Dance Week is Over!

I love, love, love teaching middle school. Really, I do.   But weeks such as this one simply wear me out.

It started out on Tuesday with some Husker student-athletes coming to visit our 7th graders. Our local college team's kicking squad - Alex Henery, Brett Maher, and P.J. Mangieri - came to answer student questions.

The kids loved getting to hear from these special guests!

Less than one hour later, Student Council hosted our first 6th grade dance of the year.  Because of the amount of students who ride buses, we have to have each grade-level dance on a separate day to avoid over-crowding what few buses are available to us.  For most, this would seem like a good idea.  For this Student Council sponsor, it makes for an exhausting week.

I get such a kick out of our precious 6th graders as they anxiously anticipate their very first middle school dance.  They aren't quite sure what to wear or if they need a date or what the cool dance moves are, so they are absolutely worthless in class that day.

You couldn't pay me enough to back to that time in my life.

Only 180 of them came to the dance, which was down from last year's 230.  But I can't imagine what it would have been like with another 50 kids.  Last year, we had to prod our kids to actually dance.  This year, they basically just ran around for an hour.  It was simply crazy.

During a slow song, the floor pretty much cleared except for one of my Language Arts students and his girlfriend.  Really, they are a very sweet couple.  He always saves her a seat at breakfast.  He walks her to class.  And he has no shame in slow-dancing with her, even when it is clearly not the popular thing to be doing.

What I didn't expect, however, was that he would kiss her when the song was over.

I saw it happen.

I looked the other way.

I went home with a headache.

The next morning when I said, "I can't believe you kissed her!" he said, "What?  It wasn't the first time."

Somehow, I was relieved by hearing that.

Wednesday, we hosted our 7th grade dance, which I have affectionately nicknamed, "Blood, Sweat, and Tears."  Only 150 of them came, which was a much more manageable number.  However:

Within the first ten minutes, there were two break-ups, which sent both parties crying in the bathrooms.

I am a lot of things, but I am not a good empathizer in the department of middle school relationships.  I said things like, "I'm sure that's really hard for you," or "He probably doesn't deserve you anyway."  Then, I went home and e-mailed the guidance counselor so she could follow up.

Later in the dance, some kid got whacked in the mouth, necessitating the use of a bloodborne pathogen kit.  They swear it was an accident.  I'm not convinced.

Also, a girl who just got out of surgery and who can only walk with the use of crutches got pushed down to the ground.  They swear it was an accident.  I'm not convinced.

The "sweat" part is pretty self-explanatory and is unavoidable at events such as these.  Yuck.

Today's 8th grade dance was the icing on the cake.  In a good way.

Based on the previous two dances, I had prepared myself for the worst.  These kids are the oldest, rowdiest, and have the "we-rule-the-school" kind of attitudes.  I had a bad attitude all day because I just didn't want to chaperon another dance.

But, they were great.  There were only 90 of them there, and they actually danced.  They were fun, they mingled outside of their everyday social circles, they included everybody, and they responded well when I told them, "No, I will not play that song."

At the end of the dance when I announced that it was time to go, they said, "Thank you."

Blow.  Me.  Down.

Thank-yous?  From eighth graders?  I didn't know they had it in them!

And now, dance week is over!  I've had enough cha-cha-sliding, dougie-ing, whipping my hair back-and-forth, jerking, stanky leging, and pop, lock, and dropping to last me a lifetime.  Or at least until our next round of dances in April.

Black Friday

Oh, how I love a good sale!  Black Friday is one of the days that I most look forward to in a year.  Months in advance, I begin searching the internet for leaked ads.  During the week leading up to the holiday, I download PDFs of the ads so I can start mapping my route and planning my purchases.  It is a game to me, and I win when I get what I want at the lowest possible prices.

This year, many Black Friday sales started at midnight.  I casually strolled in to Wal-Mart at around 11:00PM on Thursday night, and it was surprisingly calm.  I started putting things in my cart, and by 11:45, I had in my cart everything that I intended to buy.  By this point, many people were buzzing around, but I think I got there early enough to avoid the crazies.  I lingered around the check-outs because I knew I'd have to wait until midnight to check out in order to get the sale prices.  As I was lingering, a nice associate asked me if I wanted to be first in his line.  I happily obliged, and we engaged in a very nice conversation for the next fifteen minutes.  At midnight, he scanned all of my items, and I walked out of Wal-Mart at 12:05AM.

Sounds easy, right?

I took my bags back to my apartment, and I intended to go to sleep for a few hours before Kohl's opened, but then I remembered that Old Navy also opened at midnight.  So, I went to Old Navy where I purchased a pair of jeans for every member of the family.  Kids jeans were on sale for $10, which I thought was a pretty good deal.  So good of a deal that I didn't mind standing in line for an hour-and-a-half.

