Today nominations were announced for the 6th Annual Wicked Awards on fanfiction.net.
And I was honoured and touched by the amount of nominations I recieved, and in some cases, pleasantly surprised!
Thank you to everyone who nominated me or one of my stories. It really means a lot to me that you guys like reading them, and honestly, it's super exciting and humbling to even be nominated.
Here is the link to the full list of nominations, but as per request by a friend, who asked "which categories/stories are you nominated in for when I go to vote?" here is my list:
Best Author
Best Angst Author
Best AU (Out of the Blue)
Best Drabble/Oneshot (Public Enemy Number One) [This was the pleasant surprise, but I'm thrillified!]
Best General (You've Got Mail)
Best Fiyeraba (Stranger to Myself)
(Out of the Blue)
(You've Got Mail)
(40 Weeks)
Best Overall Fic (Out of the Blue)
(Stranger to Myself)
(You've Got Mail)
Thank you again to everyone who nominated me! You all totally made my day!
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
People in History I'm Thankful To
There's a lot of things we take for granted, living in the 21st Century. Especially Generation Y- like the internet. Technology. Not dying of the plague/measles/TB, you get my drift.
And whoever realised using leeches on sick people was a bad idea? I can not express enough words of gratitude.
So I thought a good way to start off 2013 was to thank the people that have created or led the way to things in life that I am a fan of. From the little things to the big things that I hold dear in my life.
So here we go: [Please Note: The identity of all these people is not actually known. I'm just putting good thoughts out in the universe].
1. The person who thought of hot showers: Who ever it was who first realised warm water was a lot more comfortable to bathe in than cold water, thank you! Heat= Good. Especially in winter, nothing beats a hot shower/bath (I am aware some people don't like baths, because to quote my sister "it's like bathing in your own filth". She would not have survived a few hundred years ago).
Enough said, really. Am I right?
4. The first person who hugged someone: I like hugs. I love hugs. I don't get enough hugs. I am aware not everyone feels this way (when my grandfather died I tried to hug my sister and she punched me in the stomach- literally).
But I love them. They're comforting. When it's cold in winter, they keep you warm for a moment, and they're medically good for you! (Thank you, Grey's Anatomy for that fun fact!)
And I'm pretty sure hugging has been around since the beginning of time. But I'm also pretty sure many things were around at the beginning of time (or later) that we don't do anymore (see mention of leeches, above). But I'm really glad hugging stuck it out.
Especially in this day and age, when there's so much political correctness over who to hug, when to hug, how to hug, how long to hug for... you get the point.
Actually, one of the great things about moving out for the first time last year, was that I got more hugs from my family and friends. (And more "I love you's" but that's a different point).
So whoever first hugged another person, thank you. And on a similar notion- I enjoy this guy's thinking. There needs to be more hugs in the world!
6. Jack Dorsey: (Yes, we're up to the people who's names I know now). Who is Jack Dorsey, you may ask? He is the Mark Zuckerberg of Twitter... in other words, the guy who created it.
Now, I have Facebook and have since 2008. It's enabled me to keep in touch with people from high school and university, find people from primary school, and people who similarly "like" everything from Wicked: The musical to Sizzler's Cheesy Toast (am I right? Delicious).
But for some reason, I really latched onto Twitter in 2009 (I think.I'm a little fuzzy on dates). And 26, 572 tweets later, I am on it a lot.
Why? Well, confession: I joined twitter because I knew some of my favourite celebrities had accounts (Delta Goodrem and Rove, mostly at the time). And it mostly stayed there for a while. Then I started making friends on twitter. Then I made more. Then I got a tweet from Alyson Hannigan (American Pie, Buffy, How I met your mother) for my 20th birthday.
Since then, I've been lucky enough to get tweets from a few celebrities and heaps of Australian theatre people. Most importantly, I have the most amazing friends all over the world. And getting to have conversations over social media with people on the other side of the world who are reading my Wicked fanfiction and saying lovely things, makes me feel incredibly blessed.
And now I'm being followed by Greg Page, the original Yellow Wiggle. We've come a long way, my friends.
