TETA K-12 Committee
Middle School At-Large
k12.msatlarge@tetatx.com
Hello to all of my middle school “peeps” out there! I just wanted to touch base with all of you, and give you some information in this crazy time of testing, end-of-the-year play preparation, and “Dear God, but Spring Break will NEVER get here quickly enough!” First off is this: SUMMERFEST IS COMING! For all of you that have experienced the AWESOMENESS of it, I am preaching to the choir. But for all of you newbies to SummerFest, I want to fill you in on a little secret: Summer is where you get what you need to start off the school year. Summer is where you meet the fellow teachers who will be your lifeline and shoulder to cry on, the people who you need to network with to know about costumes, props, scripts, and the people who will give you great ideas to REIGNITE YOUR SPARK when it currently feels like it is barely staying lit with the chaos of this time of year. I am looking forward to it! As a Baptist preacher’s kid, we always had these things called “revivals” (or in our home, “vacation money” because Dad was always preaching them)...I am telling you that if you come to Summerfest, YOU WILL BE REVIVED!!!!
Make your plans now…if your school district doesn’t pay for it, start setting aside some money now. It is not that expensive for what you get from it…and dorms are pretty cheap! Also, there are quite a few inexpensive hotel options (and if you join the Summerfest facebook page, you just might find a roomie to share the hotel costs with!) if a dorm is not where you see yourself being. IT IS WORTH EVERY PENNY!
Second, and MOST IMPORTANTLY: do you know of a fellow teacher that re-ignites your spark? That is there for you when you need inspiration, ideas, or someone to keep you from screaming “NEVERMORE” and running for the hills when that “one class” has pushed you far enough? That teacher that is your cheerleader, or that you think has done something very special with their program? Well…NOMINATE THEM FOR EDUCATOR OF THE YEAR!!!! Info and forms can be found on the TETA website. Yes, it may seem a little daunting at first, but it really isn’t that bad…and it is wonderful to be recognized by our peers (when it doesn’t always come from the folks at school). Take the time…give back to our organization….recognize an AWESOME THEATRE TEACHER…because that is what TETA is made up of….AWESOME THEATRE TEACHERS!!! Good luck with the rest of the year…just remember, it is a downhill slide from here!