Friends:

It has been a wonderful two weeks visiting all the classrooms of the school where I am the teaching artist-in-residence. I feel like I have truly made deep connections with the students and the teachers.

Today was bittersweet, because it was so wonderful and because it was my last day to visit the classes. My day couldn’t have gone any better if I had planned it that way. My second grade class was as sweet as sugar cane! They had a blast listening to “Pulling Up the Sweet Potato” and “The Cajun Cornbread Boy.” Then we did a cumulative round game that I wrote called “Pile It on the Pie A Mile High.” The students had to think of Louisiana foods to add to the top of the pie as the song went on. It was so much fun because we made mistakes! What a beautiful bunch of children!

My third grade class was fabulously prepared. Their teacher worked with them on the side to rehearse. And it showed. They were so prepared, working completely without their scripts! Their performance is going to ROCK! I can’t wait to see it! Great job, Ms. G (my fellow chocoholic)!

My fourth grade class (the very same one that was a huge challenge the other day) did a great job with their rehearsal. I was such a joy to see the students finally working together to create a piece of which they could be proud. There are a lot of chatter boxes but this class is full of bright, creative children who can accomplish a lot when they put their minds to it. One of my most challenging students (the one who received a behavior report the other day) shone “on stage” when she performed. It gave me goosebumps to see her succeed like that. Afterwards, she hugged me and asked me when I was coming back to the class. It was one of those “Wow” moments.

Today was the school’s Black History luncheon. All the teachers contributed a dish. Talk about delicious! I strayed from my healthy eating habits to splurge on lunch – fried chicken, the creamiest homemade mac-n-cheese, spinach artichoke dip, and the most delectable cabbage and smoked sausage casserole! I really felt like part of the family, laughing at the table with my new friends and sharing their food.

After lunch, I saw Pre-K. What a delightful group of students!!!!! (Ms. S – you are a rockin’ teacher!) The children, teachers, and I had the best time! After I told “The Cajun Cornbread Boy,” one of the students nicknamed me “Cayenne Dianne.” It was hilarious. We laughed so hard that my stomach hurt and my make-up ran. It was one of those moments filled with abundant joy. I love laughing so hard that it sounds like your soul is bubbling to the top. Thank you, Ms. S and Ms. L for a “spicy” time!

My fifth grade class did a great job with their rehearsal. They still needed some direction but, over all, they were fine. Afterward, we even had time for a little fun and played “Pile It on the Pie A Mile High.” I look forward to their performance tomorrow!

The teacher who wrote the grant to bring me to the school filled out an evaluation form for me for another grant I am working on. This is what she said (it brought tears to my eyes)… It was one of the highlights of my day!

“Dianne has been able to captivate our students from three year olds to fifth graders. Her age-appropriate stories have sparked creativity across all grade levels. The teachers have stopped me in the halls to thank me for making sure she was in our grant! They have been very impressed by her abilities.”

But I have to say that my favorite part of the day was receiving a gift from today’s second grade class. I was moved to tears by their gift. Look at this card – the grapes are made with the students’ fingerprints!

The students wrote letters to accompany the humongous card they gave me. And the letters weren’t form letters either – they came from the students’ hearts! Ms. K – you have class!! (pun totally intended… LOL) Here are some of the letters:

“Dear Ms. Dianne, thank you for coming to our school. I loved the Cornbread Boy. I enjoyed the Sweet Potato Story. My favorite part in the Cornbread Boy story was ‘a jump, a skip, and a hop.’ Also, I was fond of dancing with the scarves. I like when we were putting our scarves down and up. I hope you can come back to our class. Love, Mikala”

“Dear Ms. Dianne, Thank you for coming to our school. I liked the cockroach story. I liked the cockroach story because it was funny. Also, I enjoyed Cornbread Boy. I loved the part when the cornbread boy did a triple back flip off of the alligator’s head. I hope you can come back next year and join us again. Love, Vernay”

“Dear Ms. Dianne, Thank you Ms. Dianne for coming to our class. I enjoyed the Pile it on the Pie song. I liked it when it started getting confusing. Also, I loved when you said, Run run as fast as you can! You can’t catch me, I’m full of cayenne. I hope you come back next year. I hope you keep writing stories. Sincerely, Tanlon”

