Entry 8: Research paper oh research paper, wherefore thou art due so soon?

For my senior project research paper I am writing about how the integration of the arts, specifically Drama, in schools is profitable for the elementary child because it encourages independent creative thinking, development of social skills,  and self-discovery. 
 To be honest, since I have written my thesis I have not been doing a lot of research. I need help with Time management skills. It's terrible. When sports season starts I usually discipline myself better. However, I'm not wasting any of my time! I rarely spend time watching TV, getting on facebook, or even socializing but I am still struggling to get everything done. There is just so much to do and it seems like too little time to do it! The only other thing I have done relating to my Research paper is highlighting my information of what I want to include in my paper. It has not hit me that it is due in about 2 weeks. I cannot fathom it. It is frustrating because I am not wasting my time, yet I still do not have enough time to spend on college applications or my paper. I have not applied to a single college yet. I know that God will never give me more than what I can handle, but right now I am to the point I am so stressed I don't feel anything anymore. That sounds melodramatic, I understand, but it portrays how I feel right now.
On a different note, I have discovered that I am an individual who needs deadlines. I have self-discipline in a lot of areas, but when it comes to getting things in on my own personal time clock, it doesn't work out. The subject that has a deadline sooner is higher priority than something due way down the road. It is not that I do not want to work on this paper, that is not it. I'm excited about my paper and researching the subject, but I still need to do well in my other classes and apply to colleges, but I can only do so much, and I don't know what to sacrfice.

Entry 7: I Couldn't be Happier!

   Another week is nearly coming to a close. It flies, but I am so thankful because I am so tired!
School has been educating us like it is supposed to, it just happens all at once and at time it can be overwhelming! Oh, the joy of Senior year! However, God is in control and I am still working to balance my social life with my academics and now I'll be participating in the 1 Act play and the beginning of November I will be playing basket-ball. Busy, busy, busy!
   Today in my second lesson of Drama class with the 1st and 2nd graders we talked about the importance of concentration in Drama. For actors and actresses it is very important to be able to focus on a specific duty because there can be a lot of different distractions from a response in the audience, a fellow actor's lines, the possibility of a fellow actor forgetting his lines, and so on. At first it was difficult getting their attention, but their excitement made them want to play the game. The game was fairly challenging because they had to focus on calling out different numbers and continue keeping the same beat as the beat got faster. Now, granted, it never really got faster, and the whole "saying the number on the beat" didn't work out as much, but there were some who got it and all the rest worked really hard (concentrated) on getting it. Interesting observation: almost every single child stopped with their beat when they called numbers. I pointed this out to them, and some were able to maintain some rhythm, but it was very hard for others. It is so encouraging to know that the kids are excited about learning Drama! I have loved spending/teaching the kids even more than I imagined I would and I look forward to the rest of the lessons!
   Now the research paper...that's a different story. I have not even switched gears into writing a paper. Yes, I realize I have about 20 days and I am scared to death about it. I have a feeling I know what I'll be doing this weekend! (After the boy's soccer game of course! :P)

Entry 6: Something There

It seems so long ago since we've gone on the Senior Retreat! My goodness, time flies when you don't want it to! God has blessed us with such a remarkable Senior class. We all got a long, we all learned the worm and the jerk (well...at least some of us did..). It was FANTASTIC! God is doing a lot in our lives, and I believe it is evident in a lot of us! Praise God!
I really have to start diving into my research paper now. I have a Thesis so it is easier to begin now. I am excited about it, but I really have to work on Time Management (like we all do). I am exhausted (partly from Senior Retreat and from my weekend at Liberty University). However, I have a lot to do.
This past Thursday I was able to work with Mrs. Hollingsworth class. They were all so excited! It was so cute! Several of them had been involved in drama classes and were very excited about the class! :) I was so encouraged! This next week I believe we're going to start working on Concentration games. This should be very interesting. ;) We need to start focusing on different aspects of drama. Last lessons were warm up and now I'm going to build on it. I'm so excited!
The more I think about Senior Project...the more I realize it is beneficial in many ways. Also, after visiting college the more I think about it, the more excited I am! That is huge for me to admit! The idea of leaving Oakbrook is still hard for me to imagine....but by God's grace I am becoming more comfortable with the idea. I have the rest of the year to wrap my head around it, but at least I'm starting early! :)

Entry 5: The Show Must Go On!

By the grace of God I was about to begin my classes on the day I proposed on my proposal! (September 20) I met with Mrs. Hardee's 1st grade class and I had a BLAST!! :) It was truly wonderful! they were all so creative and excited about drama! It definitely made me smile! On Tuesday I met with Mrs. Cannon's 1st grade class and again, what wonderful kids! They all jumped right in and we're so excited that we had to calm them down a couple times. I really didn't have much of a voice that day...so it made things difficult, but we pressed through! The kids by the end were giving me suggestions and asking me to stay longer and play more games. Their excitement was so encouraging! Unfortunately today (Thursday) I wasn't able to go to school because I was sick. I wasn't able to meet Mrs. Hollingsworths' 2nd grade class. This upset me greatly because I knew they have been looking forward to it early in the week. However, God had a different plan, so instead next Thursday I'm going to resume with Mrs. Hollingsworth's class and then continue the normal pattern. That should get us on track!
The first couple lessons we will be play simple name games to become more comfortable around eachother and test the waters out a little bit more. This first week we played a game called Transformation (similar to the game I played with the Board members). They loved it! We went around the circle and after they said their names they said their favorite animal and we all acted like the animal! After a few rounds of that we played a game of charades. I was so tickled because three boys got up there, stood in a line and (after about 5 seconds of guessing) excalimed, "We're a brick wall!" It was cute. I am definitely looking forward to the rest of the lessons! I tried to encourage them that with acting you can turn into anything, just by the way you move/present yourself and that it is important to show the audience what is invisible. I'll elaborate on that idea more as the lessons progress, but I am so thankful to have passionate kids who are excited to learn about drama! :) This will be a great few months!

