For the last three weeks I have been implementing and teaching an arts enrichment program as part of a Federal grant- an extended learning program for middle school students in the city of Providence.\u00a0 Most- all of these kids are having to attend summer school-for a variety of reasons.\u00a0 Most-all of the kids have some kind of behavioral issue-never mind the cultural or socioeconomic issues at play.\u00a0 My portion of the day is all about arts.\u00a0 Performing arts.\u00a0 It is a tough group.\u00a0 There are no hidden agendas with these kids.\u00a0 You know in an instant how they feel.\u00a0 Impulse control is not a strong suit.\u00a0 I have been paired with a street wise, incredibly talented hip-hop teacher-who prefers to go by his initials and not his name.\u00a0 At first, I thought perhaps there had been a mistake-but no, we were, as a pair assigned to navigate the troubled waters of these\u00a0troubled adolescents.\u00a0 The first day- only three of the 20 showed.\u00a0Two of them were teen girls-best friends.\u00a0 They were inseparable with attitude and their tag team routine could be pretty intense.\u00a0 One in particular was down right proud of why she was there( behavior) and what she had done( behavior) and things she had said to a whole line of teachers.\u00a0 One minute she was charming and sweet and the next- she was “all up in my grill”.\u00a0 Not that this is unlike many adolescents, but her in my grill was a bit different than any other 14 year old in my grill. Her words and eyes cut like a knife.\u00a0 Granted, this is not new to me.\u00a0 I have been working with girls like this for a long time.\u00a0 It is the cornerstone of what I do.\u00a0 I know the arts have a way of transforming certain kids-I knew this would work for her too.\u00a0 For underneath her cutting eyes was a glimmer of something.\u00a0 Some thing that needed a nudge of encouragement-even if we had to go head to head-or rather, grill to grill to get there.<\/p>\n
She would do the theater exercises,\u00a0complaining the whole time-but then, once in a while smiling at what she had accomplished.\u00a0Slowly she began to branch out and work with other students.\u00a0Even if her\u00a0friend would not.\u00a0\u00a0She would be loud and distracting and then after being asked to stop- she would.\u00a0 She would do the writing prompts-at first not wanting to:\u00a0 “I hate to write- what is this?” (eye roll) “school?” ( eye roll)<\/p>\n
#1.\u00a0 If\u00a0there were no time or money constraints- what would you do? What is your creative vision?<\/p>\n
I wood be famos. And I wood be a dancer and be on tv.<\/p>\n
\u00a0Whatever was working was working.\u00a0 Little small shifts.\u00a0 Me hoping the shifts would turn into new ways of seeing what could be. New language for old ways.\u00a0 Her not even aware there was any other way.<\/p>\n
And then today:\u00a0 Pouring rain is usually an indication we will have fewer in class.\u00a0 But she, my grill girl was right\u00a0there.\u00a0 She\u00a0has never missed a class.\u00a0 Not one.\u00a0\u00a0 Gone was the\u00a0overly provocative clothing and effort was made to look more pulled together.\u00a0 Grill girl gone good.\u00a0 And prior to class-with chaos from lunch still looming-and kids getting to where they needed to be-my girl pulls a bag from her backpack and brings forth a batch of brownies she made the night before.\u00a0\u00a0They were\u00a0for the class.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“if you guys don’t like them it ain’t my problem-but here”…..and she was off, just like that,\u00a0back of the room,ready for class.<\/p>\n
Grill girl good real good.<\/p>\n
I had the first brownie.<\/p>\n