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Of course, after this great success, I continued integrating performances
into my curriculum. For the 2000-2001 school year we decided to present
"Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs." My students played the lead roles of
Snow White and the Dwarfs and we included their friends from the regular
fourth grade class as several of the Dwarfs and forest animals. Again,
the show was a total success. There is something so magical about getting
children together and letting them express their creativity and talents
in front of their families, friends and community. Our audience for the
evening show of "Snow White" nearly doubled from the year before and the
support I received from the families, faculty and community was amazing.
Pictures of the play were displayed in local newspapers and every day
we would receive "fan mail" from other students in the building. We felt
like celebrities and the effect on my students' self-esteem was evident.
They walked with confidence through the hallways, they were invited to
birthday parties and they were asked to play at recess. My students seemed
to be overflowing with a sense of accomplishment and joy.
I realized that this experience not only helped people to get over their
fear of differences, but to actually accept, respect and value our differences.
The adults and children in our school and community realized that there
is a lot to learn from special needs children. These children are gifted
with an extraordinary sense of pride in their accomplishments, a desire
to love and be loved, and they seem to lack fear of judgement and failure.
All of these qualities have contributed to their personal growth and accomplishments.
As their teacher, I will continue to recognize, encourage and celebrate
their unique talents.
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