Stage Fright!

The above picture is of Jonathan and I teaching his Turkish class about Halloween.
Were you deathly afraid of getting up in front of an audience when you were young? I was. Terrified! In our church, the children give short talks in front of sunday school every once in a while. Well, I remember once when my mom had helped me prepare a very cool visual aide for one of these talks. I was all prepared to give the talk but when I got up there, my mom even accompanied me, I started to cry and couldn't even give my talk. I was so embarrassed. I never gave a talk again in Sunday school. I actually avoided giving talks in church until I was 21 years old. Can you believe that? Public speaking, or teaching, or entertaining an audience is a skill. Something learned. Something I eventually learned through practice. Now I don't mind teaching or speaking in front of groups anymore. I don't want my kids to have that problem growing up. It's terrifying when you're anxious about performing all day long. The performance lasts 20 minutes and then you feel fine afterwards. What a waste of a day!

About three weeks ago the school sent out an announcement that they would be hosting a Poetry Night on the 21st of March. Immediately, I thought, "My kids have to do this!" Well, they did. For Atticus, this was quite a feat. Getting him to perform isn't easy. But he prepared a short poem, The Purple Cow by Gelet Burgess, and recited it with some expression. I was so proud of him. Plus, I think he enjoyed watching all the other poems being performed too. Sherman also performed. I didn't have to convince him that it would be fun. He loves putting on a show. He chose "The Star" by Jane Taylor. He wore a paper star that framed his face. The audience clapped even before he spoke a word.

Here they are after everything was over. We went to the clubhouse for dinner and shakes. That's why Sherman's face is chocolatey. Atticus said his favorite poem was Sherman's. Sweet!