7. JK Rowling: Seriously, if you don't know who this is.... you don't deserve these words. I was 10 years old when my mum caught an interview with Jo (she lets her fans can call her Jo- it's a thing) not long before Goblet of Fire came out, and she and my Dad bought me the first two books.
In hindsight, this was interesting. My parents had never read or heard of Harry Potter before this interview, and were not of the habit of buying me two books for no reason in the middle of the year. Usually it was "wait until Christmas/birthday and ask for it then). So, it must have been fate.
Because I fell immediately in love with the Wizarding World and Hogwarts. I saw bits of me in Harry, and a lot of me in Hermione. And the rest is history.
It is funny though, that my parents would never buy me any Harry Potter merchandise, thinking I'd grow out of it and then be stuck with all this stuff. Yet here it is, 13 years later and I'm still a fan. Dude, I just got through bragging that a (now former *sob*) Wiggle follows me on Twitter. You don't think a 7 series books about the ultimate battle between good and evil is going to stand the test of time? Who looks silly now?
But honestly, Harry Potter has led me to some amazing friends. I've learned a lot (I once guessed a question about animals right at a trivia night because it was asking about "lupines". Lupine= Lupin. See that?). And it never, never, never gets old no matter how many times you read it. And I have read it a lot.
Harry has been there for me through everything. And I'm pretty sure it always will be. I'm so grateful Jo got this random idea on a train one day and decided to write it down.
8. Stephen Schwartz: I know what people are going to say. If I'm about to go on a spiel about how I'm grateful for Wicked, shouldn't I be thanking Gregory Maguire instead? Because if there was no book, there'd be no musical.
This is true. However... I didn't really like the book. If before I knew the musical existed, someone had handed me the book and said "Hey, you like The Wizard of Oz. (I do). Read this book called Wicked."
I would not have liked it. I may not have even finished it, and just been stuck on my initial reaction of "what the actual hell?"
The book was kinda weird. And depressing.
The musical is happy (well, the ending is that kind of bittersweet happy, but still). It is funny. And has many Wizard of Oz references. And has Defying Gravity. And the characterisation of Elphaba is different. Several times in the show, I saw myself in Elphaba. That never happened reading the book.
And everything I love Wicked for, is because of Stephen Schwartz. And it's not just that I've made many friends through Wicked (I have- thank you, Jack Dorsey!), or it's inspired over 20 Wicked fanfictions (see #5), or that I now know, admire, have met and have tweets from many Australian (and international) theatre actors; but the fact that every time something new grabs me. It still speaks to me, still moves me.
I don't know a single person who even if they saw but didn't like the show (and who are these people, really?), was not awed and moved by Defying Gravity.
What people in history are you guys thankful for?
And whoever realised using leeches on sick people was a bad idea? I can not express enough words of gratitude.
So I thought a good way to start off 2013 was to thank the people that have created or led the way to things in life that I am a fan of. From the little things to the big things that I hold dear in my life.
So here we go: [Please Note: The identity of all these people is not actually known. I'm just putting good thoughts out in the universe].
1. The person who thought of hot showers: Who ever it was who first realised warm water was a lot more comfortable to bathe in than cold water, thank you! Heat= Good. Especially in winter, nothing beats a hot shower/bath (I am aware some people don't like baths, because to quote my sister "it's like bathing in your own filth". She would not have survived a few hundred years ago).
Fun Fact: Did you know that brides started carrying bouquets when they got married in the 14th century to cover up BO? People didn't bathe that much, but they would in May. So June was the month for weddings, because people still smelt relatively OK by then.
2. The person who first made chocolate: I used to have a T-shirt that said "Save the Earth- it's the only planet that has chocolate" It was a case of "that's funny, because it's true." Well, to be fair, we don't know if another planet has chocolate... or maybe there's a planet made of chocolate...that would be awesome.... Sorry, having visions of that Simpsons clip about chocolate land!
