To summarize the last blog post, my younger child’s principal came into her humanities class and told them they had 89 days left as high school students. She then offhandedly told that little nugget of heartache to me before blithely wandering off to her room to do homework, unaware of the puddle of Mom she left behind her.

Well, we’re now in our last six weeks. Imagine how THAT hit me.

Once again, I was never the mom to weep when my children hit the big milestones. I cheer that they are doing exactly what they are programmed to do: grow up and move forward, living their lives as independent people.

But…

Everything I do is now tinged with a bittersweet quality. This weekend will be the last time I go to Austin College in Sherman to see a play that my older kiddo is involved in producing. I realized that next year will be the first year since it reopened in 2018 that I.M. Terrell Academy will not have one of my sprogs as a student. Each event has a sense of finality and sadness attached to it that I’m not used to.

(Again, I know that graduations are not about me, but this article is, dammit.)

I think part of my struggle is because I’ve always been the mom who doesn’t weep. I love that my kiddos are maturing into people that I want to know. I have lived in my head, understanding child development and knowing that my whole purpose as a mother is to raise my children to leave and become their own person. But I can’t seem to find that objectivity these days.

My babies are growing up. My heart hurts, and my eyes leak.

So if you see me in these next six weeks, please ignore the mess that I am. Pat my head and tell me it will be alright. And if you’re feeling the same way I’m feeling, know that you aren’t alone. There are a lot of parents who feel like you do right now.

Solidarity, my sisters and brothers. Solidarity.

The post T-Minus Six Weeks and Counting first appeared on Tanglewood Moms.

Over three Saturdays, participants move from idea to polished, production-ready short film scripts through guided instruction, pitching, peer feedback, and table reads. This is a true workshop environment designed to help young writers understand not just how to write a script, but how scripts move from page to production.

Photo courtesy of LSFF/FWFC

Who It’s For

• High school students interested in screenwriting or filmmaking
• Students hoping to submit a script for Summer Film Camp consideration
• Open to college students & adults (high school voices prioritized)

Note: Only scripts written by high school students are eligible for Summer Film Camp production consideration.

Photo courtesy of LSFF/FWFC

Workshop Details

• February 21, February 28, March 1 (Saturdays)
• 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM
• BLANC cowork + studio| Fort Worth

Space is limited. Capacity is limited to 10 participants.

Learn more & register at our website.

Start writing the short that gets made.

The post Lights! Camera! YOUR Story! first appeared on Tanglewood Moms.

No. That doesn’t work. Let’s see. There’s got to be some vaguely trite, somewhat profound quote about change that would work here.

photo credit: Lee Virden Geurkink

You see, these last few weeks have been full of changes at our house. The Elder Offspring sprung off to college, while the Younger Offspring started high school. A Tale of Two Freshmen, as it were.

I will admit I struggled with sending my babies off to high school and college, which surprised me. I was not the mom who wept when she took her babies to their first day of school. But these past three weeks have been HARD.

I wanted to give both kids the attention they needed. After all, starting high school and starting college are big steps in a person’s life. Each child should be celebrated, cossetted a little. I needed to sit with each and impart the wisdom that I have gained over the course of a misspent life. Our last weeks should have been Instagram perfect.

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

We have NEVER been Instagram perfect in this house. We fly by the seats of our pants and jump off bridges once they are on fire. I take full blame for this. I was a single mom for my children’s formative years, and for various reasons, wasn’t the mom that social media tells us we should be.

But.

My children know they are loved. They know they are wonderful, creative, unique souls who are cherished. They know they can tell me anything, even though they don’t always do it. They know they are safe.

photo credit: Lee Virden Geurkink

I’m not a helicopter mom. I don’t want to keep them dependent on me. They have to learn to fall down and pick themselves back up and keep on going. No matter how much I want to protect them from the big, bad world (and trust me, watching your child struggle is one of the most painful things a parent can do), they need to learn how to navigate it on their own.

