I’m momentarily frazzled and fully engaged in my mind, not my
body. I’m anxious because I’m about to
start class and my laptop which has all the music we've been using is being temperamental. Finally I get it to restart. While I’m
waiting for it to reboot a student comes up to me and asks, “You know that Chinese song we do?”
She’s referring to the song ‘Japanese’ from the Nia routine ‘Opal.’ She says “I do the moves from that when I’m
stressed.”
Immediately I am reminded of why I am here and what is important –
and it’s not the technical difficulties!
I’ve recently had a string of opportunities to teach
movement and theater classes to special populations, most recently Nia classes
for adults with a variety of special needs. My work
with special populations has made my teaching skills stronger across the board
because it requires that I focus on that which is most essential and modify and
adapt on the fly to make sure I am meeting my students’ needs. This student showed me that I am doing my
job – I am giving my students strategies to increase their mind-body connection and improve
their quality of life. I was inspired by
my student's story and enthusiasm and had her lead the choreography for ‘Japanese’ that day
in class.
The main thing I’ve taken away from working with children
and adults with special needs is that the more I expect my students are capable
of achieving the more they step up to the challenge and even exceed my
expectations. Whether it is young teens
with visual impairments taking on
challenging scene work in a theater class or an adult with cognitive challenges
leading her peers in dance or a student in one of my classic Nia classes
pushing the envelope of movement and sensation exploration, my students have
proven to be capable of great personal growth and achievement. They, in turn, challenge me and allow me to
discover myself more fully as a teacher and a person.
