By Christina Blankenstein
•
11 Dec, 2023
Hi MS families! This was a very crazy week for all of us--with Music rehearsals, we did not get to every subject, but I squeezed in what I could! As I write this, I do not know how the performance will go, but I can tell you about how your students handled practice. I've been so impressed with them--not foremost for their acting, reading, or singing ability (although they're good there), but because they were consistently responsible, helpful, and demonstrated great leadership. Our students were responsible not only for long practices, but for setting up beforehand and tearing down afterward, to ensure that the nave was ready for the daily Liturgies. They helped put new feet on the risers to protect the solea, they got the props ready, and they set up the microphones and lights. They also helped guide and teach the younger students, and led the whole school in singing the songs and hymns. When we (the teachers) put together an edited script, we used their notes, and a lot of their ideas. Perhaps what stands out to me the most is that this is a stressful time of year, and this was a stressful week for us teachers, and they actively made it much better than it could have been. I had cause to talk to them early in the week about how they have the power to make the lives of those around them better or worse, and are called to choose to make it better. They definitely made mine better this week, which I told them today. I didn't have to spend those practices embarrassed or worried about their behavior or their stamina; on the contrary I could count on them to help, and spend my own time helping the younger classes and trying to fill in where necessary to solve problems or handle logistics. In addition, several of our students are loud, clear, and confident readers and singers. I'm not their music teacher, but I did try to help them practice this week, so I got to see first-hand how quickly and well they can pick up songs. In the practices, they helped carry the whole school. A couple of our students took it upon themselves to memorize their lines--a feat I assumed would be impossible when I realized how little time they actually had to practice, all things considered. Again, as I write this I do not know what may happen in the performance itself tonight, but even if there's some problem, you should know how impressive this all was this week, and how well it reflects on your students. I've taught students this age before, but there's not many I would have trusted to be quite this responsible. Faith and Literature In Faith this week, we got into Joshua and Judges. We covered the story of Jericho, and focused on how Rahab's faithfulness saved her and her whole household. Judges is a bit of a depressing low point in Scripture--the Israelites repeatedly do not follow God, things go really badly, and everything gets worse and worse. Still, we discussed how God repeatedly saves His people, and familiarized ourselves with the stories of Deborah, Gideon, etc. In Literature, we continued with Black Ships Before Troy, which of course is the story of the Iliad. These chapters got us to the climax of the stories of Achilles and Hector, their deaths, and the aftermath. Next week, we'll finish up--this version, unlike the original Iliad, includes the famous story of the Horse! *Just as a note here, I did in fact take a bit of pity on the students, and gave them class time this afternoon to complete their reading homework for Monday. So, it's likely that if your students tells you he or she did it already, that's true. Composition There wasn't much time for Composition this week, but we did think about description and dialogue in stories, and worked with an example (the story of Athena and Arachne). History and Geography We had a brief bit of time for History this week. We covered some things we know about Egyptian daily life through archaeology and art, and began talking about some prominent New Kingdom pharaohs. Logic This week in Logic, we introduced the tu quoque fallacy! Latin In Latin this week, we continued working with basic verbs and the accusative case (direct objects). We also sang and discussed Adeste Fidelis, from the Music program! Math We had a brief chance to cover some math this week, which I used to work with the students on negative numbers and negation. Specials and Other Notes We did have PE this week, and of course tons of Music! No Art, sadly, but we did have one of our Greek classes. On Wednesday, we celebrated St. Nicholas with some cookie decorating and treats. Thanks to the parents who provided the cookies and materials! I gave most of my extra notes up at the top! Next week is our last before break--I know everyone's looking forward to it!