Santa 08 wrapup - A Wild Ride

Christmas 2008 was quite an experience. I totally believe that if there were a Santa, I would be him. I never tired of seeing the joy in the eyes of all the kids (of ALL ages) when they met the REAL Santa. I even had senior citizens lined up for an hour just to sit on my knee and get a picture. Unbelievable.

Here's a quick pictorial of the adventure:

Springs Preserve - I spent four hours a nite every weekend between Thanksgiving THROUGH Dec. 30. From Dec. 19 it was every day except Christmas Day.

Have you been good this year?

My helpers Norma Wood and Louisa Lawson (l-r)

Despite my best efforts, many were still afraid of the Jolly Old Elf.

Some had lists you wouldn't believe!

Yes, they came in all ages!

ALL ages!!

BEHIND THE SCENES


A Coke and a smile!!

In the dressing room

After Christmas, Santa was still on the job, but it was vacation time for the old boy.

....until the Grinch showed up!

All's Well that Ends Well.... the team bids farewell on closing night, Dec. 30.

Teaching update Jan. 6-23, 09

Well, the holidays are over and the sub teaching is a little sparse. Guess everybody's back to work. But it's been fun and here's how it shaped up the past two weeks:

Tue Jan-6-09 Boulder City HS Health - routine, studied for exam

Wed 7-Jan Eldorado HS Science - studied for biology exam...i asked the questions, they answered. Typical exchange: "Mr. Hanks, is that right?" "I have no idea. Look it up."

Thu 8-Jan Foothill HS English - my regular group of honor student. Freaked them out with my new haircut. They were expecting Santa and got King Lear. It was fun. They happened to be studying Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, so I got to perform a little and we watched a bit of it after I explained it to them. I also had lots of new word puzzles, which they always like.

Fri 9-Jan Liberty HS English - Watched the same episode of Twilight Zone THREE TIMES while the students analyzed it. I love Twilight Zone...once. :)

Mon/Tues. - no jobs available. :(

Wed/Thu 14, 15-Jan Votech NW-1/2 day Botany -administered semester exams...yawn.

Fri. Church PR meeting, no class
Mon. MLK day, no school

Tue/Wed 20,21-Jan INAUGURATION DAY - Green Valley HS Orchestra Strings - Mr. Neuman helped chaperone the band while they marched in the inaugural parade. They sent second period to the theatre to watch the inauguration and speech, then back to work. whew! I got to see it live after all. The advanced orchestra is usually out of town, which is why I sub, but this time they stayed while Mr. N left, so I was looking forward to conducting that group. But Mr. N had me just divide them into sectional rehearsals with a couple of guest tutors. I was a little disappointed I didn't get to conduct them but they needed that practice, so oh, well. It was the same for the other two orchestras as well...so it was pretty routine subbing...babysitting. The guitar group, though was more fun...got to direct a little blues and upbeat stuff.

Thu 22-Jan Liberty HS Earth Science - First two classes - I gave them my favorite geography brainteasers/trick questions, then they studied vocabulary words and watched a video. In the "prep" class while I normally just chill for 90 minutes, an administrator came in and said, "Mr. Hanks, we need you in another class. Will you come? There is a teacher who is overwhelmed by 35 rowdy freshmen." I said sure, of course. It was one of those "how to learn" generic classes all kids hate. But I loved it. I swooped in with my goon hair cut and bus driver glare and whipped them right into shape. One student almost busted me, though. She remembered me from a class last month. "HEY, WAIT!" she said. "YOU'RE SANTA CLAUS!! YOU CAN'T BE MEAN!!" I said, "Yeah, but this is the off season and I CAN be mean...for a minute." Then we had fun the rest of the class. I had to take a few names and kick a few figurative little a%$es, but it worked out. The overwhelmed sub was soooooo grateful. The last class of the day was a no-brainer because all they did was review their LSAT practise tests, so I wasn't even involved. I left early for home to help finish painting the guest room for Kristin, Taylor and Jade, who are visiting this weekend for Taylor's soccer tournament.

That's it for now. I start again next week. I LOVE THIS JOB!!

Last School Day Before Christmas Break

I got a last minute teaching job on Dec. 19, the last school day this year...Desert Oasis HS...teaching architecture/CADD (computer aided design). There was an experience!! Most schools have alternating days where different subjects are taught on alternating days. Because of the snow day Thurs., Dec. 18, they had switched the days. But apparently Mr. Lewis, the architecture teacher, didn't know it. So he left great instructions for his ART Classes, but non for architecture. I walked into each of this three 90 minute CADD classes with no instructions, no rosters and not a clue how to teach computer aided design for architecture.

Naturally I worked it out. I happened to have kept in my emergency file some geometric plot instructions from the math class I had taught recently, so I had them plot that graphic on their computers (luckily they knew how) and print out the results on paper to turn in for credit. (I hope the teacher gave them credit...I haven't heard from him.) It happened to be a design of a Santa head, so it was fun, too. The remaining time I gave them brainteasers and word puzzles and showed them pictures of my Santa stuff. Anything to fill the time, right?

More English Classes!

