I have been asked by some to explain the title of my blog. Why did I choose that little thought, "But it Could be Wonderful?" The answer, of course, lies in a story.
On the first day of classes at Bond Hill Academy I came bouncing in, full of big plans about creating our own show. However, many of the students regarded me with some skepticism. The first grade class was particularly nervous. These kids had just begun to read with some fluency and write simple sentences such as, 'The ball is red.' Imagine being in that stage of your literacy and being presented with the challenge of writing a play. They were intimidated, of course. They sat before me in straight lines on the carpeted floor, criss-cross apple sauce, with solemn, worried faces.
"We can do this, I know we can!" I trumpeted, determined to stir their enthusiasm. They began to smile a little, but stayed silent. "It won't be easy," I said, "we'll all have to work very hard together or the whole thing could just fall apart!"
"But it could be wonderful," breathed a little girl in the back row with a wistful sigh.
The whole room exploded in joyous laughter, and we all agreed to get to work and make it wonderful.
So, that has become my motto. Every time life gets difficult, or my set falls down, or the kids haven't looked at their lines - every time that little voice in the back of my head says that maybe this won't work after all, I remember that girl and how wonderful it all really can be.
That's what makes my job so great - it's hard, but it can be wonderful.
Some of those first graders and me.
Imagine being this young and reading your lines on stage. They were WONDERFUL.
Photos by Mikki Schaffner
