This is one of my favorite times of year: pre-school, kindergarten, and first grade programs! This is the time of year that we get to celebrate both the performance and potential of our youngest students.
First, I’d like to commend the teachers for all the hard work and sacrifice it takes to pull off one of these events. Special thanks goes to Mrs. Benoit for so graciously sharing the gym, especially for the pre-school program. Also, kudos to Mrs. Shank for helping the kids sing their best in these music intensive shows.
But the real work (and real patience) comes from the classroom teachers, who find the script, make the costumes and props, pick the parts, and lead their students in rehearsal after rehearsal. As fellow director, I can appreciate all the effort and stress, though I am in awe of the fact that they are working with such young performers. I know the energy it takes to work with junior high, high school, and adult actors, and I can’t imagine the raw determination required to work with students whose attention span in minutes usually correlates to their age.
What always impresses me about these programs is how much memorization is required. While our kindergarten and first grade students could read from scripts (yes, all our kindergarten students are reading amazingly well by the end of the year!), the teachers require them to commit their parts to memory. It is just another example of the kind of mastery learning and high standards we have, even for our youngest.
I’ve heard it said that kids will give you what you ask of them, and that is certainly the case for these programs. The lines are learned, the actions are remembered, the songs are sung with gusto and feeling, and the kids are focused, on-task, and extremely engaged. These programs are just wonderful culminating projects that high light all the progress that has been made throughout the year.
The other thing I really like is that the assessment is authentic. Rather than take a “final exam”, these kids actually “show what they know,” and they show it in front of an audience made up of parents, grandparents, relatives and neighbors. Our pre-school, kindergarten, and first grade programs always draw large crowds, and afterward, I never know who is more proud. The parents are proud of their kids’ ability to read, perform, dance, act, and sing, and kids are proud of their costumes and props and generally of their play.
Obviously, as the students get older, assessment becomes more academic. The final projects of the older classes are equally impressive and I would be happy to compare our kids to any other in the country. We have great teachers and wonderful families who send their sons and daughters to school ready to learn.
But, I suppose as a drama guy, I just like a good show. The pre school, kindergarten, and first grade certainly put on great shows, and in the process show the world how successful they have been with their students.
These programs of success just make me proud. I am proud to be their principal, I am proud to have my kids attend this school, and most of all I am proud of the education we provide our kids.
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