Gifts and Strengths

About a month ago, our Girls' Basketball team were in the section finals to go to state!  OMG!!  I was pretty excited for them.

It's not a pretty sight when I'm excited.  I work myself up into a tizzy and jump up and down.  A LOT!  Every day closer to the big game I found myself dancing in the hallways and in front of the classroom - and stopping with my hands in the air shouting  "MUSTANG FEVER!"

Much like Molly Shannon's Superstar



When it came time for the big pepfest, I was bummed because the kids just sat there talking like it was no big deal that their fellow classmates were going to the BIG GAME the next day.

So - I started to randomly shout out "MUSTANG FEVER"  with a lunge and my hands in the air.

At first, a lot of mouths dropped.

Then, they started to laugh.

When the band started playing a song, some of the teachers told me to get up and dance.  OK!

So - I tried to remember some of my cheerleading moves and put on a mock-straight face.  I danced like I do in front of my girls.... ridiculously. And everyone stood and started to dance too and shout "MUSTANG FEVER'

When I told my students about my mom and my sister, they were silent.  They understood how scared I was.  They had just lost their Spanish teacher to brain cancer.

I brought Missi in for her bone marrow biopsy on Thursday.  On Friday, there were beautiful drawings some of the boys had made from art class waiting for me on my bulletin board.  And they told me how, the night before, they thought of me as they were singing at their choir concert.

"Yeah Mrs. Aakhus - some of shouted out - "CHOIR FEVER"

We all laughed.

And I realized "You know what kids - I'm going to be my mom and sisters cheerleader - aren't I? "  I went down in a front lunge and put my hands in the air and said -

"KICKING CANCER'S BUTT FEVER"

And we all laughed.

Thank goodness for the kids - they reminded me of what I was good at.