About Me

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Delta, British Columbia, Canada
I took very early retirement from teaching in '06 and did some traveling in Europe and the UK before settling down to do some private tutoring. As a voracious reader, I have many books waiting in line for me to read. Tell me I shouldn't read something, and I will. I'm a happy, optimistic person and I love to travel and through that believe that life can be a continuous learning experience. I'm looking forward to traveling more some day. I enjoy walking, cycling, water aerobics & and sports like tennis, volleyball, and fastpitch/baseball. I'm just getting into photography as a hobby and I'm enjoying learning all the bits and bobs of my digital camera. My family is everything to me and I'm delighted to be the mother of two girls and the Gramma of a boy and a girl. I may be a Gramma, but I'm at heart just a girl who wants to have fun.

Wednesday, December 20, 2006

School Christmas Concerts



Yesterday, December 19, I attended my former school's annual Christmas musical. This year it was entitled "The Bethlehem Chronicle," about a newspaper that was in big trouble! If subscriptions didn't increase, the paper would be shut down forever. Now it was up to Scoop Early, Sally O'Callahan and Rock Gibraltar to search for the biggest news in Bethlehem to help save the paper. Add a heavenly host of angels and shepherds and there was a miracle!

It was such a treat to sit back, relax and enjoy the show this year. I know just how hard the teachers work to prepare the children every year and for me, without having all that work and worry, I was able to look at their smiling faces and listen to their heavenly voices as the story and music unfolded. When my former students saw me sitting up there in the front row (right behind their teachers as they directed the show) it was so gratifying to see them smile right at me and wiggle a little finger (even though they weren't supposed to). After the show, so many little ones came running up to me to give me hugs and kisses and to wish me Merry Christmas. I even went upstairs to visit a few classrooms. Many parents asked how I was doing and I truly felt missed. In some ways it was difficult to be there and not really be a part of all the activity and excitement of this holiday season, but in reality I know I made the right decision at that time.

Kudos to teachers for all the extra hours they put in to organize these annual events for parents, grandparents, other family and friends. Parents would be astounded if they knew just how much it takes to prepare for these "little school Christmas concerts." Teachers put in so many extra hours making costumes, putting up lighting, learning how to do sound systems, directing and prompting the actors, choreographing the dancers, putting stage makeup on the main actors, writing and producing the programs, arranging for refreshments after the concert, and I could go on and on. And huge kudos to the Music teacher for pulling it all together to make sure that all children's eyes are on him/her for musical cues.

I thank God I was able to attend. I encourage all parents to go to these concerts with an open heart. Praise your child's performance and especially thank the teachers. They will love you forever and know that their efforts do not go unnoticed.

5 comments:

Jo said...

Leslie, that's wonderful....! You and I are on the same wave length. My post today is about the munchkins' Christmas concert. There is nothing more beautiful than the Christmas concerts, is there? And thank goodness the munchkins' school is not "politically correct" even though it's a public school. They did Handel's Messiah.

Josie

Belizegial said...

Merry Christmas Leslie

So glad to hear that you got a chance to sit back and relax at The Christmas Chronicles.

As a parent of two youngsters, I am aware of the amount of time and effort that is put into each year's christmas show. Kudos to all our teachers everywhere :)

This year's shows were spectacular. I only got a chance to take pics at my older daughter's christmas show where she is a second chair violinist.
My younger daughter sang in the junior choir at her christmas show.

Peace, love and Joy from my family to yours.

Enid~

Leslie: said...

Merry Christmas to you, Enid Those children's shows are so good - it's amazing really how good they really are. I'm sure you enjoyed watching your daughters as much as I enjoyed watching my former school's student concert. I hope you have a marvelous Christmas Day.

Anonymous said...

Hi,

Not sure how I got here, but I ejoyed reading your blog and your pictures.

Always nice to drop in on another Canadian.

Cheers!

Leslie: said...

Welcome "Dude" - it's always nice to meet another Canajun.