Nancy Bailey knows that the high priority given to test scores has driven many important activities out of elementary schools. Some have cut back on recess, or eliminated it. Some have cut back on the arts. Some no longer can spare the time to stage a play. When the school lines by the credo of “no excuses,” dramatics goes the way of the dinosaur.
She bemoans the lost pleasure and learning that comes from putting on a play.
She provides a list of the positive benefits that derive from participating in a play, such as socialization, self-confidence, and self-discipline.
In years ahead, what will you remember? The play you brought to life or your test scores?
Diane Ravitch's blog 
So glad I am OLD.
I loved elementary school.
At the end of each month, every class has to show what they learned via singing, dancing, doing a skit. Everyone LOVED this and we ALL learned from these monthly mini events. Then at Christmas and at the end of the school year, the entire school put on two pageants. Tickets were 10 cents so the school could rent the highschool auditorium. These two galas were packed.
The students learned MUCHO, MUCHO, which cannot be measured on any standardized, high-stakes tests. The proof of what was learned was showed.
Parents saw their children grow in confidence as well as all academic subjects.
And we were taken to the one public library on O’ahu every month, too.
And we actually had a lunch time where we sat, then napped (K-4). This school also had morning and afernoon recess, too. Kids played marbles, jacks, hopscoth, etc. and also played on the playground equipment. We learned how to share, how to organize ourselves, how to resolve conflicts by ourselves, and more.
Each class also had a garden plot to grow plants. We learned a lot. The teachers, like other humans, were different from each other…thank goodness.
Since the deformers learned they could make big $$$$$ off the backs of our young and teachers, and by forming charters and vouchers, well … here we are in stupid and fascist-land.
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(except the first line)
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This development is very sad.
I worked overseas at the International School of Kuala Lumpur for 8 years and found that it is possible to have great things happening. [ISKL is a private school in which most of the families are connected to major corporations or overseas embassy people. The year after I left ISKL, it was opening up to Malaysians. It was expensive so don’t know how this new law affected locals.]
Class sizes were considered over-sized if over 16. The art department had an abundance of projects that I’d never seen before in any public schools in the US. It was totally amazing to view the tremendous types of art projects that can be done when money and caring is available.
The P.E. department had a large gym, a large outdoor green area and its own swimming pool.
Each year various grades (K-5) put on some type of play. The costuming and background scenery was always spectacular. Sometime these kids would be involved in more than one activity a year. Classroom teachers were very active in these programs which were used as active teaching devices.
As a band teacher and K-4 music teacher it seemed that we were overloaded with the amount of programs that the music department produced each year.
There was an after school choir, band, recorder club and gamelan group.
Kids had very qualified teachers from a number of countries. [Classroom instruction was done in English.] Foreign languages of Chinese and Spanish were taught. The classroom teachers had meeting times in which each grade level of teachers could get together to discuss their projects. This collaboration was considered important.
Of course, we didn’t have the intrusion of teaching to the test. What a disgusting way to ruin education and the true thrill that creativity can bring to the classroom.
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The district in which I taught had a strong arts program, which continues today despite test and punish. In my school alone there were several plays each year. One of our teachers, a Haitian American, was married to a playwright. Each year this teacher presented a drama that was often connected to a social justice issue. She was able to blend performance with history. She sometimes included the entire grade in these productions, and the music teacher wrote music the productions and helped students to rehearse during music classes. These productions were spectacular with some of the sets designed by professionals; students and parents helped as well. The students benefited tremendously from the experience.
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My district also sponsored Multicultural Night. I brought a group of ELLs every year. The students looked forward to it. Many students performed dances or sang songs from their country. Parents often helped with costumes. It was a great way for students that generally stayed in the background to shine and share something from their home country with others. Somebody asked if I had a dance background, and I laughed. The dances came from parents, older siblings, cousins, aunts or uncles. They were all eager to showcase their homeland. It was really the work of the village cooperating together.
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NOT LOST in Austin!!!
Years ago, when my son and my daughter-in-law, Andee KInzy, joined an Austin home school cooperative — where my grandkids would be schooled –she brought her skills as a filmmaker and actress and brought THEATER ARTS to the curricula.
This month ImprovED is producing Macbeth http://improvedshakespeare.com/tickets/?mc_cid=0730b22e04&mc_eid=15603b9118
Once staged at local venues, the Scottish Rite Theater now hosts the plays, and provides wonderful backdrops, but the fun the children have, and the benefit of mouthing the Elizabethan vocabulary is unchanged.
