Bryan Needs Your Help!

This has never happened before and I hope I'm eloquent enough in my description, but as I'm sitting here in tears, I apologize for what might be not my best writing...

We are getting a new student on Monday. His name is Bryan and he's 8 years old. I got to meet him just now and you never saw a little boy so excited to come to school! He shook my hand super hard and said, "Nice to meet you" and couldn't wait to come see where he was going to be sitting. He was wearing a baseball cap, so I treated him like any other new student...gave him a supply box, and a new name tag, and shook hands with mom and dad. Then they left, clutching the homework I was giving out over Thanksgiving Break. (yes, I'm that kind of teacher...)

Then the secretary called and asked me to come back to the office. She told me this... "Ms. Corzine, is there any way we can add Bryan and his family to your Christmas Drive? It seems that Bryan has brain cancer. He is dying. He is only going to be coming 1/2 days because the chemo just takes it out of him, but he is so excited to keep going to school as long as he can and mom didn't want to tell him no. All their money is going to medical costs and from the looks of the information I have from Children's, this will be his last Christmas."

So again, I'm putting out a plea to all of you: let's make this little boy's Christmas spectacular! He has one brother who is 12 and another who is 2. Any gifts you would like to collect, send, or donate for Bryan and his family this year will go directly to him. If you aren't sure what to get, please send a Target card and just write "Bryan" on the envelope and I'll make sure he and his brothers have a Christmas that they'll all remember.

The address to send anything you can still find in your hearts to is:

Alsup Elementary School
c/o Mara Corzine
7101 Birch Street
Commerce City, CO 80022

Words can't describe how touched and amazed and humbled I am by all you've already done. The smile on Bryan's face today when I met him showed me the true spirit of children: pure happiness. Despite his pain and his fear. He'll be coming 1/2 days and I can't wait to help him and be here with him for as many of those days as possible.

Thank you.

--Mara

Hope

"Once you choose hope, anything is possible."--Christopher Reeve

Less than a week away from Thanksgiving. Christmas is just around the corner. Maelin and I have already set up the pink Christmas tree in her room and she's been bugging me for weeks to set up the big one. As our new place is rather small, we've been debating about where it's going to go. Her vote is in front of the TV. I've been trying to explain to her that that's not the best idea, but she's determined. I think we'll have to negotiate that one.

I have more hope this Christmas than last year around this time. I remember spending a lot of time mourning the fact that it was our first Christmas without our mom. My mom LOVED Christmas: one of her favorite things to do was to buy these ridiculous puzzle boxes and throw gift cards in them for us. Anyone who knows me knows I have NO patience whatsoever, so I never even tried to attempt to open the darn things. My brother was a huge fan though and I have many years of memories of him sitting there doggedly trying to open the box and he always would: and the smile on Mom's face was awesome. She was so happy to be able to do fun things like that with us.

Another fun tradition was for her to take us to the Nutcracker every year. We've done it almost every year that I can remember. In fact: that's one of the last times we were out together in public two years ago before she got really sick. I have a treasured picture of us at the show and even though you can tell she's not feeling her best, she's wearing the largest smile. In that spirit, we've got a whole gaggle of people going to the Nutcracker with us this year! In all, we've got about 10 people: my aunt and her girls, our whole family, and some dear family friends. Even though I'm sad that it's another year my mom won't be joining us and I'm wishing she could watch the joy on Maelin's face when the Sugar Plum Fairy dances, I'm hopeful that this will be the start of many fun family memories for Mae. That was always my mom's favorite part and Maelin has already picked out which tutu she's going to wear to show so she can dance "just like the pretty ballet girl." It's going to be bittersweet, but I feel so blessed that my family will all be together for that night.

