Home life must introduce children to basic values and behaviour. School adds another discipline to this learning. That still leaves a large gap — opportunities to explore the creative possibilities of life, unrestrained by syllabuses and undaunted by the prospect of constant examinations. Many children only really sparkle under these conditions, which provide a far more realistic foretaste of life than any classroom.
Seeing children develop their talents and personalities through such activity outside school hours is a major reward teachers receive in return for their commitment. The improvement in the child’s general health and enthusiasm more than compensates his parents for the extra fetching and later evenings.
Television can take all this out of family life; spectating is no substitute for involvement, however clumsy. That is one reason why teenagers become restive; there is no legitimate outlet for their energies. Whenever parents encourage and take part in sport, practical hobbies, drama or discussion themselves, their children are naturally inclined to follow their example and take part. But few children have the confidence to take the plunge entirely on their own. Many would have no idea how to start.
A detailed description of one activity that is available at many schools, provides an example of what they all have to offer. Drama is often a time-tabled school subject but only after-school volunteers begin to experience something real — the self-discipline and commitment you need to work successfully with other people on something you all care about.
Drama is not about becoming an actor, any more than playing football is about winning the F.A. cup. The important thing is making an action convey meaning — something that is open to everyone involved, not just those playing the important parts. Real drama is the link between childhood play and more mature involvement with other people, roles and situations (Leaflets E08 & E09).
At a drama club after school, children meet their friends and chat with teachers on an entirely different basis of shared enthusiasm. They see teachers feeling relaxed and being silly and experience the different kind of discipline that makes this possible. They may play a warm-up game, probably invented on the spur of the moment and maybe against the rules during daytime; or they may do more structured warm-up exercises on their own and then in pairs and small groups. Often these exercises involve discussion and planning, so they have to jostle for room alongside more assertive children. By the end of the year few of them hold back and leave all the action to others.
These exercises lead on to work in larger groups. A topic, a word, an object or an idea is suggested and the groups go off to work out a short play to present in front of the others. They are on their own and they have to come up with something. They have a time limit and an objective. This improvisation may develop into a whole production which could be presented anywhere at any time, including the school fete and nearby primary schools.
Only after lots of free play of this kind are children ready for scripted plays, in their middle to late teenage years. Then the playwright’s intention becomes important and rehearsals explore different ways of expressing this. Such creative exploration is the core of real drama. What doesn’t work is scrapped and something else tried.
Some children prefer to be involved with scenery or lighting, or else the business side — ticket printing and sales, painting posters, or researching the play and presenting a display in the foyer. The list of possible activities is endless. But whatever the main activity of a drama evening is, the children will leave discussing it amongst themselves. They may even thank the teacher for turning out and they will be healthily tired. So will he. All this highlights many important qualities, experiences and skills:
Making an effort;
Check off against this list everything your child is doing now. If few of these items show up, they’re missing out. Get some changes made.