V-Day

At TMEA in San Antonio with the folks. Convention was great, different, but good. Heard lots of great concerts and a few good clinics. Enjoyed the exhibits and got some great resources that Steffanie and I will put to use next week.

This is my 2nd v-day completely alone and I was not really bothered by it at all. Don't know if that is because I never really had a good one, or that I realize that this day is just another day.....
Sure it would be nice to get a card or flowers, but I am loved and those thing fade. The love of family, friends, and my father Jesus Christ are the most important and do not change.

Happy Valentines!

Prizes for Boys

I am amazed at what kids will do for a prize. Boys choir is a challenge!!!! Every day is different. We have 6-8 grade boys all together mid afternoon. Their skill levels range from terrible, beginners, advanced, and some really talented singers. Boys are so different from girls and are harder to motivate. Today we gave away some really cool college shirts that the kids get to wear every three weeks on Friday with jeans. We told the guys that we were going to pick four of the best singers with great posture, hand signs, vowels, etc. WOW! it was the best looking boys choir all year. IT was so strange, but also exciting. If they could be that focused and hard-working everyday they would be unstoppable. UIL would be a breeze and I would send in a CD!!!

After this class we both said, "we got to get more prizes"
What would be some good things to continue to motivate the boys?
We have used stickers, pencils, girly crowns, shirts, gift certificates.

I wish that intrinsic motivation worked with boys and girls in MS, but I am not sure that they are mature enough to understand and have the character to do the right thing for no reward.

School News

We have a principal, almost two weeks to the date that the assistant sup. told us they were interviewing. He is a young AA male with 15 years experience in education, but I think only one full year as a AP and he has never been a head principal. I am trying to keep an open mind, but it is really hard. We will meet him on Tuesday, Feb. 3rd and then his first offical day is Thursday, Feb. 5th.
As my mother always says, "keep your head down, mouth shut, and do your job"
If I stay in my room and just teach choir things are great. As in any business place there is so much drama, politics, gossip, and love triangles. I refuse to get caught up in all that. I was hired to teach choir and invest in the lives of teenagers. "I will be set apart"