Drama must always be amazeballs!

 

As a teacher, getting feedback from a parent is always invaluable. It can sometimes be hard to gauge how the children feel about the class or teacher, and having parents let us know is always a great help. So when one of our teachers received this positive feedback from a mom recently, it was a great to hear:

 “I want to commend you, T was OVER THE MOON when I picked her up. Direct quote: “Best teacher I had in this school and my old school, she is so kind and lovely, mummy. Drama was amazeballs!” T thoroughly enjoyed it. Thank you again and a big well done!” 

So much of what our Helen O’Grady curriculum focus on are life skills based, like problem solving, creative thinking, confidence, teamwork, memorisation techniques, effective communication, body language, empathy, kindness and respect for others. If a child is happy and excited about being at Drama, they are open and receptive to new ideas and acquiring new skills. 

Tapping into their creativity and expressing themselves becomes fun, and they become little sponges drinking in all the skills and techniques embedded in our activities. It is of the utmost importance that we strive to create a space that the children love to be in, and that they look forward to be a part of, all within the boundaries of mutual respect and the discipline required to work constructively as a group. 

Then we are able to have an impact socially, emotionally and even academically on our students. Receiving feedback such as the message above, is the confirmation we need that we are successfully creating a learning environment that brings joy, as well as developing young lives to set them up for success.

Never underestimate the impact you have on a child’s life ❤️

 I think it is very easy to forget how big an impact you as a teacher can have on the life of a child. Sometimes we get so caught up in the deadlines and admin, and just getting through the day, that we forget that we are shaping lives and guiding our students to become better, stronger and more confident versions of themselves. 

One of the joys of being a Drama teacher is that we often get to see children develop from a young age in Kindy or Lower Primary, all the way to Upper Primary and then Youth Theatre. And sometimes, if you are very lucky, you witness a child conquering a fear, or mastering a skill, or literally finding their voice. These are the moments I think we all treasure the most. 

I recently had the pleasure of exactly such a precious moment. I have a little girl in one of my Lower Primary classes whom I have been teaching for 5 years since she started with our Kindy program at age 3. She has always been painfully shy, having a real fear of performing in front of her group. Over the years she began participating in classroom discussions and answer questions but would never be comfortable standing up to say a poem or do a snippet or any other moment when all eyes are on her. 

 Then a few weeks ago, to my surprise and utter delight, she stood up in front of a class of 25 students and said a Tongue Twister 5 times, out loud, without batting an eye! I was so amazed, for a moment I just stood there, at a total loss for words. Even the other children were completely blown away. Never have I ever wished I could hug someone more than at that moment. She did it! The one thing I never thought she would, but never stopped encouraging her to try. To believe in herself, trust herself and be brave enough to fight the fear of failure when all eyes were on her. 

The spontaneous applause from the other children, and my genuine pride and celebration of this huge moment for her, just made her light up and stand a bit taller, lift her chin a bit higher and smile the biggest smile I’ve ever seen. I hope that this is the first step on her journey of becoming more confident and slowly building her self-esteem.💗💗

- Charlotte Tervit 

(Vice Principal - Helen O'Grady Drama Academy Pretoria and Midrand