I Wore a Ton of Black

Well, the day of reckoning arrived. Today Action News 5 came to my classroom to see how the paperless thing works. First he did a solo interview with me and then let the kids in for class. I was so nervous that my mouth kept going dry, and I'm pretty sure I had hives. Luckily, we will all be able to confirm that when in airs in December. Two of my lady friends were there with me for moral support. If they hadn't been there, I would have run out the door, straight for my car and started Thanksgiving break four days early. Marci told me she would "guard the door to keep the gawkers out," but I'm pretty sure it was to keep me from running out into oncoming traffic. I. was. that. scared.



But you know, as soon as Marci (a.k.a. the Praetorian Guard) let the kids in, I relaxed. They were such a comfort to me that I was finally able to relax and enjoy it a little. I had them practice noun/adjective pairing with Expo markers, using their desks as tablets. Everyone was so attentive and eager to participate. It was like they knew that I needed come TLC, and they delivered.



I love these little philosophical moments when I am able to see teenagers defy their stereotypes of being loud, obnoxious, and selfish. They are just like everyone else, and maybe even better than most of us at realizing when someone needs a lifeline. Seeing Eli smile in the front row, watching Virginia try just about every problem, watching Bryce take me through that multi-step grammar problem flawlessly, and having a gaggle of girls come up and hug me afterwards to tell me that "I did awesome"....these were just a few of the many awesome moments during my short 40 minute class today. They are the moments that I will remember. Thank you, sweet Latin class.

That Fame Was Short-Lived, But...

So as luck would have it, the introvert gods showed some mercy upon me and gave me jury duty next week. In other words, no TV spot because I will be hanging out with federal judges and other cool people downtown rather than talking with Kym Clark on Tuesday.

However, something amazing has come out of this.

Behold, the video lesson:

Yikes.

I am an introvert.

You wouldn't know this if you saw me walking around school or teaching a class, because I'm just as loud and obnoxious as any 8th grader you'd find roaming the halls of GSL; however, when I'm out in public, I prefer to go unnoticed. That's why today's message from my co-worker, Marci, absolutely freaked me out. During my Latin exam this morning I received this email from her:

Well-- now Channel 5 has called-- Kym Clark would like to come do a segment on your classroom.
Can you believe?! Now you REALLY are famous!

Fantastic. Television? Really? It's an INFJ's worst nightmare. But this is important to me and a fantastic way for Memphis to know about GSL, which has often been called Memphis' "best kept secret" in education.

I told my Latin kids who will be involved in the whole filming experience which will happen on Tuesday, and they were so happy...and rightly so, it's pretty fantastic to have all that hard work pay off in the form of a cameraman in your classroom. Go, team!