Well, it’s official. They were bound to do it sometime. They made me go back to school. Actually, they asked me to teach some high school students at Jefferson. It’s a great arts magnet school in Portland that provides many opportunities to youth interested in the arts. I can’t imagine where I would have ended up if I had had this opportunity as a teenager.

The drama teacher in my high school (Foothill High in Pleasanton, California) knew me from church where I was much more comfortable sharing my singing and dancing talents. She was always trying to get me to join the drama club. I would peek in on rehearsals but just couldn’t open myself up to the potential humiliation I’d face from the rest of the student body. Absolutely my loss. But art was not encouraged and praised the way it is at Jefferson.

So I’m working with a group of young adults who come from completely different dance backgrounds and different levels of ability. It is somewhat of a challenge but also very fun. Their personalities are so alive and engaging. And, they are willing to try things I never would have tried. It gives me the courage to be less introverted and share with them my movement style.

Plus, I’m learning too! So far I’ve learned that they know none of my T.V. references and I know none of theirs. I thought The Brady Bunch and Pettycoat Junction was universal. And, thanks to the help a French exchange student, I have learned the french word for tissue is Mouchoir…I think.

Thanks to my friend Kristi Bacon who invited back to school. I hope I get an “A.”