Today we went to Apache Elementary School to watch a Chautauqua on Harry Houdini in the Village Square. It was performed by Bill Martin from Rio Rancho New Mexico. He was all dressed the part. He performed the dissappearing egg trick. He did a comical escape where he was handcuffed with his hands placed under a handkerchief to escape and he kept letting his hands slip out from underneath it and out of the hand cuffs. He did a three rope trick where he was tied up with three different ropes and escaped. He did a chain escape and a straight jacket escape which I assisted on. I really did not want him to escape because he was offering money to those who made it where he could not escape. But he managed it. It was really fun to watch.

 

3/13/08

Today we presented our  Chautauqua for the students at Apache Elementary school. It was a lot of fun and I enjoyed seeing the performances of my fellow classmates. The students seemed to really enjoy them as well. They obviously had their favorites. After showing them our performances, I could not wait to work with the students and see what they would come up with. I am really looking forward to this.

 

3/20/08

Today we were paired with our students. I had three assigned to me but one was absent. I tried to brainstorm with the two I had but they had already thought about who they wanted to do and stuck with it. So we started writing down ideas for their performance: what event could they do? What part of life? When we were finished for the day, my two girls had a number of questions to work with over spring break.

 

4/3/08

I think the long break between our meetings had an affect on my students. They really did not work on their chautauqua and had lost their questions. So we pretty much had to start from scratch making a list of questions for them to take home to ask parents and relatives. I had a new student added to my group this week and the absent one from before removed because he moved. We all worked together making a list of questions for each student to take home and work on for our next meeting.

 

4/10/08

Today I had only one of my students who did what I asked. She went home, asked her mom and came back with several wonderful answers. My other two said they forgot and again lost their lists. I took the time to work with the one student to get her started on a way to write it up as a script for herself. Then I worked with the other two and I wrote up the lists as we brainstormed. By the end of the session, we had one script done and two more lists to work on. The second half of our session, we had a peer conference with another group. The students were shy to present or even talk about what they had been working on. They were even more shy to offer feedback. Nick and I worked together to get the students talking. It worked...kind of.

 

4/17/08

Today my student with the script came back with it typed in rainbow colors. She said she could read it better although I had trouble with how bright the colors were. But it was her work and she needed it how she felt comfortable with it for now. The other two came back with a couple of answers from the lists I sent home. I worked with one student to start writing out a script while one student wrote for the other student. It was a big help and I thanked her for taking the inititive. We finally had three scripts and could start working on our performances next class.

 

4/24/08

Today it was awful windy but we went outside anyways to practice our performances. The students' scripts were blowing away in the wind and they were having fun chasing them so we went back inside to practice instead. They were not happy about that but we needed to finish what we were working on. One of my students was so shy he did not want anyone to see what he was doing. So I sent one to get a drink. THe other was absent and he did a wonderful job. My other student just stood there reciting her script. When I made the suggestion of adding gestures and movements, she declined. She was not open to doing it. I told her to go home and practice and before our next meeting as that was when the taping would take place.

 

5/1/08

Today the students did the taping of their chautauquas. They did such a wonderful job. I was so proud of them. I even had one of my students who was shy in the beginning ask to redo his. The second time around was so much better. He was more animated and spoke louder than the first time. I could see he was happy with his second performance. Again I had one student who was absent. The other student who was there also did a good job. She looked like she had done the practicing I had asked her to do. I could not wait for them to show their parents. Great job guys.

 

5/8/08

Tonight we met for family night in the Village Square. Only one of my students showed up. She did a wonderful job with her performance. It was obvious she had been practicing. I met her mother after it was all done and told her how much I enjoyed working with her daughter. I received cards from all my students I worked with. It brought me to tears that one of my students who has been really shy and having a hard time opening up made me seven cards, all with various messages. It kinda shocked me that I had that much of an impact on him. I enjoyed this so much.