I Watched Every Original on Disney Plus (Now You Don't Have To)

The new Disney Plus service, like everything Disney, premiered and filled the world with a little magic. People of all ages were filled with nostalgia as they searched for their most memorable childhood movie or television show to re-watch. Some binge-watched Marvel movies and some the classic animations. It's an awesome spot to hold all those favorites. 

The thing I was the most interested in, though, were the new things. Don't get me wrong, I have a LOT of Disney favorites, but if I really wanted to watch those again, I could have used the library or my DVD collection or the Internet. While the platform is much easier, it's not necessary. So, I decided to tackle the originals. I watched everything single new on Disney Plus (except one--more on that later) that came out in the first three weeks of the service. There honestly wasn't a ton. Here's what you should know:

1. Lady and the Tramp:

This is the only new movie I have watched. The other one is a Christmas movie (Noelle) and I have a policy that I don't start Christmas movies or music until after Thanksgiving. Lady and the Tramp is a cute kid's movie. I didn't dislike it. But I think it lacked a lot of charm. The real dogs, although cute, don't express the same emotions available in animation and I didn't feel attached to the characters because of that. I was also severely disappointed with the fact that the cats were not Siamese cats. I mean, the best song was "We are Siamese if you please. We are Siamese if you don't please." Right? 

2. Mandalorian: 

This is far and away my favorite thing on Disney Plus right now. I know Star Wars is not everyone's cup of tea, but this for me is exactly what I love from the Star Wars universe. The plot lines are simple so far, but that is okay with me. There's just enough action without being overwhelming and I think there is a lot of potential for great storylines and character relationships. Plus, I can not get enough of baby Yoda. He melts my heart. As of now, this is the only thing I plan to continue watching as they release on a weekly basis. If you don't have Disney Plus, you should know it isn't as binge-ready as Netflix with only one episode at a time, but I also kind of enough the "old-school" wait for each new episode to release.

3. High School Musical: The Musical: The Series: 

Despite the horrendous name of this show (the only other scripted show other than Mandalorian out now), it was the biggest surprise so far. I liked the High School Musical movie as a teenager, but expected this spin-off to be terrible. It turned out to be very watchable. I definitely think that the intended audience if pre-teens or teens, but the characters are fun, the writing is good, and I actually laughed a few times. I also really like that it seems to target a younger crowd because it feels much more like the original than the recent spin-offs like Girl Meets World that seem to want to engage nostalgic adults instead of kids. This is Disney. Make it for the kids. 

4. Encore!: 

This is the first of the nonfiction series. The rest of the programs are all nonfiction. This one, out of all of them intrigued me the most because of my background in drama. The premise is that they bring casts of high schools plays together long after graduation to recreate their production. The results, in my opinion, are terrible. The series honestly just makes me feel sad. Some of these people have never moved past high school. Most realize their idealized version of these high school performances was not reality. While the casts may have been close in the past, they don't click now. Most, honestly, don't really have much acting or singing ability. I really had a hard time continuing watching these first three episodes and I don't plan to continue after this trial run. Also, Kristen Bell, despite being on the promos, is not part of the show. 

5. The Imagineering Story:

If you are a huge Walt Disney fan and want to understand the history of the theme park, this one is for you. To me, it wasn't all that exciting, but I am sure to some, this is really interesting. Of course, the documentary is made my Disney, so it shines everything in an amazing light. I really do enjoy documentaries and history, but I like to hear all sides and you aren't going to get that with this story.

6. Marvel's Hero Project: 

These are feel-good stories about kids doing great things in the world. Although I think the series tries to hard and a lot of it feels forced, I will fully admit that I cried (twice) during the first three episodes and it makes me feel good about the future of the world. I'm not highly anticipating every episode, but if I need a boost of hope, you'd better believe I'd turn this on again.

7. The World According to Jeff Goldblum:

 I really wanted to like this one. It seemed right up my alley. I like to learn about new things and I though Jeff would make an entertaining host. It just seems to fall flat so far. Nothing crazy interesting. Doesn't go into depth about things that may actually be interesting. It's a no for me.

8. The Short Series: There are a lot of quick 5 minute shows in the originals section, but I'm going to lump them together here. Disney Family Sundays is a wonderful idea in theory with crafts to do with you kids, but the crafts seem way to complicated with supplies that would difficult to find in my opinion. Use Pinterest for ideas instead. Pixar in Real Life is completely pointless to me. I don't understand it. Forky Asks a Question is okay programming for young kids to teach them about different concepts. There are some new short films that are pretty good. I enjoy those, so hope Disney Plus turns out to be a great platform for us to see a lot more of those. 