My sister is coming out to visit from CA and she and all my siblings and kids are spending the night on Christmas Eve and we're going to try to create a real "Christmas Morning" for the kiddos. I have a fireplace, so we'll make cookies and write the letter to Santa and do the whole bit with candies and Skittles in the stockings that we never got to do when we were kids. My younger sister is doing the cooking (thank God, as I'm not the best cook: I tend to even burn pans), and my older sister and her kids are performing "The Night Before Christmas" for all of us. My mom happened to record that book for all the kids right before she passed away, so we'll actually have her voice there to narrate.

Hope is a tricky thing. Too much of it, and you tend to live in a constant state of denial. Not enough of it, and you become a bitter pessimist who is pretty certain of how miserable life is and how nothing is good enough. I think I've got a much better understanding and grasp of hope these days. I'm hopeful that this holiday season will be better than last years' and I can finally put my grief to rest. I'm hopeful that Maelin will be able to look past my imperfections and my bad days and remember her childhood with a happy, joyful heart. I'm hopeful that I will finally be able to become the mom, teacher, and friend that I'm meant to be.

I'm thinking that the holidays are going to have their times of longing, sadness, grief, and wistful thinking. But I'm hopeful that I can use those emotions to spurn a desire to create something magical for myself and my family.

And maybe by this time next year: I'll be writing about joy, magic, love, friendship, and possibilities.

I'll keep hoping.

Back To My Roots...

Lifetime member. Troupe #1674. Card-carrying Thespian. One of the things I loved most about high school was being a member of the drama group. I made amazing, life-long friends, was able to dance, sing, yell, scream, laugh, cry, and perform many different types of roles to my heart's content. Performances, plays, theater will always be one of my very first loves.

Well, it seems I have an opportunity to put some of that fun to work! Our elementary school has found a VERY small amount of funds for us to put on our very first play! The First Annual Alsup Drama Club! And guess who they asked to help with it...yup! So very excited.

We have no budget. We have a script borrowed from another school. We have volunteers helping after school to run rehearsals. We have students helping after school to paint scenery. We have no auditorium, so we'll set up folding chairs in the gym. We have "actors" who have NEVER performed in front of an audience larger than their own classrooms before. We have students getting ready for tryouts who can't even practice at home much because their parents don't speak enough English to be of help to them...

No matter. "For the love of the theater...", we have dozens of kiddos who are super excited and already preparing their tryouts. For me. The person who will want to choose every single one of them for just having the guts to get up in front of 3 teachers and possibly be eliminated. For a silly, elementary school play.

That's passion and I'm so thrilled to be able to be a part of it. So here we go: twice a week rehearsals after school and performance scheduled for February. My old Thespian Troupe from Centaurus would be pretty proud of me now.

Christmas Help Needed!!

Hello all my friends and family,

It's that time of year again, Christmas time! It is such an exciting time for Mae and I at home! As I muddle through the stress that is daily life, I sometimes forget how lucky Maelin and I are. We go home to a warm home. Mae has plenty of clothes and food and toys and isn’t really lacking anything.

Please take a moment to read the following letter and possibly even forward it along if you see fit:
I work in a very impoverished school district. At last count, my school is over 95% free and reduced lunch, and our annual residential turnover (how quickly kids come and go) is 36%. (which means kids are constantly moving, staying with relatives, switching schools, etc…)

To put it bluntly: I have 24 8-year-old kids. 2 of them are homeless: they either live in shelters or with other family members. Most of them don't have their own coats, boots or enough food to eat at night. They are constantly asking for “more breakfast please” and they tend to save some of the snacks we get to take home to their siblings. The school provides free breakfast and lunch that we serve every day and for some of my students this is the only time they even get to eat. Two of my kids have family members (a mom or dad or brother) in jail, and the vast majority of my kids don't have enough books, pencils, paper or even crayons at home to do their homework.

It's not that all of the parents are deadbeats or don't care: I've met all my parents and most of them are devoted to their kids and passionate that their kids MAKE IT: they want their kids to rise above their situation and become better than they themselves have it.