Then, I went to Target, but the line was out in the cold all the way around the block, so I went to Kohl's instead.  There, I got an iPod dock for my mom and some boots for my cousin, Chloe.  The Kohl's line was only about an hour long.

Next, at about 5:00AM, I went back to Target for some DVDs and other toys and games that were requested by my adopted family.  The line there was about two hours long.

At 7:15AM, I checked out at Target.  I was exhausted because, at that point, I had been awake for 24 hours straight.  I am just getting to old to do that kind of thing.

So, I went home and went to sleep for a few hours.  By a few, I mean three.

My brother called me at 10:30 to tell me he was at my apartment but that his car had been acting up throughout the two-hour drive toward Lincoln.  Once he parked his car, he turned it off and tried to start it again, and it wouldn't start.

So, I called AAA to come get it and tow it to a mechanic.

By the way, AAA is amazing.  My membership easily pays for itself in hotel and travel discounts.  And now, I can add free towing to my list of received services.

So, we headed toward Memorial Stadium.

My brother is one of the most chronically early people that I know, so we had lots of sitting around to do.  Plenty of time to watch warm-ups.

 

Soon enough, it was time for them to go to the locker rooms and for the pre-game show to start.

I love our pre-game show.  Our band is great, and I love the feeling I get when I hear "Hail Varsity" and "March Grandioso."

My beloved Huskers played against the Colorado Buffaloes, as has been the tradition every day-after-Thanksgiving since I can remember.  With the Huskers' move to the Big 10, this game was our last regular-season game as part of the Big 12 Conference.  Coming off of a 9-6 loss against Texas A&M, after which much controversy over Big 12 officiating ensued, this was a good game to attend.  There was a lot at stake.  A win meant that we would clinch the Big 12 North, giving us the chance to play in the final Big 12 Championship as we know it.

Thankfully, our Huskers showed up to the game prepared, and were quick to begin scoring!

At halftime, the band gave a special "Farewell, Big 12" performance.

Then, there was a special ceremony in which a jersey of a former player of ours was retired.  Maybe you've heard of him?

What a guy!  I loved watching him play football during my college years.  He was so charismatic on that field!  But I always tell my students that I remember him more as the well-dressed, good-smelling guy who sat next to me in English class.  I'll never forget the first day when my teacher was clearly stumbling over how to say his name.  Ndamukong isn't a very common name in this part of the country.  He said, "Call me Suh," which to me sounded like, "Call me Sue."  I remember thinking, "What a girlish name for such a big man."  At that point, I had no idea he would turn out to be such a big deal.  Anyway, I'm proud of all of his accomplishments, and I appreciate the humility with which he has accepted all of his recent successes.

Brother and I loved being able to be at this game, even though it got a bit chilly.

And in the end, the desired outcome came to fruition.

Which means, we're headed to Arlington!

After the game, there was a video highligting some of Nebraska's greatest football moments since joining the Big 12 Conference.  Throughout the video, fireworks shot off from behind the big screen.

Unfortunatly, my camera is awful, so I can't show you exactly how awesome they were.

 

After the game, we learned that my brother's car wouldn't start because his starter went out.  Because there were no starters in the city of Lincoln that would work in his car, so he had to spend the night and wait until Saturday so they could have the part shipped overnight.

After hearing the diagnosis, Brother and I went to Cracker Barrel for dinner.  People kept congratulating him on his win.

Don't get confused, friends.  My brother does not play football for the Huskers.  He plays for a different team.

But he is quite large, and when he's dressed in Husker clothing, he apparently is a doppelgänger to Husker football player Jeremiah Sirles.

I don't see a striking resemblance, but other people apparently do.  Anyway, he got a kick out of being mistaken for a Husker.

We arrived back at my apartment at 9:00PM, and I went immediately to bed.  

Black Friday is exhausting.

Football Saturday

Today is one of the best days in the life of a Nebraskan.  It's the return of college football season.  And in this state, it is cause for celebration.

I have been a Husker fan my whole life, and attending college at UNL gave a whole new meaning to being a Husker.  During my undergrad, I loved going to Husker games.

It didn't matter if it was raining,

Freezing cold,

Early in the morning,

Late at night,

Or 450 miles away.

My friends, family, and I were fully immersed in the Husker football culture.

Now that I am an an adult - more specifically, a non-donating, non-ticket-holding adult - my Husker football season has changed a bit.  I can no longer buy tickets for $21 a game.  I now have to be on a waiting list for season tickets.

Last year, I watched all of the games on TV.  Sometimes people came to my apartment, sometimes I went to other friends' homes, and once or twice I returned home to watch the game with my family.