So, that's it. Right now, my feelings toward Disney Plus are that it is wonderful for families with kids. It provides a one-stop-shop for anything they want to watch. For older audiences though, I think they are going to really work on adding more things "new" in order to compete with other services. I can't in good-conscience pay over $80 a year when I can find everything on there I'd want (besides Mandalorian) in another way. Disney knows this. I just read that Disney has over 30 new series planned for the next year. The wide majority of those, though, look to be Marvel or superhero shows. I love Marvel, but I think it might be becoming oversaturated in that department. Hopefully, I'll be surprised. 

Hope Is...

"Hope" is the thing with feathers-

That perches in the soul-

And sings the tune without the words-

And never stops-at all-

And sweetest-in the Gale-is heard-

And sore must be the storm-

That could abash the little Bird

That kept so many warm-

I've heard it in the chilliest land-

And on the strangest Sea-

Yet-never-in Extremity,

It asked a crumb-of me.

(Emily Dickinson)

That was one of the only poems I have ever memorized in my life and sometimes it comes to me in random moments. I imagine that little bird called "Hope" singing away, regardless of the circumstances. It's so easy to discount that bird's song, but I think it is such an important thing to feed. After love, I think hope is the most important force in the world.

In a recent episode of This is Us, a dinner party after the death of a loved one goes awry. To comfort Rebecca, Miguel tells a story about making wine. He said good wine is difficult to produce. It doesn't come every year, even when winemakers take precautions or work as hard as they possibly can to protect their crops. Sometimes, they toil away for no reward, but they keep doing it year after year though, hoping for a better outcome. It doesn't always come, but sometimes it does and it is amazing. It may have been a corny or overly-dramatic metaphor, but it rings true.

There are so many things in our worlds that we can't control. Things don't turn out right. We get sick or injured or depressed. Our car breaks down. We hate our jobs. There's a leak in the house. Someone we love dies. Those are dark holes. Those moments of darkness make it very hard easy to hear a constantly repeating soundtrack that say, "Why is this happening to me?" or "Why does everything go wrong?" or "Things will never get better." Try to listen for Hope. That bird's song can be faint, but it never stops at all.

The Most Important Language in My Classroom

This year, there are a lot of languages spoken in my classroom. I have 25 students who speak Spanish at home and come to me to improve their English. I have 3 that only spoke Arabic until just last year. One speaks Tagalog (which sounds so cool!). Then, I have English speakers that come in each day to learn French and Spanish and Italian and German. I think about language and the way languages work every single day.

            Here’s a hard truth, though. It doesn’t matter what language or words I use. No matter how many times I repeat an grammar rule or tell my students that "really" is, in fact, not spelled with an "i", my kids will not all be learning languages. Throughout my life, I have heard about different learning languages and different personality types and growth mindsets for students. All of these things are important to know and understand. To me, though, none of them are as important as the most important language in my classroom: the language of love.

I know, that sounds incredibly corny, but it is true! It doesn’t matter what words I use to communicate to these kids if those words don’t show that I care about them.  Kids that feel cared for will work harder for you. That is a tested truth. The only problem is that, like any language, love languages aren’t necessarily universal. I could greet each student exactly the same way every day and present every lesson the same and respond to every question and concern identically, and I would only reach a portion of the students. That’s why I learn my students’ love languages every year.  Let me give you some examples.

Students that respond to words of affirmation are always the easiest to reach. “Wow, that is such a thoughtful answer”, “I really love the effort you put into this project today”, or even “I love your new backpack” are so impactful. I try to hand out affirmation as much as possible in my first few weeks of school in order to get an understanding of which students really light up. I keep those students in mind and remember to never be skimpy on compliments whenever I notice something positive.

For some students, words aren’t enough. So, next comes my “gifts” kiddos. I’m not talking about spending money on actually buying them gifts all the time. All I do is hand out “Bee Cards” (They were “Panther Paws” in my last school) when I see a student follow or exceed expectations. Even though it is just a slip of paper, that “gift” really means something to some students. While the slips of paper can be saved up to buy actual prizes, sometimes the paper is enough. For example, I have one student this year who has already collected over 50 of them without spending them. I asked him last week if he was saving for something special and he said, “Not really. I just like to have them as a reminder of how good I’m doing.” His love language is definitely gifts.

