Bless their Hearts

Two down, two to go. My B Trackers, 182 kids in grades 1 - 6, had their Track Concert last week. After exhausting teaching sessions, and lots of reminders, the blessed children SHOWED UP! There were over 170 kids AND their families at our evening concert - bless their hearts! The concert was 2 hours after dismissal, and the temperature was less than 15 degrees that night - and they still came back! I had know idea who was going to show up, as I hadn't been able to collect information on attending families. If I would have sent anything home that made the evening concert seem even remotely optional, I know some kids would have capitalized on that! Yet, they came!

These concerts are a total combination of organization...and letting go. The sheer amount of kids could have been overwhelming. Thankfully, I'm used to dealing with large groups of kids, and my kids are so great to quickly respond to me when I need their attention. When one groups was done, they'd bow, leave the stage, and the other group would stand up, and get into place. It felt like there was constant motion!

The energy in the gym was PALPABLE! First graders were ready to explode, while second graders had the deer in the headlights look. My 3rd graders were just plain nervous, while the 4th graders were super confident. 5th graders wouldn't stop talking, and just about every 6th grader was in attendance! It was amazing to see how many people we were able to fit into our gym! I thought the CHOIR concerts were full - HA! My kids had so many family members present to support them! How exciting!

While the concert itself did go amazingly smooth, there were a couple of absolutely crazy moments. I still laugh out loud remembering them:

• Flying Shoes: a 5th grader lost their SHOE in the middle of their dance number - it FLEW across the stage
• I'm Here: a late 3rd grader runs ONTO the stage during the 4th grade set, loudly declaring "I'm here, Ms. G!"
• I'm Not Here: some of my shy first graders were literally trying to hide behind each other on stage - darling!
• Zoom: regardless of how slowly I set and re-set the tempo, my 5th graders set a land-speed record on the xylophones
• Maggie: a 3 year old sibling I've know since her conception, joined the first graders on stage, ready to perform, THEN ended up joining me at the piano, calm and quiet as can be! Fearless!
• Take a Bow: apparently, this phrase must have been a code for my 3rd graders, because as soon as I said it, they all fled from the stage!

Two down, two to go. I get to do it all over again this week Wednesday, with my C Track kids (172 of them). My brother, Bradley, arrives Wednesday morning, so he'll be here in town for both the afternoon and evening concerts! I can't wait!