School Delay

We all woke up this morning and did our morning things. The boys have their routines down to a science, they get up at 7:00 and leave the house about 7:20. Now that Doug drives to school they actually leave a little earlier than the bus because they have to backtrack to get the girlfriend. Anyway, I walked out to get the paper and there was a brisk wind blowing that had drifted a little snow across the driveway. The boys departed and I snuck back into bed, intending to read for about 15 minutes. I turned on the radio and just caught the end of the school delay message. I heard our school mentioned, but not the time of the delay. I bustled out to the living room and surfed the channels to catch the scrolling school delay messages. Sure enough, FP had a two hour delay. I called the boys on the cell phone, they had just arrived at girlfriend's house. They turned around and came home. What a treat! Time for a little Guitar Hero before school! We all could have used an extra hour of sleep this morning, but given that we are all up and fed, it is nice to have some "found time." I guess the drifting was bad enough on our rural roads that the buses could not navigate.

I remember in high school our school would sometimes have "late start" days when the teachers would have in-service meetings in the morning. It was a nice break to come into school a little later than usual, changed the whole character of the day. I much prefer "late starts" to "early dismissals."

Ready for the Christman Season

I'm finally beginning to get into the Christmas mood. Two girlfriends met me for lunch today at our favorite French restaurant and then we walked across the street for a Christmas chorale concert. It was a nice performance, a beautiful church, and even had a sing along part! Some of the program notes were interesting. They performed a version of Pacem that I had never heard before (we all remember the old Girl Scout version....dona nobis, pacem, pacem....) Anyway, turns out this arrangment was by a guy named Lee Dengler who grew up as a Mennonite and now teaches at Goshen College in Indiana. The Mennonite influence was evident in the composition and I really enjoyed it. I wonder if I can find a copy online anywhere....Another composition was by a Belgian composer and this was the program note.."Noel Goemanne (pronounced 'Whoo-mahn' in Belgium, and every other way possible in the United States." I thought it was great quote! The final program note of interest was for a verion of the Lord's Prayer composed by one of the chorale members. The note for that song, written by the composer reads in part, " He has no formal education in music theory or composition...Not surprisingly, The Lord's Prayer is deceptively difficult to perform, being somewhat complicated and unpredictable." Reminds me of my kids composing things on the computer that could never be performed in real life!

It was a great way to get into the holiday spirit, topped off by the 4 inches of snow that fell while we were inside!

Middle School Romance

Remember middle school, possibly the worst years of your life? This week my younger son performed in the middle school musical. He did a fantastic job, sang wonderfully, looked great, got plenty of applause (of course, I am his mother!) Cast members arrive about 90 minutes before showtime to get into costumes, arrange props, get makeup (a highlight for the girls and a source of embarrassment for the boys), and generally work each other up into an increasing state of nervous frenzy. When we arrived my son's best friend pulled him aside, "I need your help!" he whispered and they ducked into the men's room. A few minutes later my kid comes out with a determined look on his face, "I have to do something for Sam, " he calls as he runs down the hall and into the lobby. There are a variety of concessions--candy, drinks, photos, DVDs, and flowers for family and friends to buy. A while later I see the two of them with a red carnation, headed back to the bathroom. As much as I love my kid, I'm thinking this flower is NOT for me. Soon, another boy is called in for consultation. The three of them conspire for a bit and next time I look around Hannah is holding a red carnation....hmmm, how did that happen? I had heard that Hannah and Sam were "dating" from my son, so I had kind of figured out the reason for the drama, but it was still fun to watch. Later, my kid told me that Sam had wanted him to give the flower to Hannah. My son's response, "I don't think that would look too good. She'll see me coming towards with a flower and think, 'oh no, not him!' " (A romantic in the making, my boy!) In the end, Sam handed over the gift, probably the only contact the two principals had the whole evening.

Young love, can't beat it.

Horizontal leadership

The other day our department had a visitor who talked about the "horizontal leadership" in some social movement organizations. The basic idea, I guess, is that decision making is shared and that all members have ownership of decisions and input in discussions. I can see how this, in theory, makes people feel more vested in the outcome, how it is more inclusive than the traditional "vertical leadership" model, and why it has developed as an alternative to leadership models that have marginalized groups of people. BUT, I just don't get it. I guess I'm too old, too conventional, or too authoritarian. It seems like, in the end, someone needs to be "in charge." I am totally in favor of inclusive decision making, sharing responsibility, and consensus building. BUT, doesn't somebody, in the end, have to take the lead? Who communicates decisions to others in and out of the organization? With whom do those outside of the organization direct their comments and feedback? Is the lost efficiency worth it?

Long car trips

We have always taken long car trips. My husband and I drove to Florida and back for our honeymoon, we regularly drove to Colorado when we were first married, and now, with the boys, we drive from Syracuse to Indiana a few times a year. The trip takes about 11 hours. Our kids are great travelers, always have been. I don't know if it is a natural temperment, or good parenting, or what (I like the parenting explanation!) The kids listen to songs, read, we play games, and we talk. Some if it is just mindless banter, but even in that there are some important tidbits that slip in. Last month I made the trip alone, and really enjoyed that, too. You get set up with some drinks, some snacks, books on tape, good music on the ipod...it is like being in your own private little world.

Teacher Conferences

Just came back from my last ever "official" parent-teacher conference for my 8th grader. From now on we meet only with teachers on an "as needed" basis. This was my son's best conference ever. These teachers seem to understand him better and are willing to work around his quirkiness. For instance, if he finishes work early, he pulls out a book to read. Some teachers find this terrribly annoying. Personally, I view it as a good coping strategy...so do these teachers. That's good. He is a child who never studies, likes to work independently, and wants to be challenged. He is mostly bored at school. These teachers kept saying, "he's a great kid," "contributes a lot in class," "has interesting ideas," etc. I kept looking for the negative--"is he disrespectful?" "does he pay attention?" "is he disruptive?" It was a great way to start the Thanksgiving week!

Soccer, musicals, and physics

It has been a busy week for us. On Saturday my son's soccer team played in the state semifinals..and lost. It was heartbreaking. It has been a hard year in some ways for my son, a senior, and I have so much respect for the way he has handled the year. He thought he would be a starter, but ended up not even getting into some games. He didn't complain or grouse. We talked about playing as well as he could when he did play, and he did. On Saturday, the last game of his high school career, he had the best game of his life. A good way to end.

On Friday my other son will be performing in Willy Wonka, the middle school musical this year. He enjoys being on stage, acting, and dancing. I am glad to see him involved in the program and hope that he continues to find joy in acting. He is also going to join the math league, so he is diverse.

Right now they are both watching Mythbusters, one of the favorite programs in this household. At the same time, my older son is doing his physics homework and explaining to his little brother all about vectors and the force of gravity. I love to just sit back and listen to them.