‘Theatre made me feel like I had a place, purpose, and a future. Theatre gave me the confidence I needed to believe in myself even when I did not.’
If you allow me to elaborate on my above quoted statement. I was diagnosed with a learning disability at age six. This disability did not come with a name or title like some. I was left thinking to myself ‘What is going on? I am dumb. I am stupid. Why am I so slow?’ I had lots of trouble keeping up in my reading and math classes. I remember friends of mine reading complete Dr Seuss books, while I was still trying to formulate how to read sentences. This was a very difficult time for me as a child. My teachers and I could not figure out what would help me. I was thus thrusted into the resource room, a room for children with learning differences. While I had lovely teachers, and I made lots of friends, I was sad and lonely on the inside. I wanted to learn like a ‘normal’ kid. I’d stare out the window of the classroom thinking “the only place I feel ‘normal’ is the dance studio.” My mother enrolled me in dance classes at the age of three years old. This was the only place I felt safe from my own mind. I flourished in dance classes. I worked hard, remembered combinations quickly, and classmates would ask me for help! If you were to observe me in a dance class as a child, and observe me in school as a child, you would get two completely different children. This juxtaposition between school and dance went on for three years.
In the summer of 2005 I performed in my very first musical. I remember standing in ballet class at the age of nine years old singing in between exercises for my classmates. My ballet teacher, Miss Victoria, suggested I should audition for the summer community theatre. They were putting on a production of ‘Once on This Island.’ At nine years old, I knew virtually nothing about the audition process, sheet music, or the musical I was even auditioning for. I just wanted to be on stage. Fast forward two months later and I am performing as a supportive role in my very first musical. I caught the theatre bug, as most theatre folk would call it. Those two months were filled with joy, fun, laughter, friendship, and most of all I learned a lot about being confident in myself. I learned that I understood life better through an artistic mindset, that I did not need to be normal to learn. I learned through creation, song, dance, and physicalization. I learned best when I was doing something I loved and cared about. I had passion. This musical was a pivotal moment for me as I navigated how I could use these skills to my advantage in my studies as a child.
In the fall of 2006 (my sixth grade year), my teachers saw a significant improvement in my reading and mathematical skills. They saw a jump in motivation, comprehension, and confidence. Within a short few weeks, the school deemed me ready to leave the resource room. I was both excited and terrified. When I made the leap into the ‘normal’ classes, I was pleasantly surprised to find my teachers did not instruct in the stereotypical ways. My math teacher taught every lesson in a song, and my English teacher assigned more projects than tests. I thought I died and went to heaven. I was able to memorize equations through melodies. I was able to give myself the motivation to get through a book, knowing I was going to make a creative presentation once completed. I fully understand this is not every child’s dream, but it was mine. I finally felt like I could keep up with the other students. I finally understood my strengths and how to use them. I am not writing this for pity, nor am I upset. I am writing this to show the power of the arts. Every person and student faces different challenges in and outside of school. Participating in one musical changed the scope of my entire life. As I look back on my story through the gaze of a seasoned arts professional, I am proud of my younger self. I am proud I have always looked at life through an artistic lens and never gave in. I hope I can inspire younger generations to do the same.
Now that you have read through my story and thoughts. What are your thoughts on this subject?
Hi Amanda! I read your post and felt the need to reply! At school, I was a very "academic" student. I fit into the typical student model and did not have any difficulty functioning in a traditional classroom setting. However, many others did. Now that I work in an elementary school setting, I truly see that there are so many students who learn best through the arts, and not by simply reading, writing or listening to the teacher talk. I think that there is more awareness of the different learning styles that children have now, as opposed to when I was at school, and my hope is that teachers begin to recognize this and teach to the needs of their students.
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