WOW

Our Russian visitors performed a cultural concert for us this morning. The full school assembled in our sports hall (hence the dreadful colour balance) for what turned out to by 80 minutes of pure unadulterated entertainment.

We were treated to Russian folk dances, pop songs, cheerleading, gymnastics, circus acts and then their take on other cultural dances such as the Tango, oriental and arabian dance and finally a Scottish Ceilidh.

The girl with the hula hoops was just awesome.

The oriental dancer who then shifted into arabian/belly dancing caused a great deal of attention to be paid by a significant number of the audience - to say they perked up a little might be understating it!

What struck me most I am not sure - whether it was the finesse and polish with which our Russian contigent executed all aspects of their routines or whether it was the rapt attention that our students gave, the rapturous applause and the sharp intakes of breath of an assembled audience of 600 students when feats of acrobatics, flexibility and technical expertise were displayed.

Either way, it was exhilarating and impressive.

840 pictures later....

Then into the reality of teaching. An opportunity today to praise a student who has been led off the path in recent weeks, but the removal of one specific influence caused him to refocus today and engage with me without argument and disruption. That felt good.

I also experienced a state of being which I think is called "being speechless" - it doesn't happen often - when I clearly and very logically explained a situation to a youngster, it was indisputable, but he still challenged me with "But how do you KNOW". I had no words - it took me all of my energy to tell him to go away. Sometimes, defeat in the short term has to be accepted in order to win the battle in the long term. It will happen. Eventually. Hell might freeze over first though.

Ibuprofen and mulled wine is assisting with dodgy right hand again.

Now, bed.

Night
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