This was my final visit to this inner-city school’s after school program. It limped to its conclusion with a bit of frustration with some of the kids’ attitudes. It’s all understandable for several reasons, but it doesn’t make it any easier. There were some very fine moments and small victories, though.
We did some circle dancing, with various kids coming into the middle with their own dance moves and then picking someone else to take the stage in the center. It involved quick decisions and some looseness socially, and it kinda worked.
Last week introduced me to a lad who knew no English, and I puzzled over how to involve him. He was quite curious and picked up on the hand motions, coupled with the simple English probably helped him out. We did the Tutti Tah with one of the girls leading the way – assigning ownership to the kids – and she did great. It then struck me that it might be a good vehicle to try in Spanish. With the help of one bilingual girl, I got the boy to gradually take over, giving me and the class the Spanish phrases and the kids picked up on it. I was tickled to see this boy able to perform and lead his peers in such a fun event. This made my visit worthwhile. I just wish my hearing and language skills were better so that I could better pick up the words so I could do it in Spanish myself. Perhaps I can work on that.