A Break in the Ice...

9/22/08

A dramatic shift has occurred, where others around me are open to my presence and eager to share with me who they are and what their passions are. Last week was a period of uncertainty and just simply the sight of me was enough for people to lose their train of thought and cast a double take. Now I am building relationships. I am unearthing layers of formalness and greetings. Now, my neighbors and colleagues are beginning to become real humans. We laugh. We embrace one another. We have fun together. I was eagerly awaiting the moment when this would happen. It is here!

I brought a freshly baked batch of twenty brownies to school which quickly evaporated amongst the ten educators bold enough to sample my cooking. I was immediately approached by a colleague, anxious to learn the recipe to share with her children. She impatiently invited herself over to myself afterschool and mentioned that she would also need assistance with an assignment from her University studies (nearly every single educator in South Africa is taking college courses or classes towards their certification and to become highly qualified).

By the time she arrived that afternoon, fresh coffee was “brewing” inside my French Press and soft jazz music was setting the atmosphere in the background (gotta love Thelonious Monk). Sweet lavender incense offered a calming fragrance to the ambiance. The energy was inviting and the scene was set! In entered, not one, but two educators from two of my schools. “My audience is growing,” I thought to myself.

After our greetings and small talk concluded, we began baking! Laughing, dancing, and joking we mixed the ingredients, formed, and baked 36 delicious, chewy, chocolaty cookies! It was a hit! This successful baking adventure spring boarded into a mini workshop on positive reinforcement ideas, behavior management strategies, and a slew of other teaching techniques in the classroom. I turned down the blaring jazz music and created a quick PowerPoint presentation to highlight specific points. The discussions that were generated left me spellbound. I was dazzled by the questions and concerns. “At this pace, anything is possible! We can move mountains,” I quietly imagined.

After a five hour session, the sun was beginning to set and my guests prepared their belongings to depart. As I walked them to the gate, a flash of goose bumps rushed across my skin. I was speechless at the events that just transpired.