Entry 4: Lights, Camera, ACTION!

I can't begin to explain how relieving it is to know how it feels to propose to the Senior Board! I wasn't as scared about proposing as much as I was frightened about how they were going to react. I'm used to talking in front of people, but with plays no one has to talk back to you, and if they do you've rehearsed about a million times so you're not taken by surprise! :) However, I'm very thankful to say that I am pleased with my proposal and I was thoroughly impressed with Mrs. Zion's ability to become a squirrel, Mrs. Nail's creativity of stretching her imagination, and Mrs. Seay's great incorporation of sign language in the drama activity. Everyone did a wonderful job and it definitely helped calm my nerves before my proposal!
To be honest, before the proposal I was so nervous, but I have some wonderful friends who helped calm me down! :) I don't know if it was the improvisational game Carrie and I played or the sponantious dancing around the hallways that calmed my nerves more, but I can guarantee you the ultimate comfort was our prayer circle in the middle of the hallways of Oakbrook. What a blessing! The Lord definitely granted me a peace that transcended all understaing and I am so thankful for my friends at Oakbrook. Now that the proposal is over I have oodles (yes, I used the word oodles) of stuff to do for my highschool education and my college future! My goodness this whole growing up process is intimidating!
However, I know I have a good God who never gives me more than I can handle and I am to do everything to glorify Him. Life is so much more precious when you have a reason to live for (my relationship with Christ and others)...I just pray I will be able to remember that even when everything seems hopeless!

Entry 3: "Somethin's Coming"

Wow, time flies by. I mean honestly, there's only one weekend before proposal time. Really?! Where does time go?! We really are a vapor and this is definitely a wind storm because I feel like I cannot catch my breath! By the way, my title of this blog "Something's Comin'" is from one of my favorite musicals, West Side Story. It's a famous song and if you do not know it, I encourage you to go out and rent it! It's brilliant. However, that is not the point of this blog. We're supposed to inform all what we have been learning from our project..and to be honest I've learned how grades control many of my actions. If something is not graded, I tend to set it aside until later. It always gets done, but it never gets done as soon as it should. I am really being tested through the Senior Project experience. I have to study more about my research paper for this project and I still have several lessons I want to set up before the Proposal date. However, every other teacher desires for us to excel in our learning and I volunteered to help backstage at the Spartanburg Little Theatre. Oh the joys of a busy schedule! I'm trying to look to God and manage my time well, but it keeps getting harder the closer the dates approach and the more I realize I have a lot to do. But who am I to complain? I know this is teaching me life lessons and I need to learn how to handle stress and handle it well. Life is not a walk in a park and all of these trials are being used for me to grow and change to become like Christ. It's just easier said than done. I still haven't found a one woman show yet, but to be honest I haven't been looking dilligently yet. But I am going to have one picked out by October: most definitely. I am getting things done one step at a time and I hope to do this all the way until graduation..so far I'm stumbling but there have been far less tears so far this year than the beginning of last year so I praise God for that and I am encouraged to excel on this Senior Project/year journey and put forth my best effort in everything I  am doing at the present time!!

Entry 3: The Proposal is finished! Now the approval awaits...

     I am so happy to say that I have officially, indefinitely, and independetly chosen a project and wrote my whole proposal on it. To be honest, it has been a work of God. In the beginning of school I never would have thought I would've had an idea and enough details worked out before August 30. I would have probably been even more indecisive and drag my feet in reluctance with the reality that I;n growing up. I know that's probably a little melo-dramatic for Senior Project, but this experience is really revealing things about myself that are not all that pretty! It's hard to put someone who is dependent an indecivisive on many things in a situation in which they have to independently take on a role as a project manager type figure. Although it's not fun, it has to be done I suppose. After all, that's why "Do Hard Things" seemed to be all about! I don't want to give any spoilers about my proposal (because I know you will all be very familiar with it very soon) but I do want to clarify that I have talked with the Headmaster and the Lower School director and I have worked out several details about scheduling my classes with the kids hopefully beginning the 3rd week of September (Lord willing).
     In our Senior Project research days I have been going through several of my mentor's Acting books and I am finding several great ideas that I would like to introduce the kids in my 20-30 minute time frame for class time. I hope the kids will not only enjoy this time, but be able to go home and share with their parents several things they had learned in Drama Class that day. I believe it is very important to integrate fine arts in schools (which happens to be my topic for my research paper!) and I'm very excited to be the one who introduces it to the primary building to really get them excited about using their imagination!
    I was so encouraged because at the parents gathering of meeting Mr. Hinds, apparently one lady asked him about the possibility of having a drama class for the primary school. My mom told me she had 2 children (1st and 2nd grader) and she was interested in introduving them to the arts. If that is not a God thing, then I don't know what is! It's encouraging to know that my project can possibly act as a ministry towards children and their parents. I'm anxiously awaiting the day when we can jump full throttle into our projects, and I know that day will come faster then I think! God is good and if you have any further questions, I hope when you read my proposal they will be answered! However if you do not I am always open for questions!
(Future reference: If I do not respond in 2 or 3 days I PROMISE it is not because I want to ignore you, it is because I still am working out time management and I still have to include blogging in my schedule: I'm trying though! Thanks for everything!)