Remembering names

Today in Chorus B (go, Pandas!) I was asking all of the students to keep in touch. I said something about the fact that it will be difficult for me to write personal e-mails to all of you (after all, there are hundreds of you!), but if you write me a personal e-mail I will write you back. Sam put his hand up and asked, "What if one of us sends you an e-mail but you forget who we are?" I promised Sam there's no way I'd forget him, and that I don't think I'll forget any of you.

Someone asked then if I could say the names of ALL the students in Chorus. I said yes, I could, but it would be really boring. But then a bunch of the students started to urge me to do it. I really thought it seemed like a waste of time at first, but it seemed so important to so many people that I agreed to do it. After I finished each row, everyone applauded. And as I went down the row, I got to look into each student's eyes one more time, the way I try to whenever we rehearse. I don't think any of you know how beautiful and amazing you are.

This morning I received letters from two amazing students; I read them a little while after chorus rehearsal. Here's an excerpt from them: "I'll always remember the summer between sixth & seventh grade at the Hamilton-Wenham 'down town.' My dad & I were leaving & you were coming in. You waved & said hello, & what amazed me was that you remembered my name. That day I felt special. I had only been at MRMS for two & a half months & only had met you once before, yet you remembered me. Me, the new girl. That brief transition from parking lot to car, seeing you, made my move transition a bit smoother."

Between Chorus B & that letter, I re-learned how important it is to know each other by name, to call each other by name. We need to constantly remind each other that we ARE special, because it helps us begin to figure out (just a little) how beautiful and amazing we really are.

Final Concert

Last night we had the final Chorus Concert of the year. It was one of the most beautiful evenings of my life. In the afternoon, I got to bake cookies with an awesome group of Chorus Council students at Lizzy's house . . . then I had just enough time to change before the concert. I was a little nervous about some of the technical aspects of the concert - putting one chorus on the stage while one was on the risers, etc . . .

But all the details came together well, and the concert was really wonderful. My husband (who always tells me the full truth) said that he's never heard any of the chorus groups sound better. What a long way we all have come! Several students spoke briefly afterward to say thank you, and that was too much for me to handle. It was the best kind of crying, though . . . tears of gratitude.

There's a song by The Flaming Lips entitled "Do You Realize??" . . . one of the lines goes, "Do you realize that happiness makes you cry?" This is true. Sometimes life is so beautiful that I can't help but cry. The reality that I could be a part of so many amazing lives . . . and the fact that we changed each other for the better along the way . . . well, it absolutely blows my mind. The ways in which you impacted me will impact the next students I work with . . . the ways in which I impacted you will impact your friends and family . . . and all the people you teach along the way. We're all teachers, you know.

All right, you know I could go on and on, so I'll stop now. But I'm sending out love to all my MRMS friends. You're AMAZING and I'm so grateful for you.