I have found that, in middle school, the portion of my students that use physical touch as their love language are usually repressing that need. It is a shame, since a hug can have so many benefits, but I am able to reach these kids in less affectionate ways too. I love giving high fives anytime a student answers a question or does something responsible. So many kids try to act like they are too cool for that, but grin like crazy when I put my hand up. I can picture one girl I have this year now, so eager to do well so she can get a high-five. In my first year of teaching, a boy made up a special handshake for us that we used every day to greet one another.

The next love language is “acts of service.” These take a bit more time and attention. I have made efforts to go to basketball games or concerts or soccer games or school plays to support students. I have fixed broken lanyards when I saw the need. In these instances, with tough students, I often have to ask a lot of questions in order to identify what needs they have, but acts of service are often the most appreciated of all the love languages.

Finally, there is “quality time.” As my own predominant love language, this should be the easiest for me to give, but in the chaos of a school day, it can often be forgotten. When 20 kids are yelling my name at once, giving one student one-on-one time can be difficult. I know from experience how much it means though. Some of my best experiences with my own teachers were when my computer teacher sat with me and helped me create something new in Photoshop or when my speech coach spent time listening to my speech over and over. It was when a teacher allowed me to come in during my lunch hour just to talk. Lots of my kids just need an ear that is actually listening without distraction.

I know my students will all be hearing new languages in my classroom every day this year. But I also hope they hear their own language. Their language of love.

When You Talk Too Much

For the first writing assignment for the year in my Writing and Grammar class, the students were assigned to write a paragraph about something they were good at with reasons to support this claim. Most students bragged that they were great soccer players, outstanding artists, or wonderful friends.  Then I got to a paper that started like this:

"I am really good at talking too much."

My first reaction was to think he did the assignment wrong. It was supposed to be positive. I continued to read. He explained how his mom constantly had to tell him to be quiet. He told how he raised in hand so that he could talk in every class. He even labeled himself the "speaker" for his younger brothers. While it wasn't necessarily a positive paragraph, it was a claim that he really believed was true and he had relevant evidence to back up his belief. He had been told his whole life he talked too much, and that had become a part of his identity. When asked to write about himself, this was his self-perception.

I ended up giving the student an A. His paragraph really struck a chord with me. How many times have I been told to be quiet by my parents? How many teachers told me to "give someone else a chance to talk"? How many times have I been excited and talked right over someone else? And I've definitely seen that glazed look in the eyes of all my friends at one point or another when I just forgot to quit. People in my life have always joked about it, but it always, always makes me feel terrible when someone brings attention to my talking.

Unfortunately for my friends and family, I can't stop talking. When something comes to mind, I just am dying to blurt it out immediately. So is this student. He talks and talks and talks. I realized reading his paragraph, that I had already lectured him a couple times about blurting out in class just in the very first  week. So, I took the next week to be purposeful about listening to him instead. While, at times, I knew he was just looking for a laugh from his peers, he also loved to contribute to what we were learning. He had all kinds of ideas and wanted to share them.

Today, I approached him. I said, "You know what? I talk a lot too." "Really?" he replied. "Yep. Everyone is always telling me that I talk too much. But sometimes it's good to tell your stories. I like to hear what you have to say. We talkers have to stick together."

I Like Me Better

There are people in our lives that we want to get to know more. They are interesting or funny or kind. We are attracted to their energy. Something much more rare and special, though, are those people who shine that energy back at us. Instead of just wanting to get to know them, we want them to get to know us. We open ourselves up without feeling uncomfortable or self-conscious. As the song goes, "I like me better when I'm with you." As Ross says in the episode of Friends that is coincidently on in front of me right now, "I love the person I am when I'm with you." We all deserve people like that; that not only make us feel important and beautiful and interesting, but whose presence actually pushes us to be better people. 

Finding these people is hard. I make it even more difficult for myself. I fall into category #1. I love lots of people. I want to get to know lots of people. I want to help people and do things with these people. But I always assume they wouldn't want to know me. I assume they are annoyed or irritated by my presence. To be fair, many, many people have been annoyed by me in my life. I can be overbearing and very loud. However, the sigh my sister responded with might have nothing to do with me, but with her stressful day. The lack of communication with a good friend may have more to do with her busy schedule than her feelings about me. 

