Jackson and Celeste "hiking" near Oxford, NC. At least that's what they call it.Hello, and our most heartfelt greetings to all of you from North Carolina! We apologize that we haven't updated our blog for the last several weeks. On the ever-growing "to do" list of a modern-American teacher, blogging doesn't always claim a high priority. But today the sun is shining, life is good, and we want to share it with the world.
So the snow has melted (I just looked at our last post. Brrrrrr!), the grass is greening, and the air is getting more warm and welcoming by the week. Last Saturday Celeste and I played tennis outside in 60-degree weather. It has since cooled down a bit, but we're consistently in the high 40's to high 50's, which has been very nice. You know that smell that comes around every year that just smells like Springtime and happiness? Yeah, we've got that here. It's amazing.
Since our last post, quite a bit has happened. First of all, Celeste gave her students a Unit Test this week and her students did awesome. The class average was a 75% (up from 40% last semester!) Celeste has become an awesome teacher. Also in the classroom, I engulfed myself and my students into the Civil Rights Movement on account of it being Black History Month and all. The Civil Rights Movement has long been one of my favorite eras of American history, and this month only reinforced that. I got to teach my kids about Emmett Till, Rosa Parks, the Little Rock 9, the Greensboro Sit-ins (which took place just over an hour from where we live!), and much more.
It was amazing to see how well they responded, too. Many students who were failing or cared little about social studies suddenly came to life, and were some of my most engaged students. It was an incredible experience to teach the Civil Rights Movement to a predominantly black audience, in a school that used to be segregated, just down the road from famous Civil Rights battle sites. It was eye opening and yes, even a little life changing.
Kayshon and Stephanie, working on our Black History Month door decorating contest.
Early in the process.
Tonei, Stephanie, and Ki-Jana, still at work.
The finished product. If you look in the right upper corner, you'll see me smiling back at you.
Celeste, ready to do battle at a Williamsburg gift shop.
Us at the Governor's Palace. Williamsburg, Va.I also started coaching baseball. We're starting our 3rd week of practice next week, and have our first game on March 9th. It's a hoot to be out there with the boys, I tell you what. Hittin' and throwin' and catchin' and runnin'. "Ohhhh, man I wish I could go back in time. I'd take state." -Uncle Rico
Well, that about brings us up to speed. We have been truly blessed and are grateful to God for the opportunity to make the world a better place, one challenging day at a time.