Andee created IMPROVED SHAKESPEARE, and she presented the Bard’s plays in such a way that the main speeches and moment remained, but the action was explained by the characters during interludes.“Here at ImprovEd Shakespeare, we firmly believe you should get to know the story before jumping into a Shakespeare play. In honor of our spring production, we want to share some resources with you.”
So GO to the link to hear ANDEE KINZY’S advice for parents, so as to provide an UNDERSTANDING of the play, ‘COMEDY OF ERRORS’– http://improvedshakespeare.com/prepare-for-comedy-of-errors/?mc_cid=88f8135230&mc_eid=15603b9118|
you will hear THE CHILDREN explaining the ways in which narration is woven into the production. In fact (forgive proud grandma) , there is MY girl Zia, opens saying “how bright the moon.” and MY boy at (video point .33) explaining how narration is added.
If you will indulge me, one more moment here at marker (( at 25.40/40:46)) is my Brant,– barely age 7– with the adorable girl who played Perdida:
YOU should hear both of them speak these days. Every child in the ‘company’ speaks with clarity and erudition, after years of mouthing the bards language.
My granddaughter (now 14) was 9 when she played in the first production “The Tempest’ where she played…ProsperA.
What these children gain from being part of a dramatic productions incalculable, not merely The verbal skills: :
* The social skills LISTENING to each other, being patient and helping each other are crucial.
* The brain skill for sequential PLANNING is practiced as the actors think about their actions.. WHAT NOW, WHAT NEXT….
Recently Zia played Petrucchio https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NFlzz-ZXi3c
but these days, she is more involved with stage management, and script writing, learned SKILLS that are and offshoot of this THEATER ARTS PROGRAM..which isNOW OPEN toALL OF AUSTIN.
(Too bad that Austin parents do not realize that IMPROVED SHAKESPEARE and all of the workshops, including script-writing are now OPEN TO THEIR KIDS.)
But if you want to see WHY a
“the play’s the thing” here is my boy Brant as Grumio, and the Taming of the Shrew, I am filming, and you can hear Andee laughing, as her actors do their thing… and BTW, that little boy can never NEVER AGAIN fake tears WITH ME LOL
Stay with Youtube for other moments like the warm-ups: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6shJha_9IJM or https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TebUSSBhUb8
Gosh… I miss producing plays and I remember when Andee came to my seventh grade to help me teach my Acting & Improvisation elective.
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DON’T MISS THIS…This link failed… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1u-ajrLYyIc
go and hear Andee ANS THE KIDS explain why the PLAY IS THE THING!
AND HERE is the other missing link where I said… ” if you want to see WHY a
“the play’s the thing” here is my boy Brant as Grumio, and the Taming of the Shrew, I am filming, and you can hear Andee laughing, as her actors do their thing”… and BTW, that little boy can never NEVER AGAIN fake tears WITH ME LOL
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I knew the most wonderful second grade teacher at my daughters’ elementary school who retired when she was told she couldn’t put on an end of the year play any more because “there was no time for that now.” This was at the beginning of the Bloomberg era.
Fortunately the elementary school that I retired from still hads a production at the end of each year. Dedicatedd and talented staff staff assist the 2-5 graders in putting on a full production. Last spring they did the Lion King. A grant don’t t know from where) was given so the children could attend the Broadway play. Many of these were children arrived at school not speaking a word of English. Some were still in the process of gaining fluency and narrating as well as speaking parts in the pays brought out a confidence and fluency in them that brings tears to my eyes as I think about them. Unfortunately most play rehearsals were after school so there were children whose parents or situations did not permit them to attend.
We’ve also had instrumental music, dance and chorus. Art is part of the day with a licensed teacher in the field. The children love these programs and respond academically. Many years ago I encouraged the then administratorsvti let the pre-k children participate in holiday productions and poetry assemblies. They gained a self confidence in themselves early and I watched some of the shyest children mature into wonderful artists in all aspects. One young man who was considered to have emotional questions was in his glory as he learned to play the drums. He was very good and his behavior was changing for the better. Soon after the program (from outside the school) was gone he had difficulties again. How sad that so many of these enrichment programs are only for weeks or months and not embedded in the school day regularly. Just think of the positive effects on our young children. We have to ask, and I may be cynical here, do those in power really want our children to gain the of self assurance, pride, knowledge and thoughtfulness that the arts can encourage? Unfortunately only a very few are given the opportunity for this experience and growth in our public school because the funding for these programs is not seen as necessary.
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I don’t know where Chicago Heights, school district #170, in Illinois is now but I know that at one time classroom teachers got music once a week for one semester. That covered half of the 11 schools in the district. The remainder of schools got music the second semester for one day a week.
It is impossible to teach anything on that type of scheduling. I worked in Chicago Heights for 12 years.
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