The internet (i.e. Wikipedia) tells me that chocolate appeared around 1100 BC by the Aztecs, and then the Europeans sweetened it with sugar and fat. So to that little Aztec person who first picked up a cocoa bean and said "let's eat this"- Thank you! Where would I be without you?
I would be hungry. And we would be short a food group. (Chocolate is a food group, right?)
3. The first person to play music: Music is the soundtrack to our lives... which sounds incredibly cheesy, I know, but it's true! How many times can you associate a song with a memory before anything else? How many times have you put song lyrics as your Facebook status, because they say it way better than you ever could? How many songs are in your iTunes library, just because you heard it somewhere and it got stuck in your head until you had to buy it?
And sometimes getting a song in your head is not helpful, or the song that randomly pops in to visit makes no sense to the situation/conversation at all (e.g. I had 'Popular' from Wicked stuck in my head during the intermission of Annie. No clue why). What's worse is when it's only a few lines of the song that go around and around your head until you want to scream, because you just can't remember what comes after "I threw a wish in a well/don't ask me I'll never tell/I looked to you as I fell/ And now you're in my way."
But how does that ABBA song go?
And I've often wondered, how did it all start?
Who found out that nothing can capture a heart
Like a melody can?
Well, whoever it was, I'm a fan
Enough said, really. Am I right?
4. The first person who hugged someone: I like hugs. I love hugs. I don't get enough hugs. I am aware not everyone feels this way (when my grandfather died I tried to hug my sister and she punched me in the stomach- literally).
But I love them. They're comforting. When it's cold in winter, they keep you warm for a moment, and they're medically good for you! (Thank you, Grey's Anatomy for that fun fact!)
And I'm pretty sure hugging has been around since the beginning of time. But I'm also pretty sure many things were around at the beginning of time (or later) that we don't do anymore (see mention of leeches, above). But I'm really glad hugging stuck it out.
Especially in this day and age, when there's so much political correctness over who to hug, when to hug, how to hug, how long to hug for... you get the point.
Actually, one of the great things about moving out for the first time last year, was that I got more hugs from my family and friends. (And more "I love you's" but that's a different point).
So whoever first hugged another person, thank you. And on a similar notion- I enjoy this guy's thinking. There needs to be more hugs in the world!
5. Whoever decided fanfiction was not weird and was an actual thing: The first time I used to dream out alternate endings to my favourite books in my head, making up my own stories, I thought I was weird. It wasn't until I was in Year 12 that I realised it was an actual thing. People were writing these down and other people were reading them. It had a name. Well, I felt relieved.
Fanfiction gets an unfair stigma for either being thought of as poorly written stuff by 12 year olds, or things like 50 Shades of Grey. And yes, there is much of that, in both categories. There is countless stories for every pairing you can imagine and think "who writes this stuff?" There is, apparently, thousands of fics where the heroine (who bares a striking and uncanny resemblance to the author) meets a celebrity who falls madly in love with them at first sight and they live happily ever after. Personally, I've never understood how people can write fictional stories about real people. But that's just me.
But there is good stuff there- if you can find it. And there's times it seems the more popular a fandom becomes, the more the quality of fanfiction available within that fandom drops.
But I've made some great friends through fanfiction. It's a great way to practice writing within different genres, rather than creating a whole new world and getting people to invest in that. And it's a great way to answer those unanswered questions readers/viewers have (what happened after Elphaba and Fiyero left Oz in Wicked? What if Quinn had never gotten pregnant on Glee? What if Bella had picked Jacob instead of Edward? You get my point).
That being said, I still haven't told my parents I write it.
6. Jack Dorsey: (Yes, we're up to the people who's names I know now). Who is Jack Dorsey, you may ask? He is the Mark Zuckerberg of Twitter... in other words, the guy who created it.
Now, I have Facebook and have since 2008. It's enabled me to keep in touch with people from high school and university, find people from primary school, and people who similarly "like" everything from Wicked: The musical to Sizzler's Cheesy Toast (am I right? Delicious).
But for some reason, I really latched onto Twitter in 2009 (I think.I'm a little fuzzy on dates). And 26, 572 tweets later, I am on it a lot.
