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blown away by the beauty

I left my class tonight feeling better than I have in a long time…all it takes is one student  to get it. To get me. To dare, for a moment, to reveal a little bit about herself and start a dialog with me…herself…the world.

It makes everything worth it. Until the next time. Because, there’s always a next time. There’s always a new student. There’s always a need.

You see, I don’t teach traditional students, and certainly not in a traditional setting, so it takes everything in me to figure out what I need to do to break down their walls…break past their barriers…help them see that they have a voice. They have important things to say.

Part of it is helping them see that they are beautiful. That where words have been used to hurt, they can now be used to inspire, or heal, or change, or anything they want them to be.

As I was leaving, a student came back to tell me that she was going to enjoy this class because, as she said, “Words are my thing.”

I understand that. They are my thing, too.

But there are many different ways to communicate. With music. Painting. Dance. And this amazing music video in ASL. There’s a fantastic message for all of us in this beautiful interpretation of Christina Aguilera’s “Beautiful.”

 

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33 three-toed tree toads

yes, there are thirty-three three-toed tree toads in that watercolor

I’ve been so serious around here lately that I’ve depressed the hell out of myself. Thanks for sticking around. I still find joy in the absurdities around me. So here’s a list of 33 totally random things. Why 33? It was my jersey number when I played basketball.

Yeah, I played basketball. Here’s some proof.

And that counts as #1. The remaining 32, in no particular order:

  • I almost caused an international incident by accidentally driving into East Germany.
  • I used to be a bartender.
  • I snore.
  • I used to write poetry on demand while sitting in a pub and drinking beer (in college — isn’t everything forgivable if you did it in college…mostly?)
  • I slept on the floor of the Marseilles train station.
  • I used to draw and paint when I was younger. I can still draw some if I’m in the mood.
  • I thought about being a nun. I decided against it because I didn’t want to be a teacher. Ha.
  • I wear a hat to write.
  • My favorite color is blue.
  • My favorite color is green.
  • My favorite color is yellow.
  • I change my mind a lot.
  • I don’t like confrontation.
  • I people watch and create elaborate and scandalous back stories. And then I am ashamed.
  • My favorite ice cream is Rocky Road.  Or pistachio. Or strawberry. Or Baskin Robbins Baseball Nut.
  • Definitely, my favorite ice cream is Baseball Nut.
  • Or chocolate.
  • I am indecisive.
  • I can’t parallel park.
  • I used to ride a unicycle.
  • I can juggle.
  • I don’t like scary movies.
  • I can read a bunch of books at the same time (well, not at the same time, but you know what I mean) and I can keep them all straight and summarize everything, but I have trouble memorizing things like lines of poetry and phone numbers.
  • I feel things in colors and it’s very weird and very scary. And pretty cool.
  • I used to cut school like a fiend and only got caught once — by an Assistant Principal who went on to become the Superintendent of Dade County Public Schools in the mid 80’s, and thus, my boss. Tee hee.
  • I majored in English, and minored in French and Psychology. I probably could have picked up history, too.
  • One of my favorite cities is Paris.
  • My favorite cartoon is Marvin the Martian.
  • I have a soft spot for marching bands, especially woodwinds.
  • I don’t like the circus.
  • I like to dance.
  • Although I can be loud and even gregarious in a group, I am much more comfortable with one or two people.
  • I think sour apple Jolly Ranchers are disgusting.
  • I lost count and am not sufficiently vested in the accuracy of this post to go back and count.

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