Student Sightings

Elementary music teachers have a wonderful and unique advantage. Not only do you usually
get to teach everyone at the school (which in Temple averages about 500 students), but you also experience the joy of seeing them grow up year from the innocent 5 year old to the not so innocent 5th grader ready to move onto middle school.

Almost every outing that I make to the grocery store, mall or even a wedding, brings encounters with students that I currently teach or students that I formerly taught. In some cases it also brings the opportunity to see students I taught with their children who I also have taught.

Sometimes I spot them and just smile and pass on by if they don't recognize me. Other times I hear a voice yell out me....Mrs. Lightfoot!!!! If they call out Mrs. Thweatt!!! then I know without even looking that the voice is coming from the school of Jefferson where Audrey went and I taught from 1988-1998.

In the picture above on the right, I had the opportunity to pose for a picture with one of my former students Ashley Hill at a recent wedding we attended. I remember her beautiful voice singing "Part of Your World" and she sat on the stage of the CAC dressed up like Ariel, The Little Mermaid. Then I had the wonderful opportunity to teach her sweet daughter, Kelleigh at Thornton.

In the picture on the left, we happened to run into these guys..cousins and former classmates of Audrey, Braxton Brown and Korell McBride. They had posed 12 years ago together with Audrey at her 10th birthday party after giving her a rose. Korell and Braxton were outstanding performers in many of the shows we did for that group. I just happened to have my camera in my purse so after hugging them and getting the latest scoop about them, I went for the picture.

Sadly sometimes I spot former students and it's not a joyous moment. Recently I saw on the news the mug shot of the young man who tragically struck and killed a Temple resident and then fled the scene. I instantly remembered him as a young sweet boy who liked to help me. Those moments usually bring me to tears and then I know that God allowed me to remember them so that I can pray for them.

Now that Tim is also working in the school system we often make a fun bet about who will see the most students when we go out.

When I really think about it, teaching brings with it an awesome responsibility but the rewards are awesome!

sisters

Yesterday afternoon I posted my first blog and unbelievably my sister posted her first blog at almost the exact same time. Neither one of us had told the other and had not spoken at all that day. Both us chose blogspot.com to set up our blogs and both mentioned that we were looking at other families' blogs.

Well, Janice, I guess great minds think alike and at the same time:)

Inspirations

A Rainy Afternoon in Temple....and after surfing over other friends' and families' blogs I was inspired for the first time to set up one of my own. As a musician, I rarely express my creativity or inspirations in a written format. My musical improvisations come so easily to me when I sit at a piano, but this format of expressing oneself is somewhat foreign to me. I will see what happens with this effort.

So far since May 15, we've been really busy with graduations, weddings, birthdays and baby showers in our family. I've had the wonderful blessing of seeing my own daughter graduate with high honors from Marymount Manhattan College in NYC. She's been my inspiration for so many years to keep pushing myself to do better. As a young single mother, struggling with many setbacks, I would feel so discouraged, but the bright-eyed toddler in front of me with the mischeivous grin always snapped me out of the dumps and gave me strength to keep going. Now I see her as a beautiful young woman and feel humbled that God allowed me the privilege to be her mom. I recently wrote a song for her. If I could figure out how to include it, then I will add it in.

Life can be overwhelmingly busy, but on this rainy afternoon, it's been nice to have a quiet interlude of sweet memories and reflections.