We had a cultural event at school yesterday. There was a group of aboriginal dancers who came to put on a performance for us. I'm quite a nag when it comes to performances. I insist that my students give the performers the utmost respect. I figure when someone has put hours or days or even weeks into putting together a show, they deserve to have a quiet audience that shows appreciation appropriately.
Anyway, when one of my students decided to continually whisper to his friends during the dance, I kicked him off the bench he was sitting on and made him sit on the floor. Now here's the part I thought was pretty cool (I hope he doesn't read this!). As soon as he was demoted from "good view/ king of the castle" bench seating to the floor, one of his friends slid off the bench and joined him on the floor. Then another one did and eventually there were four friends sitting on the floor, supporting their dethroned chum. They weren't talking, they were watching (as much as they could from their lowly position) with great respect. I had to walk away a bit so they wouldn't see me smiling. I have to admire friends who stick with their amigos through thick and thin. It's a true sign of friendship when your bfs not only support you when everything is rosy and fun, but also when it involves getting into uncomfortable situations just to show you have their back. You have to love seeing friendship in action! A.
(Good to have you back, J. Missed you!)