“Dear Ms. Dianne, Thank you for the two fun days. I enjoyed the cockroach story because you sneezed on us. Also, I liked dancing with the scarves. My favorite part was going in circles. We hope you come back next year. Love, Hallie P.S. You smell like vanilla ice cream.”

and one that truly tickled me…

“Dear Ms. Dianne, Thank you for the good times. I loved the cockroach story. I liked when you sneezed on people. Also, I enjoyed dancing with the scarves when we had to bring the scarves up. I hope you can come back next year. What do you take a bath with? I love you. Love, Dwayne”

A side note: Students in all of my classes have been commenting, “You smell so good, Ms. Dianne.” The students have told me that I smell like cotton candy, blueberries, vanilla, strawberries, ice cream, and vanilla ice cream! It’s so funny!

It’s nearly 2:30 am and I have a big day tomorrow — my third, fourth, and fifth graders perform! Yay! Lower grades and parents will be watching. I have been up late preparing treats for my students (autographed pictures and medals or friendship bracelets in pretty bags) and teachers. The students who perform without a script will receive a special treat from me. I hope I have to give out every treat bag! Wish my students luck!

Until next time… Happy Tales to You!

Warmly, Dianne

Friends:

It was another happy day at school. The morning began with the school on “lock down.” Third, fourth and fifth grade classes were engaged in interval testing to prepare them for their big standardized testing next month. Fortunately, my first class was second grade. What a delightful group of students. They listened so intently to all my stories. Because the other adjacent classes were testing, I decided not to do the scarf music activity (too noisy). Instead, I treated the students to an extra story they had not heard before. I told “The Ghost of Jean Lafitte” and they loved it, huddling close together as the suspense in the story grew. I told them that they were the only class to hear that story and they were ecstatic.

It was my last rehearsal with one of my third grade classes. They were PHENOMENAL. Their teacher, an absolute gem, took extra time to rehearse with them so they all worked without their scripts! I was in seventh heaven. Unfortunately, I forgot the SD card for my camera and the pictures from my cell phone didn’t come out well. The class worked so quickly through their rehearsal that we had time for a fun activity so we did one of my story round games called “Pile It On the Pie A Mile High.” I adapted it to feature Louisiana foods and it was so much fun. The round can be found in my Story Collection under “Story Stretchers, Story Games and Story Puzzles.” Great job, third graders! Their teacher even treated me to some yummy Ghiradelli chocolate and I shared some of my favorite “chocolate” books with the class such as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The Chocolate Touch, Chocolate Fever and The Candy War.

One of my fourth grade classes used my story “The Emperor’s Dragon” from Handmade Tales when they did a unit on dragons. It was so cool to see the students’ dragons, inspired by my drawing and story!

I can’t believe my residency is winding down. Friday is my last day. It will be an exciting day because my third, fourth, and fifth graders are performing! I can’t wait. Working at this school has been a tremendous joy. I have fallen in love with the teachers, staff and students of this school. The teachers are so engaged with their students;  I can see that they still love teaching. I’ve been receiving wonderful feedback from the teachers on my visit so I hope I’ll be visiting again soon!

Until I write again… Laissez les bon temps rouler! Let the good times roll!

Warmly,  Dianne

Friends,

At the end of this week, on Friday, my 3rd, 4th and 5th grade students will perform their “Louisiana Story Fest.” Each grade will perform for each other as well as lower grades and parents. Each class is performing a Louisiana folktale that I have adapted into a story theater script just for that class.

I began the day with a fantastic 3rd grade class performing “Take Care of my Cabbage.” The students cooperated and collaborated to create a wonderful performance. The chorus was right on and my storytellers were expressive and worked without their scripts. This was their first full rehearsal! I beamed with pride. Here is the third grade chorus rehearsing “Take Care of my Cabbage.” They used the scarves to represent the cabbage.

There was abundant joy in my PK-3 class as we explored Zydeco and Cajun music with scarves. They were so cute!

My fourth grade class was challenging. They really pushed me to the limit and I had to issue a behavior report to one of the students. I was told that their regular teacher has been out for a couple of days so they were really wound up. In the end, we rehearsed through most of the story. I get to see them one more time before Friday so I hope they’ll be able to pull it together in time for the performance! There are so many talented children in this class; they just lack self-control and discipline. It makes me crazy to see such bright children not apply themselves!

