May | 2014 | J and J Loop

“Time is what keeps everything from happening at once.” -Ray Cummings

Everything is happing at once…

I have to use my weekly planner. This is how you know that we have hit a “low point” in how busy we are. It’s not just us. Everyone at BFA is busy. Every student, Every teacher, Every dorm/home parent and RA, Every administrator, Every body. We are all using our weekly planners, and they all must look the same. They all must look like mine (or worse!) every day filled in with pencil and pen and erased marks. FULL.

It’s all good stuff! (mostly) or at least things that have to get done. Like the AP tests, the SAT’s, the CLEP tests. This is Jamison’s current life and struggle. He has given several CLEP tests on the past few weekends to students driving from the Netherlands and Austria, and flying in from other European countries. We have one of the only CLEP testing services available in greater Europe. (AKA Jamison) Last weekend was the SAT and this week and next week I will coin AP Armageddon. Jamison is proctoring about 18 AP tests. He has some helpers to proctor when more than one is going on. He has been going to school early and coming home late after soccer practice. He is wiped.

Students are busy too, the amount of school activities in this last stretch is overwhelming. Every last minute of time spent with one another is precious. The seniors especially, you can see them clinging to one another in the hallways and after school, soaking up the time together. The reality sinking in, soon, in a few weeks they have to say goodbye.

We have our goodbyes to say too. Not just to this years amazing soon to be graduates, but to staff, our friends who are leaving BFA and returning to their past lives and old homes 1000’s of miles away. When will we see them again? Both students and staff are asking that question, the answer, who knows? and maybe never? Best to grab onto the time now, but there’s not enough, and every night is full, when can we sneak in a dinner, a coffee, a walk?

In the ceramics room students are working hard, fighting off senioritus and the feeling of sloth that comes with the end of the year and the turn in the weather. Yesterday the AP Studio Art portfolios were due, my students got them together and sent off on time and they looked, SO GOOD! I’m so proud of their work this year. Soon the kiln will be running literally nonstop. I feel like I load up the kiln and empty the shelf in the morning and at the end of the school day students are rearranging the pieces on the already full shelf, trying to fit theirs in. This is the fate of my weekend, the loading and unloading, and then the grading… 50 students time their projects. I have become a more efficient grader this past year! The last week of class I have coined the term Glaze-megeddeon. Similar to Armageddon, only referring to the mad rush of students glazing their final pieces before the cutoff. I pull out an extra glazing table during this week to accommodate the insane amount of glazing that needs to occur.

Summer planning is there, somewhere in the back of our minds. We hope to meet with supporters, our friends and family, one and the same. We hope to rest, will that happen? We need to plan when we will be where and we are thankful that our families are relatively close to one another, a long drive is all that separates us.

It’s hard, but we have to find times to take a breath, otherwise we pass out and wonder why. Oh, because we forgot to breathe for an entire week… aha. Tuesday I took a train ride up near Stuttgart to pick up the pottery from the wood fire kiln that my students made work for earlier in the year (see the post Ceramics workshop) I sat on the train for 4 hours. Picked up the beautiful pots and had a nice lunch with the artist we worked with, who is the sweetest kindest person! And another 4 hours back. That was a breath of air for me. Today I am walking up to the last home soccer game in Marzell. From Riedlingen it will probably take me about 2 and a half hours. I think I will do a lot of breathing then. I hope Jamison gets a chance to breath, but it looks like he might have to wait until the end of the month.

May 29th is our four year anniversary! 🙂 We are driving up to Brussels for a long weekend which will consist mostly of walking around the city and touring free chocolate museums and eating free samples! This little trip is our “light at the end of the tunnel” so to say. I hope we can shake off the many stressors we are feeling for the weekend.

Well, I must walk!

Enjoy some photos of the Wood fired pieces!