Bragging Rights....

And this time, it doesn't include my family!!!

Tonight was a really great night for me. Tuesdays are my night to teach my two A-town twirling lines. This year I have 5 on my Middle School Line and 6 on my High School Line. None of them will ever read this, but I just want whoever does read this to know how great my girls here are!!!

My first practice of the night was with my MS girls. We are getting ready for their "first" pep rally and football game next week. Yes, I love teaching them twirling, but I love the things that go with that a lot more. For example, we got our uniforms tonight. I can't tell you the look of awe in their faces as they pulled them out and tried them on. For these girls, this is the fanciest thing they'll ever wear until the Jr./Sr. Prom. Twirling uniforms are all about glitz and glamour. And they loved it. It was great to see them "feel" pretty. MS girls have a hard time accepting their bodies, so it was great to see them all "feel" pretty tonight. It's also amazing how effective the rest of practice was. They worked so hard.

After practice, one of the girls asked if she could interview me for an English paper. I said sure. One of the questions, though, really made me think. It was, "Why do you enjoy teaching twirling so much?" Well, my first response was that I love twirling. It's a passion of mine. But then as I thought deeper, more came out. I love teaching twirling because of the relationship that I get to have with each girl I teach. I hope and pray that in some small way, I can influence their lives. I want to show them that you can be a modest young lady (in all ways), and still be beautiful, smart, successful, and HAPPY. With twirling, modesty is sometimes a challenge. You all have probably seen twirling uniforms - it's like dancing in a bathing suit - a one piece, grant you, but still! I love teaching them how they can still be modest while performing in not much. And I hope it carries over into their every day life.

Enough with Jr. High - then my HS girls came. I have always been blessed with good HS lines. Every year is good. And I'm so proud of these girls, too. These ladies are great young people who have a lot of life going on. They are involved in many other school activities. But they are learning what it takes to be successful. Not necessarily a lot of time, but good use of the time you take.

I don't know why I feel so strongly about taking the time to brag about these girls, but I do. If you're a teacher, you know how good you feel about class after everyone participated in the discussion or you walk away feeling they really understood the concept you were trying to teach. That's how I feel tonight. We had a great practice, but there were also many great "life" moments. Yes, I'm a stay at home mom, but those are the things that keep me teaching - helping guide their lives!