I am hot, sweaty, exhausted, exhilerated, overjoyed, and inspired — and therefore have just finished my first day of teaching at WKU’s VAMPY program.  Today, we learned about the true beauty of all of the things mentioned in the title of this blog entry.  “Schmoe” is the name given to WKU’s mascot, Big Red, by VAMPY kids whose nametags bear a pin with his likeness.  Or her likeness.  I remember there being quite a debate as to whether Schmoe was male, female, or without a gender.  The goal of most VAMPY kids is to collect as many Schmoes as possible — I lamented today over the fact that, due to various moves and nametag trades, I have no Schmoes.  We also learned about constructive criticism and how a poetry group resembles a therapy group.  Sadly, the students also learned what happens when their professor loses her cane in a battle with a vending machine.  That’s right: a cane.  I remembered that the nickname “The Hilltoppers” exists for a reason, and had to break down and finally purchase the cane I’ve been avoiding for a long time now.  I’m still hoping to find my panther cane with ruby eyes, but, until that glorious day, my butterfly-covered CVS cane will have to do.

My class and I will be blogging about the VAMPY experience on our blog, The Eleven Prodigeeys and The Boulder.  As the students elected to post anonymously, they’ve chosen personas from the Greek pantheon.  I, of course, am The Boulder.  These kids are amazing, and the blog promises to be amazing as well.