This year, however, my friend Steph invited me to come to her aunt's tailgate for the game.  I have never been tailgating before, so I was excited to try something new.

Getting there was quite a process.  Steph and I had class from 9-3 before meeting the rest of the gang back at my apartment to carpool downtown.  As it turns out, when 85,000+ fans are all trying to get to the same place, it can be difficult to find parking.  Steph's sister Jess gave us her parking garage card, which gave us a spot without much difficulty, but traffic among other things was a bit stressful.  Then, it took us a while to walk to the Journal Star parking lot and find exactly where Steph's aunt was.

Once we got there, everything was fine.  Steph's aunt was so kind to allow us to join her.  She provided us with food and drinks, and didn't ask us to bring anything.  Her aunt's friends were also great to hang out with.

I love these girls!

Aren't they cute?

Somebody had the idea to take piggy back pictures.

It was all good and well until...

They decided to add Steph's aunt on to Jess's shoulders.

There was lots of laughing

Lots of silliness,

And lots of love :)

Also, lots of community lemonade!

As it turns out, tailgating is a pretty fun way to experience a Husker game.  If you can't be in Memorial Stadium, you might as well be right outside of it.

Go Big Red!

A Day of Good, Bad, and Ugly

Perhaps if one looks hard enough, one can find good, bad, and ugly in every day.  I try my darndest to focus only on good, but today, there were three big things that happened to me, one from each category.

The Good
Many months ago, I heard of a tuition reimbursement program that was made possible by a proposition from Governer Dave Heineman and the passing of LB1071 in the Nebraska state legislature.  On the very day the application was made available, I applied and had that manilla envelope postmarked.  I received an e-mail today which told me that I was awarded $2,975 for this calendar year.  What an amazing blessing!  Financially, come to find out, Masters degrees aren't cheap.  Thank you Governer Heineman and Nebraska state representatives for believing in the importance of well-educated teachers in our public schools.  I can assure you that I will work very hard to put our state's stimulus money to good work in the classroom.

Perhaps with the newly imparted knowledge that my Masters degree will bring, we will be doing less of this:

And more of this:

Just kidding.  I assure you that I can provide a rationale for what is happening in both of the above pictures.


The Bad
Another one bites the dust.

We received an e-mail from the Special Education teacher on our team telling us that she has taken a position at another school and will not be with our team next year.

I don't handle change well.  Especially sudden change.  It takes me a good deal of time to wrap my head around things and to mentally process all the implications that come with whatever change is occurring.  We just went through a round of interviews for Taylor's position, we might have to do more interviewing for Adam's position, and now there will be even more for Patty's position.  More than the inconvenience of interviewing, though, is the fact that there will be a new person to whom we will need to adjust.  I got really comfortable with the way things were, and it's hard for me to imagine what differences will come as a result of this change.

I firmly believe, however, that everything happens for a reason.  Therefore, I trust that Patty's new position is the right move for her.  I also look forward to meeting our new team member.  Perhaps this person will be an even better fit with our team.


The Ugly
I am a hard-core Husker fan.  And today, my beloved Huskers have opted out of the Big 12 Conference.

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And into the Big 10 Conference.

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Again, I don't do so well with change.  But I call this ugly because I think that things are going to get really messy back in Big 12 Land.  

I am not a sports analyst, so I do not have any credibility in terms of what predictions to make with what will happen with other programs in the Big 12 Conference.  By my calculations, however, I suspect that Nebraska basically just made a decision that will leave Kansas, K-State, and Iowa State hanging out to dry.

I suspect that the other big programs like Texas and Oklahoma will be just fine.  They will maybe move over to the SEC which, frankly, might be a more fair match for them.  In the Big 10, Nebraska will be a shoe-in for a conference title, I think.  We will be in the western division, which, I think, will make Iowa our biggest competition.  And I feel good about being able to take care of Iowa.  I might even be persuaded to purchase tickets to go watch my Huskers play a game in the Big House, a stadium which I have always wanted to see.  A game at Ohio State's Horseshoe might also be fun.  I've done the Texas thing and the Oklahoma thing, so some new scenery might be nice.

Academically, I think the Big 10 will be a good challenge for us, and in other sports, we might have a chance in the world to excel.  Our baseball team might even win a game or two up North, although they will be playing in cold temperatures until May.  Men's basketball isn't likely to have much of a chance anywhere we go (unless we would bump down to NAIA status or something), but the Lady Huskers, if they continue to do well, might be able to put up a fight.  The volleyball ladies will continue to be challenged, I think, but I don't anticipate that recruiting will slow down for them because of this move.  I do think that recruiting for other sports might pose a challenge for us.

I don't know what will come of all of this, but I do know that Big 12 or Big 10, I will always be a Husker!

GO BIG RED!