I got a sneak peak at my schedule for next year. Nothing's set in stone, of course - even as I walk into the building on the first day of school I halfway expect a new schedule of classes. But still, there are some highlights:
- They actually listened to me when I asked if they could please not schedule drama classes at the same time as the band class. Jesse's got a lot of percussionists, and it's really hard to rehearse on stage when they're wailing it out Stomp-style in the backstage shop.
- No English classes again! This is the one that I'm keeping my hopes the lowest on. I loved (LOVED) not teaching English this year and I'm glad that my drama enrollment's up enough for them to decide that I'm more needed for electives than English.
- Humanities is still on the list. I keep expecting this class to get cut, since it's not the most popular elective. The counselor assured me that not next year but the year after that she can arrange for all the students who are in AP World History to be concurrently enrolled in Humanities (a marvelous idea all around). I was surprised that my gut reaction to that news was something close to panic at the thought of being here for that long. But that's a subject for another entry.
I'll just be glad to be able to use and improve my Humanities curriculum for another year, since I have put at least a hundred hours into it. Plus, there's all kinds of new things to add to it. Like this!
How great is that? The second week of my class involves a virtual visit to the Lascaux caves. Now I can supplement that by introducing my wee ones to the wonders of Werner Herzog.
(A Werner side note - Is hearing one's own heartbeat such a big deal? When we were in Phra Den's cave at the beach wat in Thailand, Phra Bart repeatedly commented on how thrilled he was that it was quiet enough to hear his own heartbeat. The other meditation students nodded with similar reverence and awe. I was just baffled - I can hear my own heartbeat anytime I'm in a relatively quiet place if I listen for it. Even right now, I can hear it when I pause in my typing. Is that really so unusual?)
Can you really hear it, or are you merely feeling it? Who can really say when we stop feeling and start hearing? Perhaps one needs the mysticism of an ancient cave to make the distinction.
ReplyDelete