Leona Sang It Best....

"Did you ever have a day where it all just came apart.
You thought that this would be the end, this would be the end, this would be the end. Did it ever hurt so bad
So vicious, cruel, or sad
You thought that nothing good could come, nothing good could come, nothing could come...."
Learning As We Go (click to listen) by Leona Naess

So, I really haven't been able to stop listening to Leona Naess's album Thirteens because it is that good. Anyway, this song has been striking a chord within me. Between last week and this week it feels like my world is imploding, and I've felt exasperated and unsure of what the next step is. I am hoping that the closing of doors means the opening of windows in my future... but only time will tell.

Amidst my stress and overwhelm-ed-ness and on the verge of crumbling, God drops me a line in the form of encouragement and love from a few members of the OMMS Art Club:

After returning to my room from an infuriating meeting on the brink of a breakdown, I look up and see my chalkboard look like this. I sat on a desk and cried.... THIS time not tears of frustration or anger, but of awe. There are times I need to be reminded why I am here - on this planet, in this state, in this city, and in THIS school. This was one of those such reminders - to remember how specific God's plan was to bring me to THIS VERY PLACE and how my job does matter.

My week went on to crumble further and this week finds me in a stressful tizzy trying to finish up things for the end of quarter (read GRADE PROJECTS) and get my students to pass the English quarterly assessment (only by a miracle), but I do have a peace about the fact that I am STILL called to this place and these kids.

Thank you Annika, Alexis, Joris, Rachel, Lauren, Julia, and Alyssa for helping me remember that.

PS One of Joris's comments made me laugh a LOT - "Lithuania will make it to FIFA World Cup 2010!!!" hahaha LOVE that kid

PPS What is up next for the week? New Music Tuesday (hopefully posted by Friday hahaha) and an update on my Forensic Science Seminar (which is TOTALLY awesome)!!!!

Tunes from Tuesday

On Tuesday of this week, I went with my sister to see two amazing artists - Leona Naess and Ray Lamontagne. I was really excited for Whitney to come with me PLUS I have been so excited for this concert since August!!! It was INCREDIBLE! The show was in Bethesda at a place (that I have never heard of) called The Music Center at Strathmore. I recommend going to this place whenever you get the chance. This was one of the most amazing venues I have been to for a concert. It was GORGEOUS inside. Whitney and I were in awe. Not only that, but because it is a music center, it was made for the purpose of sound. The acoustics just blew me away and it was by far the best sounding concert I have ever been to. The simplicity of the music and the way it reverberated in that room made it feel like Ray and Leona were singing right in your ear.






Anyway, let me tell you about the show. Like I mentioned in a previous post about Leona and her new album, I was really excited to see her live. She is one of those artists that was just made to sing live. You know how sometimes there are bands that don't sound as good live as they do on their album? That is not the case with Leona. I love her CDs, but I think her live sound is even better than that. The purity and quiet power of her voice captivates you. I was so happy to hear her sing songs I have fallen in love with from her latest album "Thirteens." However, the coolest part of her set was her singing the song that made me fight to find who she was, her song "Ballerina" from her self-titled album. When I first hear the song, I NEEDED to find out who sang it, and it led me to her. Hearing her sing that song on Tuesday was magical for me and did not disappoint! I recorded a video of it, and because of the sound of the room, you can hear it pretty well even though the video quality is sucky. lol Enjoy some Leona (the video was too big for blogger, so this is linked from my youtube page):







So after Leona surprised me by her incredible set, Whitney and I were dying for Ray to come out. This particular Tuesday was the release date for his new album "Gossip in the Grain" (which is GREAT!!!) Wow, he was fantastic! His voice is rich and soulful. What he can do with it, just makes my jaw drop. He played a good mix of his new songs, plus songs we all know and love. He played TWO encores... that's right... TWO! There is always a game that artists and fans play at concerts. Matt Nathanson made fun of this fact when I saw him a few weeks ago. The band/singer says "Ok, this is our last song, thanks for coming, see ya next time, etc..." They play, they leave, fans cheer/clap/yell. Eventually they come back for a few more songs. This is expected. Ray did that, he came back and played "Shelter" (yes!!!!) and another song (can't remember which one it was). Then he left and everyone cheered/clapped/yelled... but never stopped! (He was THAT good) and he came out AGAIN and played one more song from his new album! :) Yes!