Sending a child off to college requires a lot of courage on the part of the parents. You have to trust that you have done your job, that they are ready to (to be completely trite) spread their wings and fly. My older kiddo is not overly enamored of change. They were excited to start this new stage but sad to leave their friends behind. We collected everything they would need for their dorm room (and as an aside, I don’t remember taking so much STUFF with me to college). We went through their clothes, anticipating what they would need. We talked and hugged and laughed and even cried a little.

With my high schooler, things were different. She’s going to the same school (all hail to thee, I.M. Terrell Academy for STEM & VPA!) their sibling had just graduated from two months before. She didn’t need to outfit a dorm room and didn’t want a whole new wardrobe. She was going to be with their friends from middle school. She didn’t want to talk, so I respected that. But I knew that this change was going to hurt her. She was going to lose Her Person.

photo credit: Lee Virden Geurkink

When my ex-husband and I separated, my children became a gang of two. Because we had joint custody, the kids were back and forth between the houses, and although my ex and I worked our tails off to make sure the transition was as smooth as possible for them, they were the only constants in each other’s lives. The younger one relied on her sibling almost as a third parent, while the older became their younger sibling’s best friend and protector.

Watching them say goodbye to each other was tough.

So now both kiddos are settling into their new schools. My younger is blossoming now that her older sibling isn’t there to talk for her. We have really good conversations on the way home from school, and she’s coming into herself. I’m enjoying getting to know her more.

My older is fully immersed in college life. I’ve gotten a couple of texts and one phone call that went something like this:

Me: Hello?
Kiddo, all in a breathless rush: Hey, Mom! This is your proof-of-life call! Classes are great! Bye!
Me: …

And you can’t ask for anything more from a college student who is in the exact place they need to be right at this moment. While I miss them like crazy and am having to adjust to their absence, how can I not be thrilled that they are happy?

So this past month has been neither the best of times, nor the worst of times. It’s just been life. Messy, crazy, loud, and imperfect. Perfection is boring. It’s static. It doesn’t allow for change, and change is what allows us to grow. So here’s to imperfection and to growth. May my children continue to grow, and may they always know that they are, in the wise words of Christopher Robinson, braver than they believe, stronger than they seem, and smarter than they think. Because the most important thing for them to know right now is that, even when we’re apart, I’ll always love them.

photo credit: Lee Virden Geurkink

The post A Tale of Two Freshmen first appeared on Tanglewood Moms.

Elementary School 

• coolmath4kids.com– games that teach basic math, ages 3 through 12 
• starfall.com– language arts and math lessons, ages 4 through 9 
• exploratorium.edu– science and art from the museum in San Francisco 
• bbc.co.uk/history/forkids– fun history resource (please note that while this page has been archived, it is still available and a great history resource!) 
• pbskids.org– all sorts of educational games, videos, and lessons 
• freeology.com– free printable lessons, coloring sheets, certificates, awards, and more 
• sciencebob.com– hands-on experiments, science fair ideas and more 
• abcya.com– word games and lessons  

Middle School 

• duolingo.com– learn over 35 languages, offers both Android and iOS apps as well as the website 
• gamesforchange.org– incredibly cool site which uses video games to address social issues (please note there are some dead links, but there are some great games there) 
• k12videos.mit.edu/– run by MIT offering STEM videos  
• com/– child-friendly videos on art, technology, science, math, and more 
• youtube.com/user/LibertysKidsTV– a video series about the founding of the United States 
• shmoop.com/math-shack– focuses on pre-algebra, algebra, and geometry 
• eyes.nasa.gov/– a 3D exploration of the cosmos from NASA 

High School 

• ed.ted.com/lessons– curated TED Talks on a staggering variety of subjects 
• historymatters.gmu.edu/– a gateway site for US history resources 
• folger.edu/teach-learn– the Folger Shakespeare Library’s educational resources for learning Shakespeare 
• codecademy.com/– learning to code in all coding languages 
• mathworld.wolfram.com/– extensive math resources for high school students 

For All Ages 

• edutopia.org/topic/open-education-resources– resources for almost any topic for almost any age 
• learner.org/classroom-resources/– resources from the Annenberg institute for all ages in all topics 
• teachinghistory.org/– history for all ages 
• kids.nationalgeographic.com– introductory information for all ages, aimed more at younger learners 
• neok12.com/– educational videos, games, quizzes, and puzzles for all ages 
• watchknowlearn.org/– index of over 33,000 educational videos in over 3000 categories 
• fwmuseum.org/learn/discovery-lab-online-groups/– the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History’s Discovery Lab Online 
• khanacademy.org– the granddaddy of all educational sites offers in-depth, free educational resources for all ages in all subjects 

The post Online Learning Resources first appeared on Tanglewood Moms.

