Wednesday, November 11, 2015

Veterans Dance


On Monday I teach a boys class for my lesson plan for the day was to watch the Toby Keith music video “American Soldier”. In hopes to inspire some feelings of gratitude for our country and those men and women that have served over the years to preserve our freedoms.  In this music video there are multiple soldiers and their families. In order for the boys that I teach to relate better to the situation I had them focus on the little boy sending his father off again to protect our freedoms. How it would feel for them to send out their own fathers; then translate those feelings into gratitude for those other boys across America sending out their fathers.  

These little boys did grasp what I was hoping they would and I could see flickers of those feelings in their movements. The next teacher asked if I could again show the older boy’s classes this music video. Repeating for the following two classes which progressively older in age. The added maturity with each class increased their understanding and ability to express themselves through movement.  I was very impressed by their gratitude. The appreciation that they expressed is their own. As teachers we reminded them of a few facts and they gave back ten fold. I think this is similar to being a parent in that your children and my Moment children have so much greatness in them to give back we just have to keep trying to unlock it. Not every lesson works out this way like I am sure it is when parenting yet, when it does the jem is priceless.

Thank you veterans and your families and know that there is at least a group of boys out there that have grasped some understanding of what it is you are doing for us and they showed it to me and a few others earlier this week, through a medium of dance.