DAYS 10, 11, 12 and 13

DAY 10, Monday, July 25 2011
Started session 2 for summer camp. Have 20 kids in my class and half of them volunteered to help make a video for the television project. This will help me take one step closer to doing this as a career. There’s excitement buzzing!

DAY 11, Tuesday, July 26 2011
Feeling the Shadow’s crunch today. I have to face the facts that I won’t be able to edit the DESTINY 5 program until next week’s camp session ends. It’s frustrating but is the reality.

DAY 12, Wednesday, July 27 2011
Teaching the hero’s journey to 20 teenage campers. It comforts me to know that I am making a career of teaching the hero’s journey through this camp experience. For ORIGINS, Little Orphan Annie wishes to be with a family. For SHADOWS the campers will be delving into Fontaine’s decision to become a prostitute during the French Revolution inspired by Les Miserables. Robin Hood joins forces with his merry men for the HELPING HANDS. Lancelot trains the knights of the round table during DESERTS. The four way scene between a bewitched Lysander and Demetrius from A Midsummer Night’s Dream will play out the PLOT TWIST with their love interests Hermia and Helena. Orpheus will descend into the underworld during the DARK NIGHT in search of Eurydice. Wicked’s Elphaba will sacrifice herself and her ambitions for the SACRIMENTOR scene and the final duel between Hamlet and Laertes will be our show’s CLIMAX. Finally the kids from Grease shake off the 50’s stereotypes to be a more authentic expression of who they really are for the final DESTINY scene.

The kids have been really good about turning in their release forms and I’m hoping we’re building momentum toward DESTINY 5, Season 2 focusing on teens.

DAY 13, Thursday, July 28 2011
What an amazing day! I think this is the first remnants of the HELPING HANDS in this story. I confess that this quest hasn’t felt like a true quest for me yet. Just by journaling the process and recording our DESTINY 5 tapings have been my only evidence that I’m on a new quest to make these efforts my new career.
Something amazing happened at camp today. At some point we stopped rehearsal and had an hour and a half long discussion. The students really opened up and bonded with each other. I was perplexed by their ability to open up and confess how meaningful this camp experience was for them. I allowed the discussion to continue has so many students took the opportunity to be heard in front of 20 of their peers. It was truly an inspiring moment for me personally and one that will define my happiness and joy as a teacher. It stands to reason that today’s moment may also become one of the defining moments of their teenage life. In a world where we’re encouraged to bow to peer pressure, I was overjoyed at these teens ability to speak from their hearts. They really get this hero’s journey stuff and I’m certainly looking forward to our final presentation next week.

Tomorrow we begin shooting footage for the DESTINY 5, Season 2 pitch. Maybe I’m “lucking” myself to the successful conclusion of my quest. Or maybe I’m simply writing my destiny and finally allowing myself to be guided effortlessly, joyfully and going with the flow.