I forgot to tell you about the English Classes I taught two weeks ago. Dec. 9 I made my third appearance in the Foothill HS Honors English classes...one of my favorites...and they apparently feel the same. While I was at Foothill later that week in the broadcast classes, I slipped over and met Mrs. Vaughan, the teacher of the English classes. I usually don't meet the teachers I sub for because they're always gone when I'm there. What's up with that!??!! LOL

Then Wed., Dec. 10 I taught English at Cimarron Memorial.

Green Valley Orchestra

Mr. Neuman took the advanced concert orchestra to Chicago for a prestigious workshop and performance Dec. 15 - 18 and asked me to sub for his other classes. It was a blast, of course. He left two pieces for each of the two orchestras (beginning and intermediate) and three for the guitar class. We had a little fun with the Santa thing, but I told them this was not a vacation and we would be making "significant progress" on the pieces, so Mr. Neuman would be surprised. So I drilled them pretty hard. Took the bloom off the Santa rose I suppose, but they cooperated. Learning classical music with an orchestra is one of those things you should never watch, like making sausages and laws. You should just enjoy (or endure) the final product. I love directing finished products best, but even the chaotic journey to that end is fun. They didn't think so...most of them...it was hard.

The fourth day, Thursday, Dec. 18 was canceled due to snow, so I didn't get to polish the tunes, but we did make significant progress. One of the student violinists, who happens to be in our ward choir, said that Mr. Neuman was shocked Friday when they played a particularly hard piece all the way through, which they'd never done before. :):):):).

In the guitar class, they made good progress, too. I also taught them a standard blues pattern. I haven't heard if Mr. Neuman appreciated that. It was kind of a departure from his instructions, but it seemed like a good idea at the time. The kids certainly enjoyed it. I also gave them something they don't get from Mr. Neuman...piano accompaniment during their practicing. It makes it easier to learn...and fun for me.

Coming soon: Mr. Neuman wants me to sub for him during Obama's Inauguration Jan. 16, 20, and 21 while he goes with the band to Washington, D.C. to march in the Inaugural Parade. I guess they need chaperones or something. But this time he will leave the Advanced Orchestra behind for me to play with for the first time along with the others!!!! Fun times!!

Cool News for Soap Opera fans!

I went to my monthly Screen Actors Guild (the union I don't belong to, even though I'm eligible because of Rat Race...there's not enough union work) workshop. The guest was a stuntman (double for Tom Hanks in Forrest Gump, Harrison Ford in Raiders, and others) and his wife, an actress on "Days of Our Lives" soap opera. On a break I told her it would be cool to have a guest appearance by Santa Claus by a professional actor who could do Santa's actor character as well. She said that was a great idea and why don't I send my headshot and resume to the casting director along with a testimonial sheet from people who like my Santa gig. But she didn't have the address, so I gave her my double head shot (me regular and as Santa), got her email addiesaid I'd follow up. She volunteered her cell number, so I was hopeful.

I emailed her the next day and attached a couple of mybest Santa pictures. and thought that would be the end of it. You know how those things go...nowhere. But two days later she returned the email:

"I have told her [casting director] about you... so send away! The pictures are great!"

Cool. So I put together the tesimonials and head shots and overnighted them to her to arrive Monday, Dec. 22. That's probably the end of it, but it's fun to get that close. Maybe next time...

Here are the testimonials, just for the record:

“John is a solid member of our resident company of actors and just happens to be the greatest Santa Claus you’ve ever seen. Our current client is totally ecstatic about having “Santa John” performing for thousands of families in a prime Las Vegas location. He’s so real he has adults believing in Santa!”
Dan Decker, Creative Director, Las Vegas Playhouse

“We hire a Santa every year for several activities and John Hanks is without a doubt the best one we’ve ever had. He not only looks the part, his Santa persona is spot on so engaging. The kids just love him!”
Christie Garness, Event Planner, City of Las Vegas

“It was a shock when John showed up at our family party as Santa. One of the older boys who had been tentative on Santa, went home and told his mother: ‘Santa really is real, I believe in Santa again!’ He sat down and quickly wrote a letter to Santa telling him what wanted for Christmas. John’s the best!”
Ashley Hall, former Las Vegas City Manager

“When we hired John Hanks to be Santa at our family Christmas party, we had no idea we had hired the real Santa. The photos we took were amazing and John had the kids spellbound as he asked them if they had been good this year and what they wanted Santa to bring them. It made a believer out of young and old alike. Our ten year old daughter said, ‘I think that was the real Santa Claus. Do you think he will come to our Christmas party next year, too?’”
Howard and Cristi Bulloch, Mother

Teaching Broadcast and Debate!

Another Dream Come True. After two days of teaching (Dec. 11 and 12), I am now the Go-To Sub for Foothill High School's Broadcast Journalism and Forensics classes for Mrs. Vaughan. She is also going to send my info to all the other Broadcast teachers in Las Vegas. The ball is rolling.

Here's the door they decorated for the Christmas Door contest. High School has changed a bit since I was there!!

The sign reads: "Teachers know the shortest distance and the lenghth of travel from their classrooms to the restroom."