Camping with the kids

The Peace of Wild Things

When despair for the world grows in me
and I wake in the night at the least sound
in fear of what my life and my children's lives may be,
I go and lie down where the wood drake
rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.
I come into the peace of wild things
who do not tax their lives with forethought
of grief. I come into the presence of still water.
And I feel above me the day-blind stars
waiting with their light. For a time
I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.

Wendell Berry, from New Collected Poems

I went camping with my Astronomy Club students as a research getaway to Mt. Lemmon.  Temps got down into the 30's!!!  It was such a great time.  And we had a few wild things come visit our campsite...

Eggs

One of my students said he kept chickens as one of his funds of knowledge. I was asking him about his chickens, and he told me he'd bring me some of the eggs...

LOOK HOW BEAUTIFUL THEY ARE!!!

Green, brown, blue!  And he said I can just give the carton back and get more every week :)  Yet ANOTHER reason my job is friggin awesome.  I feel like I'm a teacher in a 1-room schoolhouse, and I just love the community feel of it.  If only I grew vegetables (or something) to give him in return!

 

Heart of the Irish Dancer

I have a student who is one of three identical triplets.  (They did a dance together at the last pep assembly - so mind blowing!)  

He and his brothers are all musical, and the brother of my student (brother = Alex) has written three pieces that the Tucson Symphony Orchestra has played (insert clapping, screaming, and immense amounts of pride here)!!!!!!! 

His latest is called "Heart of the Irish Dancer".  It was so cute as Gio (my student) was very excited to tell me about the piece - almost as excited as I was to hear it!  He said that he was helping his brother with a part of it around St. Patrick's Day, when I played a few Irish songs at school, and some of the songs we played helped them think through a part of the song.  How COOL is that!?!?!  Even just to instill a little love of Irish music, and to support the creative genius of two awesome 17-year-olds...how great is my life???  

I am so proud of both of them (even though I've only met his brother once)!

Enjoy a listen :)

Everyday life

Here are a few snippets from life this past week...and I got a new grey dress, which made it fun being a girl today :)

Erin, Julie, and adorable Everest

a teacher's favorite thing to find on her desk

 One of my former students at work with a gorgeous sunset

 the sunset from Summit before my star party

my parents are visiting! it's been very fun, and they've been EXTREMELY helpful fixing up thing that I never have the energy to do