Adteacher

Today has been quite a day for all of us here at good old DJCC. This was the last official day of classes for our seniors from Marcus, The Colony and Lewisville HS. They have graduation practice in the morning, and so we won't see them again until our "Bon Voyage" party for the studio on Thursday. It will be hard for all of us to see the studio doors close for the last time, but it still continues on (at a smaller scale) next spring with a new teacher who will bring great things to DJCC. I know it won't take too long for the numbers to get built back up to the point where they were in recent times. I feel confident in my ability to keep students involved next year and to identify the right kids for the program at the high schools. I'm very excited to get going at the new school and to break in the new studio space, and it shouldn't be too long now till I get a key to get into the new school. I think the principal over there, Mr. Moreno, gets in on the 14th. I...

I always love the day of the Media Arts Review because I end up seeing lots of people that I haven't seen for so long. I love to reaquaint myself with former students in particular. It's so much fun to hear what they have all been up to. It's nearly 1:30 and our first showing is in an hour and a half. Things are so well organized that I have time to do a quick post. I guess the unfortunate thing is that this is the date for a lot of graduations and also for a big comic convention that a lot of our kids are interested in attending - so we may have a more sparse crowd than in some years. We hope for the best! It is a gorgeous day in north central Texas, and everyone should be involved in something. It is a bad day to have nothing to do! Get out there and enjoy!

Tomorrow is sure to be a very busy and fun day. It is the yearly Media Arts Review for our students. We are going to have a show at our center that will highlight the accomplishments of our young adults over the course of this past semester, in particular. There will be a few students included from last semester too, but we try to concentrate most of the show on the spring semester advanced classes and their work.This year, it is also a last glance in the rearview mirror for my hubby and me before we relocate to the new career center across the district. It has been an excellent time for us here at Dale Jackson, but it is time for us to move on and do something new and to allow fresh ideas to come to DJCC too. It will be good for all! I always enjoy sitting in the Media Tech lab and watching the students' work go by. I enjoy the buzz of the crowd as the show is ending, and as they walk away talking about things that they saw. (I guess I have a little bit of Hollywood in me after al...

I'm lucky. I get to see love a lot. I see it in my family, I see it in my friends, I even see it in my students. They are such a great bunch of young people, and even though it obviously isn't the same kind of love that I have for my own family, it is still that same warm feeling of familial happiness and care. We all care about each other. That brings me to the topic of the day - how wonderful it is to have love in your life, and how sad it is when love is missing. The funny thing is, we all have to find it for ourselves in our own time. Love is out there, floating around in the atmosphere - search hard enough, and you will be allowed to find it. I don't pretend to know what love is for everyone or who will be the person for you, but I can tell you what it is for me; love is knowing all about someone, and still wanting to be with them more than any other person, love is trusting them enough to tell them everything about yourself, including the things you might not b...

I read another really good blog lately that talked about the importance of "re-charging" to the human lifestyle. It is really amazing to me how often people forget about that aspect of living. How can you do it? Especially at this time of year when it seems everyone is busy and school is either ending for high schoolers or about to begin again for summer college sessions? Well, I have learned the importance of a few key things, and I would like to suggest a few of them for you to consider. Exactly what do I mean by re-charging? Just starting anew. Getting a new wind, finding a way to re-energize. This afternoon, I was tired. It had been a very busy week and I had been working hard to get a lot done in not enough time. The coming week promises to be more of the same, if not more intense. How can you face it if you don't take time for rest and play? The answer, quite simply put, is that you can't. You will struggle through and not be your best - not a good option. E...

Today I got sent a copy of a photo of the VERY first group of students who were allowed into the new  "LISD Career + Technology Center East" building from my ace photographer (who happened to be sporting the wide angle lens for his Nikon on the day of our field trip last week.) Thank you, HHS senior Cason Hallock! This really feels very special to me, to get to be the teacher to have the first group of kids to walk through the door of the school. To give you a little further information, one of our seniors, Heather Streater from LHS was the first student into the Graphic Design studio where this photo was taken. That was something that I pointed out to her as we were about to enter the room for the first time, and she was rather honored to be that. Heather is the girl in the front row wearing white pants. Congratulations to these students for having a great tour of the building and a really great field trip all day on our visit to Denton. They came back wit...

Well, I like American Idol. I've watched it religiously since Kelly Clarkson (of Burleson, Texas!) won it the first season. I liked it even during the Ruben Studdard and Fantasia years that followed. I would not buy a record by either of them, haven't bought an album by Kelly Clarkson since her first one, and frankly - I usually don't listen to any of the American Idols too often after they win. I think the spirit of competition that drives the show is what really appeals to me. I just can't stop watching even if I don't like the singers too much when they make commercial pop records after the show ends. I think that there was a singer this season that I will actually be buying a record from, and one whose career I think might have some appeal and some staying power. (Some would say that Carrie Underwood is another, and I would probably have to agree. Not so much on any of the other winners of the past.) The singer I liked so much this season was Crystal Bowersox. ...