V8G Maturita Ball

Nov. 12, 2010

I went to the

V8G (my students that have been in the program for 8 years) Maturita Ball (aka Prom). I met Zuzka at school and we go to the ball around 8pm dressed in our finest. Just like t

he 4D Ball, everyone was dressed to their best and ready

to cel

ebrate their

many years

of hard work.

I felt like I was my students paparazzi because my camera was always read to capture the moments on film. On student commented to me that they liked that I took pictures of them because teachers usually don't. I can't wait to add all these pictures to my classroom back in the states where I have soo many pictures of my students.

Unlike the last ball, my good friends Zuzka and Petra were there

so I had people to talk to in English besides just my students. The students works hard to prepare the ball. At 8pm they have a parade of the students and they get individually announ

ced to come up on stage and receive a sache and a flower from their class teacher and headmaster of the school. After the announcements they have a short speech and then it is time for the teacher/student dance. I was asked to dance

by my student Ivan and in my 15 years of teaching-this was the first time I have EVER danced with a student. Ivan was a trooper and put up with my lack of dancing skills and awkward movements. After the dance, they opened it up for everyone and the dance floor got packed.

At midnight the class has their "Midnight Surprise" which was a

dancing skit of the tradition Czech music (Polka) versus the Czech Techno group. The "police" broke up the dance off and then everyone again was pulled onto the dance floor. Zuzka and I had so much fun dancing to the "Oldies But Goldies" like Greese Lightning, and Summer Lovin and we lasted until

around 12:30 am. By then many of our students were drunk and smoking and it is uncomfortable to see your underage students that way.

It was a WONDERFUL night and I loved being part of their rite of passage.