Yesterday was no exception. A few weeks ago our staff started talking about our upcoming Thanksgiving program. Each class has a few minutes to perform and many teachers have done different things over the years- poems, skits, memory verses, human videos, etc. Last year I was the new teacher and everything I did was met with amazement. But I knew I was going to have to go big when someone mentioned that the pre-k class were shoe-ins for the "stars of the show" award. Which by the way- exists solely in the minds of competitive teachers like myself.
So that night at dinner I mentioned to friends my conundrum about needing a fabulous program and my lack of inspiration. The only thing I knew for sure was that I would need choreography, costumes, and a fog machine.
At this point you might be confusing my need to complicate things and competitive nature for pride but it isn't- at least not in the typical sense. What it comes down to is that I am in love with these kids. They are sensitive, smart, creative, and make me laugh everyday. Because most have been raised in Christian school, every thing instinctively comes back to their love and praise for Jesus. So I can't help but want to show them off. I know what a blessing it is to get to spend every day with them and I feel compelled to create opportunities for others to see a tiny glimpse of what I see.
Without inspiration, I asked for help and two incredibly talented, gifted, and creative people saved the day.
Jason spent hours filming, editing, and creating a video for me. If that wasn't enough, he came to school and entertained my kids so that i could manically iron on handprints for matching t-shirts. And then he ran sound, reassured me, and rooted for me. And while J. isn't a fan of my need to complicate things- he gets my need for excellence and he knows why it's so important to me.
My friend Steve wrote an amazing thanksgiving song. I have no idea why he indulged me and was willing to leverage his time and talent- but I am entirely grateful! Despite my anxiety about it coming together, he encouraged me and reminded about what was important. Up until Thursday I wasn't sure if they could pull it off but I was sitting in my room at lunch and I could hear them singing it at the top of their lungs while they played on the playground. It was real and authentic worship...and they loved the song.
And so our program was void of choreography & fog machines but it was incredible. There was a video where the kids shared spontaneously what they were thankful for. It was hilarious and you could see my kids and their hearts. And then they sang the best thanksgiving song ever and while they looked adorable in their matching shirts, their true heart's praise was much louder then the off key & out of sync voices.
Thank you Jason. Thank you Steve.
COTPCS-Thanksgiving 2009 from Jason Evans on Vimeo.
1 comments:
I don't know if you are spoiled or blessed but the kids were adorable.
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