Experience of a Lifetime

So, the absolute coolest thing...I got to play the tabernacle organ in Salt Lake City on Temple Square!!! Yes, the actual organ. 11,000+ pipes and all! I played 2 verses of Redeemer of Israel. I didn't set the stops myself. I am getting better with registration but the tabernacle organ isn't just any organ (duh). First verse was principals and reeds, second verse added a mixture. We got to go through the pipes and see the different styles and shapes and sizes of all of the pipes. We also got to look through the antiphonal organ (the one where the pipes sound from the back of the tabernacle). Playing the antiphonal ranks was crazy. When you play a scale, the pipes are sounding about 2 notes behind what you are playing. The purpose would be for special effects or for congregational singing (to keep everyone together). I also learned that the organist is the one who is in charge of changing the colors of the background lights. As if they don't have enough to keep track of!

We also got to see the huge blower for the air that goes into the pipes. The air has to be brought to the right temperature, pressure, and humidity before it goes into the organ. The barometric pressure is actually what makes the organ go out of tune more than the temperature. The organ goes through a complete tuning twice a year and during the rest of the year as needed. I bet I can think of a chemistry problem...gas laws anyone?

Bottom line...one of the best musical experiences of my life. Just to think of history housed in the tabernacle and the spirit found there is awesome. And to think that I got a chance to play!

Being Single with a Blog

I've had a great time catching up on the lives of friends and old roomates who have "grown up"...married, had children, moved away... I truly love seeing pictures and video clips of their families. At the same time, I wonder if I should even bother to keep a blog. I don't have cute kids to show off, wedding pictures to post, or even a boyfriend. My life revolves around work and my students. Even I get sick of talking about work all the time. I am not a creative or funny thinker or writer- so there's no point in reading my blog for entertainment value. So sometimes I wonder why I have a blog in the first place.

Student Tales

I've spent the past five months working at Sylvan Learning Center teaching math, algebra, SAT prep and working with some students on homework support. It's been a great opportunity to build personal relationships with students. I've seen one eighth grader come begin her program not knowing any multiplication facts progress through long division and fractions. I am so proud of her! She invited me to watch her debate at school. She's the kind of kid that could easily get lost in the school system so I was so happy to see her excited about school activites!

Another one of my students wins the prize for most smiley person I have ever met. He is shy and speaks with a quiet voice. I love to work with him because he is a sponge. He loves to learn and sometimes I can even get him to giggle! He never wants to leave when his lesson is over and he asks if he can come home with me. He even volunteers to ride on top of my car. He is awesome.

I teach pre-algebra to an autistic student. He never really has much to say, but he has a wonderful sense of humor. One day he sat tapping out melodies on his calculator. It was barely noticeable but gave everyone at the table a smile. He is learning to work with positive and negative numbers. I told him about the nightmare dream I had in middle school when I was struggling with positive and negative numbers. He thought it was the silliest thing he'd every heard. I warned him that some day he will have the same nightmare- so now he gives me the report every time he sees me. (Still no nightmare)

I have learned so much by getting to know my students on a more personal level. They come in each day eager to tell me about their latest boyfriend, the basketball tournament, their vacation...yesterday, one student even told me about running over a coyote with a swather! I love connecting with my students!

Scientist or Teacher?

That's the 64,000 dollar question. It has been a strangely liberating experience to be free of the ball and chain of academic science. I spent one semester in a neuroscience Ph.D. program and I decided to call it quits a few weeks into my second semester. Why, you ask? Isn't getting a Ph.D. full of glamor and glory? Absolutely not. In the first place, I was in the program to eventually teach at a university. After spending a semester pretending I was concerned about the statistical significance of a microscopic red spot on a confocal image of the parafasicular nucleus of a rat brain, I realized that my talents lie elsewhere. I am glad someone is concerned about the infinitely small details of human life, but I'd rather be explaining those details to eager young minds.

It turns out I have the heart of a teacher. Yes, my teaching has a lot of room for improvement, but that will come with practice. I feel as if a huge burden has been lifted as I have walked away from my Ph.D.- and not the burden of heavy textbooks! I no longer have to prove to anyone that I am "smart". For the first time in my life, my identity is no longer tied up in my academic performance. Maybe it takes a massive detour to prove you were going the right way the first time.