Again, the video quality is crap, but the sound is good, so if I make you too sea sick with my shaking hands or the grainy-ness of the video is too much, just close your eyes and listen... you, too, might just fall in love with Mr. Lamontagne ;)

One of my favorites "Empty":


And "Burn":


So far October has been an incredible month for music! More on that later :)

The Real Ms. Walker

I haven't blogged in awhile... again... crap.


Teaching makes me so busy!!!! Last week I had some fun going with 8th grade to Genesee Valley. I signed up to go because these were my first year 6th graders, so I thought it would be fun (and it was... more to come later). That was on Wednesday... on Friday, was the 6th grade all-day trip to Camp Letts. This is where I proceeded to lead the nature hike 8 times: one mile down the hill and through the salt marsh and one mile back up the hill. That means I hiked the equivalent of a marathon in one day... and yes, even though I am young, I certainly paid for it the next day! (more to come)

Anyway, I decided to write this post because I am way too wiped out to do anything else (namely clean) (reasons for tiredness to come...)

I just thought maybe I had you all fooled with my early post with my classroom pictures. Maybe I fooled you into thinking that I am super neat and organized, that my classroom runs smoothly 100% of the time...

Well.... if that is the case, these pictures will show you the REAL Ms. Walker and her REAL room (which I am not ashamed of in the slightest!)





Here's my desk, covered in papers to be graded, papers that have been graded, miscellaneous "important" papers from the front office, and of course the evidence of the much-needed caffeine and water fixes from the day.















My front board - full of SO many different things!:
* the objective and homework
* the schedule
* the date
* my clean-up chart for our current project
* Notice the bottom corner of the first board... the score of the drama game. :)









My overhead cart sans my projector... covered in remnants of our class project, my sample project, tools, and of course... coffee? (please don't judge me...hahahaha) Oh and the cell phone I found in the hallway this afternoon.





Cabinets/shelves covered in anything I can set on them and walls covered in student work... and hey! the clock that finally got a new battery so that is not perpetually stuck on 11:45! :)








Covered in bookbags

I let the art club stash their stuff in my room on Wednesdays because there are SO many kids in art club that the kids plus their stuff would leave no room for art. Our art teacher is arguably the best and coolest (and one of my close friends) and I love those kids, so I joyfully house their stuff (plus that means I get to see them before and after art club to catch up on their lives... which I love).



I don't see my room as messy or disorganized - I can usually find something very easily thanks to my visual memory! I don't see it as haphazard or chaotic (ok, maybe chaotic sometimes, but joyful chaos). I don't see it as something to be ashamed of or feel embarrassed about.

I remember bringing in one of my most beloved stuffed animals in for show and tell one day in pre-school. Someone commented on how dirty and "ugly" it looked. This, of course, upset 4-year-old Me. But my teacher said, "It's not dirty or ugly... it is loved." Bethany Dillon once said "Some things are loved because they are worthy, some things are worthy because they are loved." I see my classroom as loved... it is lived (and learned) in! This mess is not mess but discovery and creativity. I work so hard to build an environment that is safe and comforting to all students. If that means some disorganization on my part, so be it! We function perfectly well and we like it here. I love my classroom. I look around it and I can picture my students' faces and the things we do here. Sometimes it blows my mind that God would allow me in on such a cool thing as helping students grow and learn here.

Oh I forgot one of my students' current favorite classroom inhabitant!

Our potato! In the beginning of the year we did an activity with potatoes (ask me later if you want to know about it). Anyway, we kept one to see what would happen, like an experiment. We wanted to see if it would rot or start growing things. Well, it is starting to get softer, but it IS GROWING THINGS! They run in and check it.. our "potato update". You can see the small green buds on the spud. Maybe I can update with more pictures as things progress! (M... you can't even blog on a regular basis... Shhh brain! We have to set goals here! OK, ok, M.)


Anyway, here is the real me - messy, seemingly disorganized... and growing things from rotten vegetation. :)

See you soon? I hope so.. I have so much to say... just not always the time. :)