Why? Well, confession: I joined twitter because I knew some of my favourite celebrities had accounts (Delta Goodrem and Rove, mostly at the time). And it mostly stayed there for a while. Then I started making friends on twitter. Then I made more. Then I got a tweet from Alyson Hannigan (American Pie, Buffy, How I met your mother) for my 20th birthday.
Since then, I've been lucky enough to get tweets from a few celebrities and heaps of Australian theatre people. Most importantly, I have the most amazing friends all over the world. And getting to have conversations over social media with people on the other side of the world who are reading my Wicked fanfiction and saying lovely things, makes me feel incredibly blessed.
And now I'm being followed by Greg Page, the original Yellow Wiggle. We've come a long way, my friends.
 |
| My inner child is thrilled |
7. JK Rowling: Seriously, if you don't know who this is.... you don't deserve these words. I was 10 years old when my mum caught an interview with Jo (she lets her fans can call her Jo- it's a thing) not long before Goblet of Fire came out, and she and my Dad bought me the first two books.
In hindsight, this was interesting. My parents had never read or heard of Harry Potter before this interview, and were not of the habit of buying me two books for no reason in the middle of the year. Usually it was "wait until Christmas/birthday and ask for it then). So, it must have been fate.
Because I fell immediately in love with the Wizarding World and Hogwarts. I saw bits of me in Harry, and a lot of me in Hermione. And the rest is history.
It is funny though, that my parents would never buy me any Harry Potter merchandise, thinking I'd grow out of it and then be stuck with all this stuff. Yet here it is, 13 years later and I'm still a fan. Dude, I just got through bragging that a (now former *sob*) Wiggle follows me on Twitter. You don't think a 7 series books about the ultimate battle between good and evil is going to stand the test of time? Who looks silly now?
But honestly, Harry Potter has led me to some amazing friends. I've learned a lot (I once guessed a question about animals right at a trivia night because it was asking about "lupines". Lupine= Lupin. See that?). And it never, never, never gets old no matter how many times you read it. And I have read it a lot.
Harry has been there for me through everything. And I'm pretty sure it always will be. I'm so grateful Jo got this random idea on a train one day and decided to write it down.
8. Stephen Schwartz: I know what people are going to say. If I'm about to go on a spiel about how I'm grateful for Wicked, shouldn't I be thanking Gregory Maguire instead? Because if there was no book, there'd be no musical.
This is true. However... I didn't really like the book. If before I knew the musical existed, someone had handed me the book and said "Hey, you like The Wizard of Oz. (I do). Read this book called Wicked."
I would not have liked it. I may not have even finished it, and just been stuck on my initial reaction of "what the actual hell?"
The book was kinda weird. And depressing.
The musical is happy (well, the ending is that kind of bittersweet happy, but still). It is funny. And has many Wizard of Oz references. And has Defying Gravity. And the characterisation of Elphaba is different. Several times in the show, I saw myself in Elphaba. That never happened reading the book.
And everything I love Wicked for, is because of Stephen Schwartz. And it's not just that I've made many friends through Wicked (I have- thank you, Jack Dorsey!), or it's inspired over 20 Wicked fanfictions (see #5), or that I now know, admire, have met and have tweets from many Australian (and international) theatre actors; but the fact that every time something new grabs me. It still speaks to me, still moves me.
I don't know a single person who even if they saw but didn't like the show (and who are these people, really?), was not awed and moved by Defying Gravity.
What people in history are you guys thankful for?
Monday, December 31, 2012
2013
2012 was a massive year for me, for so many reasons and on so many levels. It was the year I lost my grandfather, moved out of home for the first time, my first teaching job, my first overseas trip, the year I got to see Wicked again and met so many cast members I hadn't had the opportunity to meet before...
But this post is all about looking forward to 2013, because that too looks like it'll be a big year- but for different reasons.
But this post is all about looking forward to 2013, because that too looks like it'll be a big year- but for different reasons.
