Chicago Sun-Times: The girl with the ponytail is 14 years old, but she towers above several of the older students in the class.
Her words trickle out in a whisper or a mumble, and she looks like she isn’t quite sure what to do with her hands.
“I was very nervous when I first got here, but I learned that everyone was a friend, that I wouldn’t be judged here, that I could just be myself,” says the girl, Jessella Santos.
2 comments:
This article was super heartwarming to read. As a neurodivergent kid who found solace in theater and performing it really spoke to me. Theater is one of the only places where you are not confined by who you are. I really love that this teacher is trying to make a safe space for neurodivergent kids to have a place to just goof off unjudged. I think part of the reason I went into tech rather than acting was because I always felt so awkward in both my skin but also just compared to other kids. It always seemed like people always knew what to say and how to act. I think if I had had a space like this I would’ve felt more comfortable being uncomfortable. Of course, I love tech theater and I love what I do, I just also love acting and if I wasn’t so anxious about it and feared being judged I think I would have enjoyed acting more.
This article was really lovely to read. As someone who has neurodivergent family members and siblings, it is wonderful to see teachers looking for fun and new ways to bridge the gap between education meant for neurotypical people and a large population of neurodivergent students. A lot of the time you are met with the response that “they will just have to learn” without any consideration for a different way to approach teaching. It's really exciting to see not only an encouraging environment for teaching neurodivergent students but also a fun environment. Just because people need to learn differently does not mean that way of learning or their brains themselves are less than. There is nothing more infuriating than a teacher stuck in their way or willing to adjust to a huge part of the population. I also think this makes perfect sense that improv could teach people who struggle with social interactions how to push through conversations in a safe environment so they might be able to replicate that in a real social setting
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