesses has been a challenge! I really think this festival is valuable because it allows my most talented kids to learn music that is a step above what we are able to tackle in class, but it is always a hard slog to get them ready, not to mention that I give up another Saturday to do this with them.

My new building is being dedicated on March 8th, a Sunday. My principal came to me a couple of weeks ago and asked if some of my kids could provide some music for the ceremony (National Anthem and one other song). I said yes, somewhat stupidly, but when you get a chance to flaunt your program to the administrators, you take it, right? He asked me the week I had strep and was up to my eyebrows in getting kids ready for solo and ensemble contest. So fast forward to this week.....I mass emailed all of my 8th grade parents an explanation of what the kids have been asked to do, and a permission slip that I wanted them to return today. I only got 15 of them back. Our National Anthem is not easy and I think I probably need more than 15 kids (at least the 15 who signed up ) to make it sound good. As for the other song, these fifteen kids are split between two choirs and don't know the same songs. I am going to open the event up to the 7th graders, but my problem of what song to sing (and when to rehearse it, since I will be dealing with kids from four different classes) remains. This wouldn't be as much of a big deal except for the fact that each of my choirs needs to really focus on getting three songs ready for choir contest, which is on March 21st. I just feel like I am in a constant state of trying to keep up. I have gotten the word that they want me to be full-time next year. The incoming 7th grade class already has 82 kids signed up for choir, and 40 kids haven't turned their scheduling forms in yet. That is more than I have this year, and this year was up over the year before that. I don't know yet how many of my current 7th graders I am keeping for next year, but I think it will be most of them. I think I will also be picking up the general music class next year, too, which I don't mind teaching.

I guess I just feel swept along by the tide with this. It is an awesome opportunity to work in the same district where my kids attend.....a way to know their classmates without being in their faces all the time. It isn't my dream career, but then again, I never had a dream career. I long for more downtime in my life, but don't see it coming any time soon. I think our upcoming move is stressing me out, too. I am thankful that everything has worked out that we are able to move over spring break, but :needabreak: and I don't think there is one on the horizon anytime soon.[/QUOTE]