- I'm taking my mum to see Legally Blonde: The musical in January, which is her Christmas present. This will be her first time seeing the show, and my 4th. I'm really hoping she likes it!
- In April, I'm having a week's holiday in Queensland. I like Queensland because it's sunny. And yes, we will be seeing Legally Blonde up there, but that's because we have friends up in Queensland who we want to see the show with. Most people I tell this to, just think it's another Wicked case for me, but it's not. With Wicked I had to see the show again, and I still miss it so much, it's like a drug. Legally Blonde is a great show, the cast is awesome, it's funny and got some great music, but I'm not addicted like I am to Wicked. And I'm pretty excited to go back to Movie World while I'm in QLD!
- May is going to be a crazy month. Kelly and I have tickets to Legally Blonde opening night in Melbourne (and now one of the preview shows too, haha. Kelly knows why I'm laughing at this). This is mostly because we wanted to go to one opening night, and Melbourne's pretty close for both of us. Then it's my 23rd birthday, and 2 days after that, I'll be in Adelaide seeing Driving Miss Daisy, which I can honestly admit I am seeing only because the stars of the play are Angela Lansbury (Mrs Potts from Beauty and the Beast) and James Earl Jones (Mufasa from The Lion King) and I am a Disney nerd, who can't pass up the chance to maybe actually meet them.
- In June, I'm going back to Adelaide to see Idina Menzel!!!!! I still can't believe that. Every time I see a video of her (interview or performance) or listen to her sing Defying Gravity, I just cry. I can't even fathom we're actually going to be seeing her live. Not just because she's the original Elphaba, but because she's amazing and seems like such a nice person.
- Sometime throughout 2013 (we hope) we'll have Delta Goodrem touring (!!!!) and Wicked returning to Sydney, which I will be seeing a lot (Apparently it'll be going back to Melbourne too, but I'm in Sydney, so...). Apparently it'll be a mostly new cast, which makes me a little sad, because our cast is amazing, but I'm also excited to see new people in the roles.
- In December, The Lion King musical is also returning to Sydney, which I'm psyched to see because the last time it was here I was 14 and my parents wouldn't take me, so I missed out.
- I'm also hoping to get a job in 2013, (because money will definitely be required for #1-6) and gain more experience teaching.
Sunday, December 30, 2012
15 Facts About Me
Yet another post inspired by a trending topic on Twitter. So, here are 15 facts about me:
- If I wasn't a teacher, I'd love to be one of those people at Disney who do the research for the movies (yes, this is a thing. I saw it on the Pocahontas DVD). I think that would be the coolest job ever.
- I wrote my first book when I was 6, about Skippy the Bush Kangaroo. I don't still have it, unfortunately. It had pictures...
- I found Nancy Drew, The Diary of Anne Frank and Wicked all through reading other books (and fanfiction, in the case of Wicked).
- Before I ever heard Nina (Delta Goodrem) sing on Neighbours, she was my favourite character because she was quiet, shy, read and got pushed around by other kids. She was the first character on Neighbours I really related to.
- The most I've ever cried during a TV show is on 8 Simple Rules when John Ritter/Paul died. The first time I remember crying watching TV was on Neighbours when Drew died. The first movie I remember crying in was the video of Charlotte's Web when I was 7.
- When the first Harry Potter movie came out, no one besides me wanted to see it, so I convinced my brother by telling him there was a dragon in it (he was obsessed with dinosaurs and dragons at that age). We saw the movie, and then I read the first 2 books to him. I also got him into Twilight by showing him the movie trailer. I'm still working on Wicked. I like sharing the things I love with my family and friends.
- I have a real fear of not being liked, which stems from years of bullying. This covers everyone from friends, family, colleagues, friends of friends, celebrities, my students... yeah. I know, it's pathetic. In my defense, I don't want to constantly wonder if people really like me, it's just habit by this point.
- The point of #7 is that it makes me reluctant to sometimes share my opinion. I also don't like upsetting people or hurting their feelings. Because I've been on the other end too many times.
- I wish my family was closer- including extended family. I especially wish my sister and I were closer. I'd really love to do something just the two of us, but she'd never go for it. I laugh it off, but it hurts.
