Friday, September 14, 2012

Levitation

In my keyboarding class, I have a 7th grade girl who is in a wheelchair.  In the first three weeks of school she had said about 4 words, and that was only when I checked to make sure she didn’t need the desk raised up so she could get to the keyboard.

Yesterday, she walked (yes, walked) up to me at lunch and asked “Am I in your class?”  Not yet completely familiar with my students, no name came right to mind, but I was sure she was in one of my classes, so I said yes.  “Do you remember my name?”   She waited a second as I searched for a name and then pointed to the legs she was standing on and asked “Notice something different?

I would have loved to see the look on my face as it dawned on me who she was, and in complete awe I looked at her and said her name.

No, but I’m her twin sister.” Bada-bim, bada-boom.  They reeled me in like a professional angler landing a 300lb yellowfin tuna.

I said something about it to the real her in class later that day, and now she comes into the class smiling and has talked to me more in the last 2 class periods than the 3 weeks before.  Definitely worth the half dozen kids that saw that really stupid look on my face when I had no clue what to say.


My 2 Tech students asked to borrow my camera and tripod the other day.  I asked them what they needed it for and they simply told me they would show me afterwards.  They’re not the kind of kids to do something inappropriate, and I know I can trust them with my camera, so I said ok.  Here’s what they came back with.  (These are not photoshopped, other than the frame, the blurred faces and the copyright, they are exactly as I took them off the camera.)

6 comments:

Lisa Shafer said...

Twin story = awesome!
Levitation photos: Was duct tape involved?

Max Sartin said...

Yeah, I had to laugh, they got me good.
And No, no duct tape was involved.

Kranky Granny said...

I knew a set of twins that liked to pull similar tricks all the time. Even traded places during exams. But, neither of them were handicapped, so that makes your story so much better. I expect they pull that stunt the first of every school year.

As to the levitation-- how long we have to wait before you tell us how it was done?

ifthethunderdontgetya™³²®© said...

I'm thinking it was good old fashioned leg muscles.

Great and inspiring tales, Max.
~

Max Sartin said...

Rita - I'll tell you right now - Magic

Thunder - actually, you got it right. They set the camera to a high shutter speed and then jumped in the air holding a pose that would make it look like they were just hanging there.

They took about 25 photos, in some of them it was pretty obvious they were jumping. But of course, I didn't post any of those.

laurak/ForestWalkArt :) said...

oooooh...i like the magic concept better than the 'jump and shoot'!! ha!!

oh those silly twins!! 'fool me once...'