Named after Fort Worth’s own Tony® Award winning Best Actress, Fort Worth Independent School District and Casa Mañana alumnae Betty Lynn Buckley, this exciting program has stood to promote and celebrate excellence in high school theatre since 2000. Participation is open to Denton, Wise, Parker, Hood, Johnson and Tarrant County. Thirty-three schools presenting fifty-seven musicals and plays participated this year, the highest since the program started.

A panel of distinguished judges – comprised of local theatre professionals and educators – votes for a winner in each of 14 award categories: Best Musical, Best Male and Female Actor in a Musical, Best Male and Female Supporting Actor in a Musical, Excellence in Choreography, Excellence in Scenic Design, Excellence in Sound Design, Excellence in Lighting Design, Excellence in Costume Design, Best Student Orchestra, Best Play and Best Male and Female Actor in a Play. Categories are only open for student designers and artists. Awards include a scholarship provided by generous donors who recognize the benefits of this program and the impact musical theatre has on the lives of students.

Nominees are as follows:

Best Male Actor in a Play

David Postlewate, Eugene, Brighton Beach Memoirs, Fort Worth Academy of Fine Arts

Kevin Le, Luigi, The Explorer’s Club, Haltom High School

Brit Cooper, Christopher, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, Lamar High School

Harrison Ashpaugh, Ralph, Lord of the Flies, Martin High School

Joe Skipper, Will Shakespeare, Shakespeare in Love, Northwest High School

Justin Eggert, Iago, Othello, V.R. Eaton High School

Best Female Actor in a Play

Emma Dixon, Emily Webb, Our Town, Birdville High School

Claire Guthrie, Mrs. Ethel Savage, The Curious Savage, Fort Worth Country Day School

Lauren Meece, Henrietta Leavitt, Silent Sky, Prestonwood Christian Academy

Natalie Morter, Laundress 2/Narrator/Q, Metamorphoses, Richland High School

Chloe Williams, Detective Fix, Around the World in 80 Days, Timberview High School

Ellery Campbell, Desdemona, Othello, V. R. Eaton High School

Best Male Supporting Actor in a Musical

William D. Thompson, Ghost of Present, A Christmas Carol, Grapevine High School

Jordan Frank, Michael Hobbs, Elf the Musical, Guyer High School

Steven Nguyen, Oliver, Theory of Relativity, Richland High School

Grayson Stephens, Earthworm, James and the Giant Peach, The Oakridge School

Will Emmert, Grasshopper, James and the Giant Peach, The Oakridge School

Austin Bandy, Triton, The Little Mermaid, V. R. Eaton High School

Best Female Supporting Actor in a Musical

Haley Dortch, Sibella Hallworth, A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder, Guyer High School

Grace Duncan, Jovie, Elf the Musical, Guyer High School

Kiersten Farris, Phoebe, A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder, Guyer High School

Gracie Miller, Mary Patrick, Sister Act, Keller Central High School

Gabby Purdy, Martha Watson, White Christmas, Northwest High School

Alexis Martinez, Amy, Theory of Relativity, Richland High School

Best Male Actor in a Musical

Parker Jackson, D’ysquith Family, A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder, Guyer High School