After my restless fourth grade class, I peeked next door into another fourth grade class. They were quietly working on a an Easter project “I am ‘Eggcellent.’” Inside a large egg, they wrote down their excellent qualities. Some of the writings were really touching. One student wrote, “I am ‘eggcellent’ at reading to my sister and helping my mom wash the dishes. I like to help my mom.” Another  student wrote, “I am ‘eggcellent’ at dancing.” He even showed me some of his moves. Here is a picture of one of the students’ social studies projects. It is about life on the farm. “Eggcellent” work!

The second fourth grade class really brightened my day. We listened to some of my Jump, Jiggle & Jam CD and even danced the “Soulja Boy.” We had a blast.

As challenging as some children can be, I still wouldn’t trade what I do for the world. No matter how apathetic some students seem, I can see their hidden potential. Today, I caught a fourth grade boy who did not want to participate in the story theater activity smiling as he participated. Tough on the outside, still a child on the inside.

When I work with students, each day brings new challenges and new joys. This is why I do what I do… in the hopes that somehow my work will make a difference, even if it is not readily apparent.  A friend once told me that working with children is sacred work. It is – you never know when you will touch a child’s life forever…

Until next time…

Warmly,  Dianne

Friends:

It was quite warm today, in the 70s so the above bulletin was appropriate. I am back at the school, where I am the teaching artist-in-residence, doing a Louisiana Story Fest. Last week, I was off because the school had a big week being evaluated by a team from the State Department of Education. It was great to be back in the classroom with my students.

My day began with a fantastic third grade class, who is performing “Petit Pouce,” a Louisiana folktale about a boy who is rescued from a “BIG SCARY man” by his dogs (very similar to “Wiley and the Hairy Man”). The class worked as a team, collaborating and cooperating. It was such a great way to begin the day.

Here is a picture of me working with first graders. They are creating a “rainbow river” with their scarves.

My classes ended with a great group of fifth graders who rolled through their rehearsal of “Jean Sotte” (Foolish John). They will be performing on Friday for the kindergarten classes, parents, and the other 5th grade class. I love what the chorus did with their lines and the storytellers are showing so much promise (they just need to project their voices). I can’t wait to see them perform! Here are my 5th graders rehearsing…

At the end of the day, I stopped in the library to visit with the librarian. She had a second grade class. Much to my surprise and delight, they were acting out one of the stories in my Story Fest book, “Epaminondas.” It was adorable! This is a picture of Epaminondas’ mom leading him home on a “donkey.” It was such a pleasure to see these children acting out the story. I decided to surprise them with an impromptu performance of the way I tell “Epaminondas.” They loved it. I also told the Louisiana story of “Elephant and Snake.” The librarian thanked me for giving the kids “lagniappe,” Cajun French for a “little extra.”

Another great day!! Until next writing, Happy Tales to You!

Warmly, Dianne

Friends,

To celebrate my husband, Antonio’s, 40th birthday on February 23, 2008, I decided to take him to Orange Beach, Alabama for some R&R. We arrived in the late afternoon and had just enough time to walk on the beach and frolic in the sand.

While walking on the beach, we saw some MASSIVE jellyfish. Good thing it was too chilly to swim! You can see the size of this monster in proportion to my foot, right next to it.

Of course, there were the most amazing sunsets. The beach is my favorite place in the whole world. One day, I am going to own a house on the beach so I can see sunsets like this one.

I took Antonio out to eat at this restaurant called The Voyager, located at the Perdido Beach Resort in Orange Beach.

The food was absolutely phenomenal. My favorite was the appetizer I ordered, a large wood-smoked portabella mushroom stuffed with chorizo and topped with a tasso ham cream sauce. I was in gastronomic heaven. A picture wouldn’t have done the dish justice. I’m still dreaming about the mushroom appetizer!

