All Shall Know the Wonder

I am living on a high from this weekend.

First off, a number of my teaching friends and colleagues made our way to Nashville yesterday for a public protest rally against all of the negative legislation facing our education system. It had been pouring rain all morning. It never stopped throughout the day. That did not stop us. There were about 5000 or more protesters that braved mother nature's test. We began at Bicentennial Park and walked down the streets of Nashville up to the Legislative Plaza. It was incredible when we got to stop traffic as we marched. People were honking horns, waving at us, thanking us for being teachers, etc.

The protest rally lasted about 2 1/2 hours. There were many speakers at the podium. What I found amazing was all of the groups of non-teachers who attended the rally to show their support. Even the President of the National Education Association flew in for the rally.

All in all, it was a great rally. I hope that our legislators take notice of all the people who were at the rally in support of our teachers and were against all this negative legislation.

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What has put me on the highest high is the fact I got to see the national tour of Spring Awakening last night. I had a FRONT ROW seat to the show. Yes, I have seen the show before (3 times in fact)! Yes, I know the story line. Yes, I know EVERY word to EVERY song in the musical. So, I was almost shaking as the show began.

The actors and actresses did NOT disappoint. In fact, I think I enjoyed this cast more than any other I have seen before. There was also something about being front row and center! I got to sing along and stomp the floor throughout the entire show. I noticed a few of the cast members caught me singing along throughout the show. It felt as though I was part of the show. I will admit, when Moritz commits suicide I found myself cry a bit. I just got a bit emotional.

One of the most fun moments was during the song, Totally F@^%ed. The actor playing Melchior got right up in my face. I couldn't help but laugh as I continued to sing. I also loved the scene between Ernst and Hanschen. They were both sitting right in front of me as the scene played out.

However, the moment I will never forget is the last scene, Song of Purple Summer. It is the scene that gives me goosebumps every time I hear and see it performed. The entire cast comes out and they are all just smiling. They eventually make their way into a line at the very front edge of the stage. There I was singing right along. Several of the cast members and I caught each other's eyes, and a got a smile from two of them as I sang with them.

Okay, I am a sucker for a good show. Spring Awakening is one of my favorite musicals, and this tour was truly incredible. I left wanting to go back for more. In fact, I am already online today looking to see it again next week. We will see how that goes.