Picking Up the Party Pieces

Oh, what's a good party without a few sniffles and heart-wrenching boo-hoos?

When theatre folk gather, they laugh loud and weep louder....Fun times.

After I made the announcement of my exit, we all made our way through a box of tissues, then made our way to journal writing and sharing.

I'm really proud that we did our play.

I'm really sad that Ms. Ryane is leaving Shakespeare Club.

I really liked that we made the audience laugh.

Is it time for snacks?

Out came the pizza, the chips, the grapes, the pineapple, the cupcakes, the fruit-like drinks, and the sugared-up hilarity of elementary-school humor.

Henry had brought his Shakespeare Club T-shirt and asked us all to sign it. He planned to hang it up on his bedroom wall.

We shared great laughs as we gave a final viewing to "The Simpsons" and their versions of "Hamlet," "Macbeth" and the story of Henry VIII.

I had printed wallet-sized pictures of our group and handed those out. The kids wanted a signature and I scribbled Love, Ms. Ryane on the back of each.

I pushed open the heavy auditorium doors to a gathering of parents waiting for their Shakespearean offspring.

Bye...bye...see ya...you're welcome...my pleasure...another hug?...okay!...so long....

Rachel and I plopped in a couple of auditorium seats after cleaning up.

"We did good," I said.

"Yeah, great year," she answered.

"You can do this."

"I don't know...."

"Yeah, you can. You're ready."

"I'm not sure. Scary."

"Yeah, well...scary is the reason to do it. You'll have the best time of your life. I promise."


CHILDREN'S WRITES: A Journal Entry

I loved working with Mrs. Ryane and the cast. I'm really sad that Mrs. Ryane is leaving next year. I learned about different people and about my friends that I never thought could do the stuff they did.

Bridget, 3rd grade