- I screwed my back up my first year of uni. No idea how, I just woke up one morning and couldn't bend. I couldn't sit or stand, it was awful. The doctor said it was muscle spasm. 4 years later and my back still hurts sitting or standing too long.
- My computer is my life. I actually have no idea what to do with myself without it. Likewise, I don't cope very well not being able to write.
- I have similar movie/book/TV tastes to my mum, but am much closer to my dad in terms of personality. I have my Dad's eyes and nose, but don't really look like either of my parents. My siblings and I all have my dad's nose, and my brother and I have the same eyes. People say me and my sister look alike, but I don't see it. I pretty much look like no one in my family. I've often felt like the black sheep in the family.
- I have more pet peeves/ irritations then I let on. I just hide them because... well, see #7-8.
- My greatest fear is never finding love and having a family. I've been wrestling with it since I was 16.
- I hate, hate, hate change. I'm very nostalgic. I don't cope well, especially with losing touch with people.
Tuesday, December 25, 2012
Merry Christmas
Merry Christmas, everyone!
I hope everyone has a happy holiday.
I'm thinking of my Grandad today, and know a lot of my friends will be thinking of people they've lost this year, so I'm sending good thoughts out to everyone.
Be safe, be happy, and tell me what you got for Christmas!
Just in case anyone's interested, here's what I got:
I hope everyone has a happy holiday.
I'm thinking of my Grandad today, and know a lot of my friends will be thinking of people they've lost this year, so I'm sending good thoughts out to everyone.
Be safe, be happy, and tell me what you got for Christmas!
Just in case anyone's interested, here's what I got:
- Season 1 of Gilmore Girls on DVD
- Season 1 of SMASH on DVD
- The Rescuers Down Under (Disney) on DVD
- A Bug's Life on DVD
- iTunes
- A cinema gift card
- A milkshake maker
- A Vase/candle thingy.
- Chocolate
- A bag
- A bracelet
- Pajamas
I think that's all!
Also, a very Happy Birthday to the amazing Jemma Rix, who turns 28 today! And really, if I have to explain who that is, I don't know you people.
Monday, December 17, 2012
30 Songs on Shuffle
This was another trending topic on twitter a little while ago I thought would be fun!
- Enchanted- Taylor Swift
- Raining Diamonds- Ricki-Lee
- Grown Up Christmas List- Lucy Durack and Rob Mills
- Dear Old Shiz- Wicked
- Knocked Out- Delta Goodrem
- Child of the Universe (Acoustic)- Delta Goodrem
- Finale- Wicked
- Need You Now- Glee
- Asleep on the Wind- Idina Menzel
- Curtain Calls/Tomorrow Reprise- Annie Cast
- Here's to Us- Glee
- My Wild Frontier- Faith Hill
- You Will Only Break My Heart (Live)- Delta Goodrem
- Haunted (Live)- Taylor Swift
- Predictable- Delta Goodrem
- Don't rain on my parade (Live)- Glee
- This is the moment- Anthony Warlow
- O Come All Ye Faithful- Delta Goodrem
- War on love- Delta Goodrem
- New York State of Mind- Glee
- Who Knew- P!nk
- Believe Again- Delta Goodrem
- Have a little faith in me- Mandy Moore
- The Wizard and I- Wicked Australia (Jemma Rix)
- Sparks Fly (Live)- Taylor Swift
- Thank Goodness- Wicked
- Possessionless- Delta Goodrem
- We Can- Leann Rimes
- Suddenly- Leann Rimes
- Fragile- Delta Goodrem
To My Students
Dear Students,
So, we've come to the end of the school year, my first year of teaching and my only year with you guys as your teacher.
And I can admit, in some ways, I'm happy to be leaving. Nothing to do with you guys, but living without shops, movies, city access and being so isolated from my family and friends hasn't been easy.
But I wanted to say thank you. You guys have made my first year of teaching... memorable to say the least :P I've gotten to know you all pretty well, and I'm so glad I did, because you're all great kids. And I really, really mean that.
