A Surprising Turn to Success

Yes, it's me and I'm still alive. I feel like I've become a stranger on this blog in recent weeks (and perhaps even months).

After coming back from a very relaxing holiday, I was faced with dread of the upcoming drama that hung over my head like a brewing storm cloud. I dreaded stepping foot onto campus on Tuesday because the future of the drama looked pretty dang bleak. The kids were not in sync with their lines, they were MIA on random occasions. All I wanted to do was quit.

Tuesday's practice drove me over the edge. It was a lucky thing that there wasn't a cliff nearby - I might have been so far delusional enough to plunge. In the words of my father (who refuses to even think of the idea of being in a home when he's older), "Hello, my name is Cliff. Cliff-Jumper." I came home in tears and a haze of negativity. I cried myself to sleep and came to school the next day with puffy eyes and a headache.

The final dress rehearsal lasted 5 hours and went fantastic. It was as if a light bulb flickered on in their brains and everything kicked into gear as it should have been. I left school feeling more positive about the final performance than I have for the past 3 months.

I got to school early and set up the sound system, prepped the costumes, and anxiously waited my little actors and actresses to arrive for preparation.

As I ran around backstage during the performance, I have to admit I felt a surge of energy and happiness flow through my veins. I never expected to feel like this, especially with the recent history of feelings of failure that consumed me. The performance went on without a hitch. The kids were spectacular! They did their best, and their best was even better than what I expected.

After the curtain closed and much applause, I was praised by parents, teachers, and students alike. They doted on it, saying it was the best performance they had ever seen by PYP. Rave reviews keep swinging my way and have caused me to re-think my thoughts on "never doing after school drama again."

I'm so happy that it turned out to be a success, but I would be lying if I told you that I wished after school drama was still happening. It is a great accomplishment, but I definitely am enjoying the break that it's provided to me. However, that does not mean that I am eagerly anticipating next year's performance. There will be a lot of changes, but I think it will all for the better.

Thanks for all your prayers and support. It's been a bumpy road to the final end game, but it was well worth it.