Good Friends

Today in 5-1, we had the great privilege of being visited by two guests, mother and son. Jill and Michael Pitz came today. Michael was the first of hopefully several guest-readers we are going to have throughout the remainder of this school year.

First, he told the kids about his life going from Carmel High School down to IU this fall. Michael is a former student. I knew him first (I'm pretty sure) through doing karate, and he told the kids about his experience in getting his black belt when he was in fifth grade, getting into student government, running track, playing basketball, and everything else he did--he did a lot of stuff--over the past ten years or so.

He read the book After the Fall, which won the Caldecott Medal, and is about Humpty Dumpty overcoming his fears and learning to climb back up the wall after his fall. 

Then, in case all the kids were wondering exactly where his talent and determination came from, his mom talked to the kids about the harp and its 47 strings, the pedals, and the physics of the harp--much more complicated than I would have guessed, personally...

And then she started to play. I loved watching the faces on the kids when she did. They were transfixed. So was I, and I've heard her play many times before. People from the hallway started coming in to watch and listen too. She played "Beauty and the Beast", and the followed that up with "Eleanor Rigby".

Then, she asked the kids who wanted to come up and strum the strings. I loved how each time a kid went up and did so, it sounded different. 

But the most different was when Gaby, who is a harpist herself, sat down to play. She treated us to a very different sound than when Mrs. Pitz played, but every bit as beautiful and haunting. She played "Scarborough Fair" by Simon and Garfunkle. We were all impressed by hearing Gaby pluck at those strings--and I now have an idea for a future guest back in Area 51.

I have been teaching for a long time now, and it's great to see the layers of my years of teaching stacking up and paying off more than I could have ever expected.

Thanks so much, Michael and Jill. It meant so much to the kids that you were able to come, and even more to me personally. 

By the way, there are three more people in the Pitz family...now I just need to figure out when we can get them in here.