Even the kids in the school that I didn't actually teach (i.e. primary school kids), I can say you are all lovely people and you made me feel so welcome from the very beginning.
The words "Panda Cheese" and "manufactured pop" will always remind me of my Yr 11 boys (sorry, Year 12 now), and I'd really like to thank you two boys, because even when I was having the worst day, you two could always put a smile on my face. Thanks for every time you dropped by just to say "hi" or called out "Hi, Miss!" as you passed me in the street. Sometimes it's the little things that get you through the day.
For my junior girls, we had some really great conversations in our classes and I got to do some really fun classroom activities with you two, which I hope you enjoyed as much as I did!
I'm really proud of what you guys have learned this year, even though I feel like you haven't yet quite reached your full potential!
And to those that came and left throughout the year, thank you for also adding something to my first year of teaching! It was really great getting to know you all as well.
So I wanted to write this (also, my 100th post- I saved it for a special occasion), just to say thank you for making my first year of teaching so special. I will genuinely miss you guys!
All I can say is this:
Yes, it's from Wicked but it's true. I learned a lot from you guys, and hopefully you learned a thing or two from me! And I was super proud to be your teacher, and I'll always remember you guys as my first students.
You are all capable of doing really well and working really hard. Remember that.
Sincerely, Miss Eades
So, we've come to the end of the school year, my first year of teaching and my only year with you guys as your teacher.
And I can admit, in some ways, I'm happy to be leaving. Nothing to do with you guys, but living without shops, movies, city access and being so isolated from my family and friends hasn't been easy.
But I wanted to say thank you. You guys have made my first year of teaching... memorable to say the least :P I've gotten to know you all pretty well, and I'm so glad I did, because you're all great kids. And I really, really mean that.
Even the kids in the school that I didn't actually teach (i.e. primary school kids), I can say you are all lovely people and you made me feel so welcome from the very beginning.
The words "Panda Cheese" and "manufactured pop" will always remind me of my Yr 11 boys (sorry, Year 12 now), and I'd really like to thank you two boys, because even when I was having the worst day, you two could always put a smile on my face. Thanks for every time you dropped by just to say "hi" or called out "Hi, Miss!" as you passed me in the street. Sometimes it's the little things that get you through the day.
For my junior girls, we had some really great conversations in our classes and I got to do some really fun classroom activities with you two, which I hope you enjoyed as much as I did!
I'm really proud of what you guys have learned this year, even though I feel like you haven't yet quite reached your full potential!
- Boys, I'm really proud how well you guys took to the concept of "voyeurism" and still remembered it well after the topic was over- even if you did say that Psycho had "the worst acting you've ever seen" (except for Twilight).
- I got one girl interseted in The Diary of Anne Frank and the other in Pride and Prejudice, and you can both now say you've seen Tangled, The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin. (As a 90's child and Disney nerd, you don't know how upsetting this was to me. Or maybe you do, given my reaction when this was revealed).
- I'm really, really proud that all 4 of you (and a few more!) now know Wicked, and that R can tell the difference between "animals" and "Animals", and that S knows the significance of "Fae" and that you guys know the names of "Fiyero" (not my duckling) and "Elphaba" (although R and M will probably always refer to her as She-Hulk).
- You have also been thoroughly educated on Delta Goodrem's music, much to the happiness of the boys :) (You're welcome :P)
- And I'm proud that I had to give away multiple copies of the Wicked soundtrack and David Harris's albums :)
And to those that came and left throughout the year, thank you for also adding something to my first year of teaching! It was really great getting to know you all as well.
So I wanted to write this (also, my 100th post- I saved it for a special occasion), just to say thank you for making my first year of teaching so special. I will genuinely miss you guys!
All I can say is this:
Yes, it's from Wicked but it's true. I learned a lot from you guys, and hopefully you learned a thing or two from me! And I was super proud to be your teacher, and I'll always remember you guys as my first students.
You are all capable of doing really well and working really hard. Remember that.
Sincerely, Miss Eades
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