Travis Barton, Buddy, Elf the Musical, Guyer High School

Garrick Hague, Cat in the Hat, Seussical, Legacy High School

Gabriel Hill, Sebastian, The Little Mermaid, Mansfield High School

Joshua Sneed, Phil Davis, White Christmas, Northwest High School

Hunter Hall, Jesus, Godspell, Prestonwood Christian Academy

Best Female Actor in a Musical

Michelle D’Amico, Amelie, Amelie, Carroll Senior High School

Madelyn Whitehead, Mary Robert, Sister Act, Keller Central High School

Aria Tolbert, Deloris, Sister Act, Keller Central High School

Rebekah Hollingsworth, Ariel, The Little Mermaid, Mansfield High School

Audrey Burnett, Judy Haynes, White Christmas, Northwest High School

Janessa Witlock, Ursula, The Little Mermaid, V. R. Eaton High School

Excellence in Costume Design

Alison Fuentes, Chemical Imbalance: A Jekyll and Hyde Play, Grand Prairie High School

Kennedy Mclaggan, Natalie Keller, Emily Sather, Sister Act, Keller Central High School

Nicolas Sears, Josephine Tukia, Dracula, L.D. Bell High School

Hannah Cherry, The Little Mermaid, Mansfield High School

Caroline Demby, Riley Rawlinson, Lord of the Flies, Martin High School

Ella Jackson, Maggie LeMasters, The Little Mermaid, V. R. Eaton High School

Excellence in Scenic Design

Maddie Rasco, Into the Woods, Aledo High School

Peyton Lawrence, Amelie, Carroll Senior High School

Daylon Barker, Drew Wilder, Brendan Sullenberger, Sister Act, Keller Central High School

Natalie Nohinek, Derek Cheung, Lord of the Flies, Martin High School

Melinda Pena, James Bergquist, Brandon Isom, White Christmas, Northwest High School

Ethan Biedenstein, Jenelle Cumberland, The Little Mermaid, V. R. Eaton High School

Excellence in Sound Design

Patrick Markovich, Taylor Kerzman, Moon Over Buffalo, All Saints’ Episcopal School

Josh Daugherty, The Tempest, Byron Nelson High School

Chris Lopez, A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder, Guyer High School

Jaidyn Vineyard, Dracula, L.D. Bell High School

Brooklyn Lankford, Lord of the Flies, Martin High School

Alicia Johnson, You Can’t Take it with You, Nolan Catholic High School

Excellence in Lighting Design

Nick Bright, Amelie, Carroll Senior High School

Coal Sapp, Dracula, L.D. Bell High School

Hana Baldwin, Mackenzie Pickett, White Christmas, Northwest High School

Christian Chandler, Metamorphoses, Richland High School

Jaden Banks, James and the Giant Peach, The Oakridge School

Alex Kougias, Hallie Fraze, Matti Andrews, The Little Mermaid, V.R. Eaton High School

Excellence in Choreography

Emma Dixon, Curtains, Birdville High School

Aria Marissa Nobles, Gracie Jillian King, Bella Renee Barker, Sister Act, Keller Central High School

Abby Ewing, Liv Woolsey, Seussical, Legacy High School

Zoe McKee, The Little Mermaid, Mansfield High School

Andrea Atienza, Annabelle Hough, The Music Man, Nolan Catholic High School

Audrey Burnett, Baylie Staton, Madison Luckey, White Christmas, Northwest High School

Best Student Orchestra

Curtains, Birdville High School

Amelie, Carroll Senior High School

A Christmas Carol, Grapevine High School

The Little Mermaid, Mansfield High School

Best Play

Our Town, Birdville High School

Brighton Beach Memoirs, Fort Worth Academy of Fine Arts

Lord of the Flies, Martin High School

Silent Sky, Prestonwood Christian Academy

Metamorphoses, Richland High School

Othello, V.R. Eaton High School

Best Musical

Amelie, Carroll Senior High School

A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder, Guyer High School

Sister Act, Keller Central High School

Seussical, Legacy High School

White Christmas, Northwest High School

The Little Mermaid, V.R. Eaton High School

For more information about the Twentieth Annual Betty Lynn Buckley Awards, visit www.casamanana.org/education/buckley-awards. Stay tuned to www.casamanana.org for all up-to-date information on the Buckleys.

The post Casa Mañana Announces the Nominees for the 2020 Betty Lynn Buckley Awards first appeared on Tanglewood Moms.

Photo courtesy of St. Paul Lutheran School

That is certainly NOT the case at St. Paul Lutheran School.

