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 SCENESA 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.
Posted by John and Linda Hanks at 10:07 AM 0 comments

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 examWed 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 classMon. MLK day, no schoolTue/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!!
Posted by John and Linda Hanks at 9:42 AM 0 comments
Tuesday, December 23, 2008

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?
Posted by John and Linda Hanks at 9:54 AM 0 comments

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!??!! LOLThen Wed., Dec. 10 I taught English at Cimarron Memorial.
Posted by John and Linda Hanks at 9:42 AM 0 comments

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!!
Posted by John and Linda Hanks at 9:26 AM 0 comments

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
Posted by John and Linda Hanks at 9:12 AM 0 comments
Sunday, December 14, 2008

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."
Posted by John and Linda Hanks at 9:45 AM 0 comments

Early Morning Beauty

The thing I like best about getting up at 5 in the morning and arriving at school at 6:30 is seeing the sunrise. When I was driving a school bus I saw it every morning and marveled at the magnificent beauty the totally fill the sky.

Looking to the east I see the the light long before the sun appears. When the sky is clear or when the clouds are just right, it can be absolutely breathtaking. I took this picture with my phone camera the morning of Dec. 2, 2008 on my way to Centennial High School to teach the orchestra. It was the day I sang with the kids (see a prior post and pic with my green shirt.)

Looking to the west, the glow of the sunrise on the mountains gives just the right punctuation to the elegant morning.

Life is grand early in the morning!

What do you make, Teacher?

To our fellow teachers,

You’ve probably seen this before, but just in case…if anyone ever makes an issue over “what you make” as a teacher, give them this.

WHAT DO YOU MAKE, TEACHER?

The dinner guests were sitting around the table discussing life. One man, a CEO, decided to explain the problem with education.

He argued, 'What's a kid going to learn from someone who decided his best option in life was to become a teacher?'

He reminded the other dinner guests what they say about teachers: 'Those who can, do. Those who can't, teach.' To stress his point he said to another guest; 'You're a teacher, Bonnie. Be honest. What do you make?'

Bonnie, who had a reputation for honesty and frankness replied, 'You want to know what I make? (She paused for a second, and then began...)

Well, I make kids work harder than they ever thought they could.

I make a C+ feel like the Congressional Medal of Honor.

I make kids sit through 40 minutes of class time when their parents can't make them sit for 5 without an I Pod, Game Cube or movie rental.

You want to know what I make? (She paused again and looked at each and every person at the table.)

I make kids wonder.

I make them question.

I make them apologize and mean it.

I make them have respect and take responsibility for their actions.

I teach them to write and then I make them write Keyboarding isn't everything.

I make them read, read, read

I make them show all their work in math. They use their God given brain, not the man-made calculator.

I make my students from other countries learn everything they need to know about English while preserving their unique cultural identity.

I make my classroom a place where all my students feel safe.

I make my students stand, placing their hand over their heart to say the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag, One Nation Under God, because we live in the United States of America.

Finally, I make them understand that if they use the gifts they were given, work hard, and follow their hearts, they can succeed in life.

(Bonnie paused one last time and then continued.)

Then, when people try to judge me by what I make, with me knowing money isn't everything, I can hold my head up high and pay no attention because they are ignorant....

You want to know what I make?

I MAKE A DIFFERENCE.

What do you make Mr. CEO?

His jaw dropped, he went silent.

What I've Learned From 5 1/2 Days of Teaching

First, here's the rundown of my first week of teaching:

Thurs., Nov. 13 Liberty HS Orchestra (1/2 day, one class only) (see previous blog)!!
Fri., Nov. 14 Boulder City HS English (seniors, bright, disciplined)
Mon., Nov. 17 Centennial HS Drama !! (freshman, talented, rowdy, fun)
Tues., Nov. 18 Foothill HS English Honors (dream classes...very bright, disciplined)
Wed., Nov. 19 OFF - Dr. Appt.
Thurs., Nov. 20 Eldorado HS Math Fundamentals - Freshman (rowdy bunch)
Fri., Nov. 21 Green Valley HS Orchestra/Guitar (three orchestras, one guitar, another dream come true. It's hard to believe Mr. Neuman gets to do that EVERY DAY! It's heaven! I'm going back for four days in December...I CAN'T WAIT!!)

I'm also booked for two days in December for the orchestra at Centennial HS, a result of leaving my card when I was there Nov. 17.

These pictures are from Boulder City HS English Class...taken without students present of course. You can barely see my name on the board behind me.

I just got my first phone call from the computer, initiated by an algebra/geometry teacher requesting me specifically for next Tuesday. It came from Foothill, where I did English Nov. 18. He must have heard how great I was from the English teacher. I had send emails to the Performing Arts teachers, but noone else.

So here's what I've learned.

1. You have to be very clear with directions and repeat them often.
2. They don't automatically know how to turn in papers. Without direction, it's total chaos!
3. Music classes are the best. They challenge all the musical skills I have. Thank goodness you're allowed to sweat in heaven. :)
4. The older they get they easier they are to control. That's why I don't do middle school. The Freshmen are fresh out of MS, so it's mostly discipline with them. I tried to do some fun stuff and it was too chaotic and unfocused, so I wound up stopping the fun and going back to the policing.

5. I CAN TEACH MATH!!! (see pic on left) Or more accurately, I can conduct a math class. There's not much actual teaching on my part, except for very basic algebra and geometry. I can't wait to try a calcucus class.

6. This is without a doubt the best job I've ever had. See my next post for the reason why. It's all about what teachers make.

I'm in Heaven!! An Orchestra Conductor!!