Antonio’s entree’ was equally tantalizing. He ordered the Southwest steak, which was hand-rubbed with spices. It was laid next to a bed of creamy chipotle Mexican cheese rice garnished with spinach tortilla strips. Alongside, aged balsamic vinegar topped avocados resting on heirloom tomatoes. Antonio said it was one of the very best meals he had in his life! He said, “My tastebuds are having a party.” We found out that the executive chef worked at Commander’s Palace in New Orleans. No wonder the food was so delectable.

Then the restaurant surprised Antonio with a “birthday cake,” chocolate dipped strawberries complete with a birthday candle!

We even had a romantic moonlight dance on the beach under a glittering diamond-covered sky. A perfect way to end the day!

The next morning, I watched the sun rise from our ocean side veranda. This was the view from our room. Spectacular! This is what you call a room with a view!

We had a delicious lunch at a beach side cafe’ called Bahama Bob’s. Their motto is “The lower the latitude, the better the attitude.” Following lunch, we decided to spend the afternoon at a public beach. I HAD to do some work. I can’t think of a better way to work than overlooking the ocean! We camped out in a large pavillion outfitted with multiple picnic tables. Next to us, some gentleman were playing beanbag toss (”old man’s horseshoes,” as one of them so wittingly stated). I actually got a lot of work done!

What a way to spend a birthday! I think Antonio had a great time. A little birdie told me so…

Happy 40th birthday, sweetie! I <3 U! Friends, take some time out of your life to do the things you really enjoy (even if you have to work a little while doing it… LOL). Have a great week!

Warmly, Dianne

Friends,

On Saturday, February 23, 2008, Eliana, my 7 year old, had her First Reconciliation. In the Catholic faith, this is when children first confess their sins and receive their penance. All the second graders looked so sweet, girls in their Sunday best and boys in little suits. The ceremony was held at the church affiliated with Eliana’s school. This is a picture above the altar at the front of the church, with a gorgeous stained glass window.

Eliana was a reader, reading one of the responsorial Psalms. She did such a great job. Look at my pretty-in-pink princess. What a smile!

This is a picture of Eliana with her paternal grandparents, Abuela (grandma in Spanish) and Papi. They were so proud of her! Eliana did such a good job. She didn’t appear the least bit nervous. In fact, she radiated.

Afterwards, we ate breakfast at a fantastic little cafe’ called Parrot Pete’s. On our way to Parrot Pete’s we stopped to get gas. Check out Eliana in front of the Chevy Bel Air. Gorgeous car, gorgeous girl (and cute little dog too, in the window).

It was a special day, especially for Eliana and Antonio. Her First Reconciliation was on his 40th Birthday! We love you, Eliana, and we are so proud of you! After church and breakfast, Antonio and I headed for Orange Beach, Alabama for fun in the sun! More on that in the next blog. See you soon…

Warmly,  Dianne

Friends:

This past week has been crazy, trying to meet deadlines – book deadlines, workshop handouts, finalizing details for my international trip to Guam and the Philippines, sending out contracts, and working on some big projects. But I had to take time out for my husband, Antonio. His birthday is Saturday, February 23, 2008 and he is now 40 years old!

We started celebrating on Thursday by attending the New Orleans’ own NBA basketball team, the Hornets’, casino night. It was a night full of fun, a promotion for season ticket holders with a “Meet and Greet the Players.” The Hornets are the #1 NBA team in the West so it was a celebratory night with delicious food and gambling for prizes (not real money). Antonio and I didn’t win but we had a blast and ended the night dancing. I even got to buzz around with the Hornets’ mascot, Hugo (in a tux, no less!).

On Friday, I sent my sweetie a gourmet gift basket to his work. It’s full of yummy fruit, cookies, nuts and candy.

We’re taking this basket to the beach. I made reservations for a hotel in Orange Beach, Alabama, about a three and a half hour drive from New Orleans. We will have a gourmet dinner sea side at a resort and a champagne brunch on Sunday at another resort. The beach is my absolute favorite place in the world. I can’t wait to celebrate Antonio’s birthday ocean side! Our room has a balcony overlooking the Gulf. I look forward to fun in the sun!

We leave on Saturday, February 23 after church. Eliana, our 7 year old, has her first reconciliation in the morning. She was also chosen to read a passage of the Scripture. I’ll post pictures later this weekend. So you can see, we have a busy weekend ahead!