I have been fortunate to tour the school and meet with teachers and administrators two times. I came away with nothing but complete admiration for the school and staff. Rarely have I seen a school that is so focused on their students. (I mean, the Early Childhood teachers make home visits to help new students get comfortable with them!) The curriculum is designed to stimulate a child’s brain and encourage exploration and experimentation, while giving the opportunity to grow in faith through weekly chapel services that are reinforced by daily instruction in the classrooms.

I returned to St. Paul to learn more about their middle school. Talking with Principal Scott Browning and eighth-grade teacher Julie Norris, I realize that I’ve found two of the school’s biggest cheerleaders. Julie has not only been a teacher at St. Paul for 20 years, she is the parent of St. Paul alumni who went to Paschal High School after finishing eighth grade.

Photo Courtesy of St. Paul Lutheran School

“St. Paul doesn’t have the scale of a big school,” says Julie, “but it has exposure to so much. And it’s safe. The kids have the space to learn about themselves.” Because they learn about themselves, both teacher and principal believe the students who go into big public high schools are well-equipped to succeed. They have been exposed to all aspects of schooling: academic, artistic, and athletic. They have an emotional, faith-based foundation from which to build, and they quickly find like-minded friends.

While emphasis is naturally placed on success, a child who goes from strength to strength and achievement to achievement without ever failing in school is completely unprepared to fail in adult life. Principal Browning says that “we’re a great place to learn to fail and be loved on.” Julie agrees. “There is a freedom to fail, and that’s really important.” Humans don’t learn through success; we learn through failure and experimentation and repetition. Having a safe place to try and fail leads to more well-adjusted, more resilient children.

Once again, I was remarkably impressed with St. Paul. But I wanted the real scoop. Accordingly, I met with two students to find out what middle school is really like at St. Paul.

Luci Rotman is a seventh grader, and Ryan Rattan is an eighth grader. If anyone would tell me what middle school is like at St. Paul, I thought, they would be the ones to tell me.

Photo Courtesy of St. Paul Lutheran School

Luci plays the cello. She said she started playing in fourth grade at St. Paul and now plays with the Fort Worth Youth Orchestra with an eye to possibly playing professionally. She plays volleyball. She loves science and is looking forward to Advanced Honors Science next year, in which she will be exposed to the sciences she will encounter in high school – biology, chemistry, and physics. Most students at St. Paul are similarly well-rounded, playing a variety of sports and engaging in artistic and academic extracurricular activities.

Luci arrived at our interview a little out of breath. She was coming from her literature class which was on a field trip. When I asked where they had gone, she told me they were in the Bride’s Room in the church. Her teacher likes to keep her classes interested by taking them to locations all around the campus for class.

Photo Courtesy of St. Paul Lutheran School

Ryan is another well-rounded St. Paul student. He plays basketball, baseball, golf, runs track, participates in mathematics and public speaking competitions, and does theater. He has been at St. Paul since kindergarten, and it is extremely obvious that he loves his school.

Both Luci and Ryan talked about Coffee House, a program for middle schoolers which allows students to talk about issues facing them, academically, socially, and spiritually, with TCU students in the context of their faith. Neither Luci nor Ryan are Lutheran; Luci’s family attends Christ Chapel, while Ryan’s family goes to University Christian Church. Ryan said St. Paul is open and welcoming to all. “I like listening to other people’s opinions [about religion], and they listen to mine.”

Next year, Ryan is off to Paschal. He’s ready to get involved in the theater program and feels that St. Paul has prepared him academically and emotionally for a big high school. Luci will be going to Benbrook High School in 2020. She’s excited about their music program, and like Ryan, she feels no qualms about going to a public high school.

These students know themselves. They are comfortable in their own skins, and part of that is due to their time at St. Paul. What was most obvious, more so than their poise and intelligence, is their love for their school. They both wanted me to understand how special St. Paul is, how much they have gained from their time there. Luci, in particular, was eager to have me understand her feelings.

“I just love it!”

The post Loving Their Middle School, Preparing for High School: St. Paul Lutheran School first appeared on Tanglewood Moms.