Words cannot describe my first substitute teaching job Thursday, November 13. It was totally random because this orchestra teacher at Liberty High School in Henderson just put it out on the system and was prepared for anyone. His instructions were to just take roll and turn it over to a student volunteer conductor or just have them practice individually or in groups.

ARE YOU KIDDING? I'm not letting a 40-piece string ADVANCED orchestra slip through my baton! So I rehearsed them for an hour with all the music they were working on. Silent Night, White Christmas, a fun little holiday number and a serious classical piece they weren't too excited about. (I really did take my own baton!)

I drilled them like Gladys Knight does the SUV choir. It's much the same as a choir, except instruments make the voices. I had the conductor's scores for all of them, so I could follow it all. It was a workout both mentally and physically. It took all my focus and musical skill to pull it off, but you should have seen me. I was Leonard Bernstein reborn. There was no way to overdo it.

The highlight was the ending of White Christmas, which had a Handel-like climax...two big chords followed my a final single note that crescendo'd to a big cutoff. I giggled like a school kid the first time they did it right. It must have been a sight. Santa Claus waving a baton in total delight.

Nov. 08 Update

Isn't life interesting? You make a plan, kick it into gear and then watch something completely different unfold. You want to make God laugh, just tell him your plan.

I have come to realize that there is a greater plan beyond mine. However, I still make my submissions and hope for some accomodation. But in the end, I accept what is given me and enjoy the hell out of it.

That said, here is the status of my life right now.

I am officially retired. After turning 60 this past July 30, I qualified for my retirement checks from Clark County Public Employees Retirement System (PERS). I now get 25% of my salary every month. It's not much, but it pays a few bills and gives us a little flexibility. But more is needed of course. But I will never work for a full-time boss again. Hooray!

After creating my business, John Hanks Communications, in 1999, I realized that I am much better at doing the work (media consulting, media training, writing, A/V producing, etc.) than running a business. It is still "on the books" but pretty much dormant, except for a few requests that come in. In this economy, PR is the last thing companies want to spend money on and the first thing to get cut, so pickins are slim.

I tried a couple of things I thought I could do because I HAD to.

I drove a school bus for nine months to rack up and few more months of retirement qualification. I loved the students and the task, but got buried by the bureaucracy and inept administration. I soon began looking for a way out.

A friend then persuaded me to join an MLM, which I jumped at to escape the bus. However, it took my entire 401k and left me with additional debt and a very upset spouse. In the end, it wasn't that it didn't work, it's that I didn't like the work it required. I always believed (and still do) that I could do anything that was required of me. But recruiting people and trying to get them to dump their entire life savings into a high risk, low success busines was not my cup of tea. As my wife put it, I simply didn't like doing that kind of work.

So, what DO I like to do, I asked myself. It came down to performing and impacting people's lives in good, positive ways...making everyone I meet feel better about their lives. So I put that out into the universe and here's what I got:

TEACHING: I have taught college communications classes for the 9 years since I left the airport in 1999, until this year when the University System budget cuts eliminated my classes. Part timers got the first axe. So now I am a Substitute Teacher in the Clark County School District and loving it. Watch this blog for more details. I do still teach two annual college classes: Crisis Management (UNLV Continuing Education) and Government PR (UNLV Master of Public Administration). The latter is a class I created in 2000 and have been teaching ever since. It's an annual one credit hour summer class now and still on the list. I guess they like what I do.

PERFORMING: I have several talent agents who have this head shot and get me work every once in a while. I have a national commercial running off and on and a local commercial running now as well. You can see both of those on my website http://www.johnhanks.com/. You will also see the audio book I produced this year, "Up From the Hills." Plus you can get more details on that at http://www.upfromthehillsmovie.blogspot.com/).

This Summer I became associated with Theatre Las Vegas, an acting company that does local productions from Shakespeare to Santa Claus.


They asked me to let my beard grow and play Jerry Garcia (Grateful Dead) in a one time gig at a SAG party in September. So I did, of course!

In September I also narrated my quad-annual "Songs of our Politics", which the Southern Nevada Musical Arts Society does every Presidential election year. Yes, I'm Uncle Sam.

Then I played a prospector on a Haunted Halloween Hayride at the Springs Preserve for a few weeks before Halloween (they asked me to let my beard grow more), then the director asked me to keep the beard for some upcoming Shakespeare roles in the spring.

Meantime, as long as I had the beard, I let it grow some more, bleached it (and my hair and eyebrows) and became Santa Claus for the season.

I am booked by Theatre Las Vegas to return to the Springs Preserve to be their Santa for 20 nights over all the weekends between Thanksgiving and Christmas. I'm gonna love spreading joy to all those kids and collecting a little cash in the process. Isn't that what enlightened self interest is all about?

So there you have it. Watch this space for the ongoing adventure that is my life. As Helen Keller once said, "Life is either a great adventure or nothing." I'm all over that one.

Update

Since May 7, 2005, it's been a wild ride. I've continued to teach at UNLV and Nevada State College Henderson. However, budget cuts have eliminated all classes as of this fall. So after a couple of summer classes at UNLV, I'll be out of the teaching business until further notice.

I also had a stint with Marz and Company, a marketing/advertising firm run my a good friend, John Marz. That went away when the client fell prey to the slowing economy and couldn't support his advertising budget, including my PR component.

Now, I have turned my attention to my greatest loves, acting, writing, and producing.

Acting, running now:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=Cln6VcV4Glo (national Bud Lite Commercial, "Dude Vegas")

Local Las Vegas TV commercial as spokesman for the law firm, Haines and Krieger.

Acting, in progress:
Audio Book, "Up From the Hills"


Writing projects in motion:

Novel based on "Up From the Hills"

Screenplay based on "Up From the Hills"

Life is good.