I wish you a Happy Weekend! Take time to enjoy life, even if it’s just for a moment.

Warmly, Dianne

Friends:

Create a family story drama! Using a script, each person is assigned a role (or multiple roles). You can use a pre-made script such as “The Turtle Who Would Not Stop Talking” or other story theater scripts included in the “Story Collection” section of my website. Videotape your performance or better yet, perform it live in front of friends and family. It’s a fun way to get the whole family to tell tales together!

Warmly, Dianne

Friends:

On Sunday, February 18, 2008, I had a photo session. My photographer, Randy, lives in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. His mother lives in Chalmette, St. Bernard Parish, and that is where we had my photo session – in her newly rebuilt house (because I live closer to Chalmette than to Baton Rouge). St. Bernard Parish was one of the hardest hit places in the New Orleans area. Hurricane Katrina delivered a monster blow to to the parish, inundating it with water from three sides. The whole parish drowned under water.

In driving to Chalmette, I was still stunned by the devastation. Clearly, there is a rebuilding effort but only 30% of the parish’s residents have returned. That leaves 70% of the parish still as it was after Katrina hit. For every house that is rebuilt, there are six houses that are deserted or razed. This is the house directly across the street from Randy’s mom’s house.

On my way home, I decided to stop in the 9th ward. This is the kind of devastation that still exists today, nearly two and a half years after Katrina pounded her angry fist on the Gulf Coast.

My former seamstress, Michelle, lived on the corner of Dorgenois and Flood Streets, right by the Industrial Canal, where the levees breached.

How ironic, to live on “Flood” Street. Just after I moved back, I checked Michelle’s house. It was, of course, completely devastated. I checked to see if there was a phone number or some way I could contact Michelle. Nothing. I often wondered what happened to Michelle and her family. This time when I stopped at her house, all that was left was a slab with overgrown weeds.

But miraculously, there was a “FOR SALE BY OWNER” sign on the fence. On it was Michelle’s name and phone numbers. I called her immediately and she answered!! I hadn’t talked to her since before Katrina. It was an overwhelming mixture of emotions to hear her voice – sadness that she had lost everything, relief that I had found her, and abundant joy knowing that she and her family were okay.

I believe that we have angels working in our midst. Michelle told me this, “Dianne, one of the few things that survived Katrina was your Jambalaya CD because it was in our truck when we evacuated. My granddaughters listen to it so much, they know the whole CD by heart. They especially love the ‘Sweet Potato’ story.” That brought tears to my eyes. Michelle also told me that one of the granddaughter’s teachers has the CD so the class could learn about Louisiana. Michelle, her husband, one of her daughters, and two of her grandchildren ended up in Virginia.

Just before Katrina, Michelle sewed ten new costumes for me. To think, Michelle apologized to me because “Katrina got your dresses.” Of course, I don’t care about the dresses! What I care about is that Michelle and her family got out of New Orleans and ended up safe. She said that generosity abounded in Virginia and that she is happy with her life there. I am happy that she still sees the promise in each new day and that hope continues to thrive. I told her I would send new CDs for her grandchildren.

I never expected that Sunday would be such a miraculous day. I found Michelle and learned that I have been with her and her family all along. There really are angels in our midst.

Warmly, Dianne

Friends:

On Saturday night, my mom and I played Bonko, a fast-moving dice game where players rotate from table to table. I have never had so much fun playing a game with such a large group of people. It was an activity sponsored by the PTA at my daughter’s high school. I’ve never played before but I remember my mom playing it and hosting Bonko parties when I was a kid. It was easy to catch on. Here is a picture of my mom, Josie, and me.

I loved the frantic activity of the game with people yelling “Bonko!” as they played. Bonko is when you roll three of a kind when you are playing that number. For instance, if the table is rolling fives and you roll 3 fives, you hit a “Bonko!” While the rules are difficult to explain, the game is super easy to play once you catch on. The best part of the game is that in rotating from table to table, you meet all kinds of cool people. It’s sort of like “speed dating” with dice! Each time you rotate to a new table, you are paired with a different partner.

Although neither of us won (there was a cash prize), Mom and I can’t wait to play again. Next time, we are bringing our husbands. That was a blast! Now I am bonkers for Bonko!

Warmly, Dianne