This is starting to sound like a blog where I tell you I should be more positive and presume good intentions and open myself up, huh? That would follow the typical pattern of my posts. Here's the truth, though. I can't do that. I can try. I could tell myself to not take things to heart and be confident in myself. I could tell myself that every hour of every day. I still wouldn't. I would still feel like I was falling short. Here's the good news. I'm lucky enough to be a teacher of middle school students. And even though that is a dreaded age group for most, with those kids, I never have to guess feelings. 😂They will tell me when they hate me and tell me when they love me. They'll tell me when I'm being "lame" and when my dress looks pretty. And, when I'm teaching, I feel in my element. It is when I'm the most confident and least worried. In fact...I like me better when I'm with them.

6 more days until the first day of school!

Goals for A New Year

Tomorrow marks the first day for me as a teacher here in Arizona. While it will only be trainings all week, which will most likely be boring, I am so excited to get started. For those of you who don't know, I am teaching something completely new this year: English Language Development. I have worked with many students in my past four years of teaching that spoke another home language, but never before have I been given the task of specifically helping them develop their English language. I know my teaching practices as a reading teacher will serve me well in this new venture, but it is a new state with new standards and test, a new school with different expectations and procedures, and a very different demographic of students. While in some ways that is daunting, it is also incredibly exciting. I really can't wait. To mark this powerful new moment in my life, I , as always, made a list. There will be a learning curve. I won't get a lot right. I want my expectations to be realistic. This is what I want from this year:

1. I will learn something every day. Even if it is what doesn't work with a group of students or something new about a single student. If I walk home knowing something I didn't know coming into the day, I have accomplished something.

2. I will share my love of reading...and writing...and speaking. I may not be a reading teacher anymore, but I can't think of a better way to learn English than by reading. I learn new words all the time when reading books. I know not all of my kids will love reading like I do. In fact, it will be an incredibly frustrating enterprise for many of them. I think attitude goes a long way. If I am just honest about my love for all of these things, students may see potential for the same love with practice.

3.I will have an organization system. While many amazing teachers are very disorganized, I learned in the past few years how less stressful a school year can be if you do the work of really thinking things through up-front.

3. I will give students the opportunity and the encouragement to participate. I think this is incredibly important when learning a language. I know Spanish in theory fairly well, but I am not fluent because I never actually talk to people in that language. When I am given the opportunity, I always feel as if everyone is judging what I say. So, it is my goal to make sure the environment is safe and encouraging for everyone to talk without judgement.

4. I will be open to feedback. I think one of the best ways to get better is to ask others with more experience. As I learned early on from speech competitions, it is difficult to take negative feedback, but if we utilize the criticism and understand it is not a personal attack, we can get better. I also think it's important to ask students how they feel things are going. I don't have to take all advice, but I need to listen to all of it.

I am so excited to start this new adventure and will keep you all up to date on the things I learn along the way!

Taking Up Space

A few days ago, I was lying on the couch, my body stretched up so I took up the entire length of it. I was so relaxed. Then, my sister walked into the living room and I immediately sat up. "Sorry," I said; an automatic reaction. She wrinkled her forehead and asked, "Sorry for what? Existing?" I replied, "No, taking up space."

Obviously I meant I was sorry for taking up the entire couch. Practically, I was just trying to be polite, but as I said it, I thought, "Damn, she's right. Taking up space IS existing. I just apologized for existing."

I continued to think for the rest of the evening about how I often I do just that. I mean, how often do you say, "I'm sorry to bother you"? I say it A LOT. Even when I'm just talking about important work-related things to a coworker, which shouldn't "bother" them at all. I am always concerned about encroaching on other people's time and space. I actually feel stressed when I'm standing in the way of someone else at the grocery store, even though I have just as much of a right to stop and think about what I'm buying as they do. I know I'm not the only one who apologizes for a messy house. Everyone does that. I barely walk into someone else's house without hearing it. Unless it's so bad that a guest can't sit down, I promise our clutter isn't hurting other people in any way. My sister can find another spot to sit. People can wait for me to make a decision. If my friends and family are annoyed by answering a text, they probably aren't good people to have in my life.

By taking up less space; by talking quieter or reaching out less, I really am trying to "exist" less in a way. I need to think of myself less as a burden and more as an asset to my environment. It is such a hard thing to me. I apologize too much. You could argue that this is a result of a mid-western upbringing. You could say it is the conditioning of women in our society. Both are probably true. But the heart of it is this. I have to believe I am worth enough to take up your time and space. I am important enough to be seen and to be heard.