Monday, January 3, 2011

Here Today, Gone Tomorrow...Back Here Today



Some things should not surprise me and yet...

Every single year they do.

I speak of the "Ms. Ryane, we're moving and I won't be here next year!" conversation that I fall for every time I hear it.

As we neared the end of The Shakespeare Club season I was tossed this sentence from: Henry, Wendy, Garth, Oliver, Krystal, Dominick and Mary.

Indeed, Garth was moving to Texas and Mary to a new school. The others either convinced their families to stay put for a while or misheard adult conversations.

With the exception of Henry, who was up and down and hither and yon on a weekly basis. He kept trying to let me down easy on his possible departure and then the family plans changed again and then...well, this went on for months.


"Ms. Ryane, we're moving. New school, new apartment 'cause we need to be closer to my mom's work."

"Henry, I'm so disappointed. That would be sad if you couldn't be here in fifth grade for Shakespeare Club."

"I know," he shrugged and then wrapped his arms around me.

After the performances of "Macbeth" — all four of which his mother was able to attend — a new idea sprang forth.

In earlier posts I told the story of Henry and his mother's terrible health scare during the year he played Malvolio in our "Twelfth Night." Henry and his little brother had to move far away to stay with relatives and I thought it was goodbye forever. As mom's health improved, Henry came back to our school and joined the cast of "Macbeth" for 2010.

I heard from his mother after "Macbeth" finished. It was true that Henry and his brother would be entering a new school in the fall of 2010, but she hoped that somehow we could include Henry in Shakespeare Club since they would be on our campus for after-school activities anyway.

"He'll have to audition," I wrote to her.

He did audition and he also is on the list for 2011 because in a special-case scenario, Henry will be dismissed early from class on Wednesdays and I will pick him up at his other school and bring him to our campus for Shakespeare Club.

What I will do when Henry goes to the sixth and seventh grades, or high school, or college, is a mystery. I haven't solved those challenges yet.

I need a "don't grow-up" pill.


CHILDREN'S WRITES: A Journal Entry
I wanted to be in Shackspeare club because I love to act and this was my chance. I will miss being on stage and acting and miss all my friends. I will defiantly miss Ms. Ryane and Ms. Rachel Ill also miss all the reaersals that we had I will always remember this year.
Page, 3rd grade

2 comments:

  1. Mel - thanks for all the fine writing in 2010. I am looking forward to more in 2011!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks so much for reading and I look forward to reading you...how goes it?

    ReplyDelete

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