I'm making a passionate plea to all of you: I know we are all tightening our belts this holiday season, just like the last few years, but if you could find it in your hearts to sponsor a child, so this Christmas every child in my class gets at least one present this holiday, I would be eternally grateful. There is nothing more heartwarming than the smile on a child's face when they are used to getting nothing (which reinforces to them that they don't matter and they don't deserve anything) and someone, somewhere, shows that they care about that child and that they MATTER to someone.

I hope the pictures, cards, and notes that you’ve read over the last few years lets you know how much YOU and YOUR HELP has made a difference to these kids. I still have kiddos from the upper grades come back and tell me that “2nd grade was the best Christmas ever! Remember we got all the books and toys?” Comments like that show that we ARE making a difference to these kids. And I’m so excited to do it again.

To share a quick story about this with you, I’ve had 3 students every year in my class from the same family. They live with grandma as both parents are in jail. Grandma works at the Hostess bakery here in Commerce City, so you can imagine what kind of budget they’re on. The girls are amazing, bright students and grandma was doing a great job with them. She came to me last spring and said something like, “Ms. Corzine, you need to know that you are my girls’ angel. You have made them smile every Christmas for the last 3 years and they talk about you all the time. Shania wants to be a teacher just like you because of the role model you are for them. Thank you for being here for my girls. You and people like you are the reasons my girls will make it.” I gave her a huge hug and filed that one away in the reasons I teach where I do.

This summer, I found out grandma passed away from liver cancer. I don’t know where the girls are now. I’m hoping they are well and the lessons they learned from all of us and grandma are sticking with them. I have a basket of goodies here in my room for them WHEN I see them again that I’ve collected from all of you over the years. I’m hopeful one day I can give it to them.

I've included some sayings from my kids' writings when I asked them to write about what they wanted/needed this holiday season: (I didn't edit their responses)

"I nned some math cards and things for my baby sister cuz she don’t hav close.”
“I would like some books please because I want to be smart when I grow up to be a smart doctor and sciencetest.”
“I would like bots to kep my fet out of the snow. The snow is cold.”
“Dear Santa, Pleese bring me some glases because I candt see. It would be grate to see.”
“Warm pj’s would keepe me warm at nite.”

I wanted to scan in all of the cute pictures but for time sake, I think you get the picture. Very few of them asked for things that most kids would ask for…

Here's the deal: My principal and I thought if I sent this email to everyone on my address list and you forwarded it on to your friends, we just might be able to get every child one thing that they want. We'll take anything EXCEPT cash/checks. Gift cards to TARGET would be the most helpful because we could trade them in for gifts.
If you'd really like to donate books and be sure that's where your gift was going, you can make your check out to SCHOLASTIC BOOKS and I will be sure to use it for that. We'd also love any books, school supplies, etc. I will make sure every child in my class will get something new this Christmas and hopefully, fill up their little hearts with a small amount of joy in the process.

Please send what you can to:
Alsup Elementary School
c/o Mara Corzine
7101 Birch Street
Commerce City, CO 80022

I'm here to tell you that all of us together can make a difference for these kids. They make me smile and laugh everyday with their unbreakable spirit, kind hearts and laughter. I assure you that even a pair of gloves and a book from a stranger matters to an 8 year old. They get a sparkle in their eyes. I need to get any donations by Friday December 9th to ensure I can go shopping and get things ready before the kids leave for break on the 15th!

I thank you in advance for your action and your caring. I wish all of you an amazing holiday season with your families and friends.
Warmest thanks for your time and thoughtfulness….

Mara

p.s. Some of you have been asking for class stats, so here they are: 14 boys, 11 girls. I have boot, coat, and clothes sizes so email/message me if you’d like that information. Thank you!!

p.p.s UPDATE: A dear friend has created a gift list online at Walmart if it's easier for you to click on this link and have a gift sent directly to the school. If that's not your thing, Target Gift Cards in any amount will help get the individual needs met. Thank you!