Inquiry task

Having focused on different reflective practices I understand that it is now important to look inward at how the ideas of reflection relate to me and my work. I have looked at the questions in the handbook and here are my responses:

- I am very enthusiastic about drama and theatre benefitting all and that it teaches many key life skills. For me, performance is just a small part of it. I feel drama builds confidence, public speaking, improvisation (often in life we are put on the spot in interviews for example), social skills, projection of the voice, diction, the drama games I play help with creativity and also introducing a competitive element. Rejection, failure....I could go on. I am passionate that all these skills help in whatever career you go in to. I love hearing parents feedback about how since they have started my class they have seen such an improvement in school and at home. Knowing that I have made a difference to their child's life and that they are learning skills that they will use for the rest of their lives means the world to me. I have many examples of children I teach. Two spring to mind straight away. I teach a boy who, when he came to me, was extremely shy and inward. I later found out that he was being bullied at school. His mum had just moved him to a different school and decided he should start drama to help with his social skills. Fast forward 3 months and he is a different child. I actually get quite emotional talking about it. He is an absolute chatterbox, has amazing supportive friends in his class who adore him and he recently had a big solo in our production. His parents could not believe it. I am passionate about having a safe environment where kids can come and be and do whatever they feel without judgement. One parent even said to me just last week that her daughter counts down the days to her next class as she loves it so much. School is so intense she said it's her one lesson a week where she can just let go. Again, that means the world to me. I teach another young boy speech and drama. When he first started it was clear why his parents were concerned. He is super intelligent but would rarely speak. His body language was clear. Also his diction was incredibly poor compared to his peers. In this day and age, intelligence is not enough. Universities want more extra curricular activities, businesses want stand out, confident employees. I have been teaching him for 3 months. Month 1 he was given a poem to read out loud. I knew he could read it as his English levels are above his peers. But he just stood, looking absolutely terrified, muttering the words under his breath. 3 months later and I taught him yesterday. It's been a long journey but he stood up and was  almost shouting his poem for his exam! He was laughing throughout, he made his classmates laugh too and they all cheered when he finished! These boys are only 8 years old. I could have cried! He doesn't want to be an actor, has no desire whatsoever, but through drama he has learnt these life skills. I admire my fellow colleugues as I work in a very unique place. Two inparticular are always full of energy and enthusiasm, however they are feeling personally it never affects their class. I love this about them and strive to be like that.

- I get frustrated and angry when parents are rude and inconsiderate. They often have no idea what they are talking about but are just looking for someone to blame. Everyone at my work shares this feeling. Parents who just want their child to be the main part in a production and don't understand that maybe I have given them the smaller comedy part because this is an area they love and really excel at....and I feel they can steal the show with their characterisation. Parents often just count the number of lines and compare parts based on that. I aim to challenge my kids during productions so I'm not going to give them a part that is really easy for them. Parents always bring up as well that they are paying the same amount as others so they should have the same amount of lines. I also can't stand rude children. Manners cost nothing. I teach quite a few extremely rude children and unfortunately I let my personal feelings take over when it comes to this topic. I had manners drummed into me as a kid and I try to do the same for the ones I teach. Often they are a product of their parents....you meet their mum and understand exactly why they are the way they are. I find that there is no excuse for it though. I also get very frustrated with our contact system at work. We don't have our own email address which means everything is sent to the school email address then filtered into our inboxes.
This wastes so much time. If a parent replies to me about something urgent I won't even see the
message until the admin office have seen it and then forwarded it to me. You can also only view your work emails on the 6 computers in the office. I understand that they are wanting us to enjoy our days off and not do work at home, but sometimes it's good to have a heads up on something before you bump into the parent!

- I love....creating, directing, performance, challenging the children, pushing them out of their comfort zones, teaching them life skills, having the freedom to go off task and be creative. I love seeing the children I teach improve. It's so rewarding. Everyone at work is very passionate about their job which means it's a very creative, positive environment.

- I found the "I don't understand" question difficult, as I didn't know whether it was something I don't understand  at work or to do with my career. Something that does play on my mind and that I don't understand is whether or not I can teach creative drama and drama therapy without training for three years to be a drama therapist. It's hard as there is nothing like where I work in the UK. The place I currently work was set up in Singapore 20 years ago by an English couple who were professional actors. There wasn't much theatre and drama classes in Singapore at that time (there still isn't....we are the main school) so it was quite easy to establish with very little competition. With a mass amount of expat kids, it took off quickly. They also made friends in Singapore and one in particular was a child phycologist. This was then the link that provided a connection between her practice and the school. She refers kids who she thinks with benefit from drama lessons to help with their social skills. Teachers are aware of who these children are but they aren't put in a special class. They are then reviewed and feedback is given to the phycologist. This is an area I would love to work in but struggle to see how it would work in the UK where laws are a lot stricter. I need to ask my boss some questions and also do some research into schools like this in the UK. I would like my own school in the future so this is a big topic of discussion for me.

- Ethical responses....it has been very interesting moving from the UK to Singapore. The rules here in
Singapore are very loose. I was surprised. A few examples....they are not strict at all about knowing
who has picked the child up from class. In the UK there is often a list that the teacher has and only people on that list can pick the child up. If someone different is picking them up they have to call in advance to let the teacher know. Here friends, aunties, nannies, friends dads pick them up and it's not even questioned.
We recently did a show and I was quite taken a back that the girls and boys got changed in the same dressing room. Again, not acceptable in the UK.
I learned very quickly that certain words here are considered swearing. "Stupid" is literally a crime to say! I had a situation where I told the kids they needed to act really silly and stupid for a particular character in the play we were doing. They all just stopped and went quiet, then one informed me that I had just sworn.
I teach expat kids who are very well travelled and culturally very diverse. It would not be unusual for me to have a class of 12 that were all born in a different country. This is very different to the UK so you have to be very aware of different religions and beliefs.
We don't give out our personal email addresses and phone numbers and I agree with that. I recently went to the physio and he gave me his phone number and we have been whatsapping about my physio exercises. Obviously, that would never happen as a teacher. Comparing when I taught in a mainstream school to being a drama and dance teacher, I notice a few differences. We are more free to touch the kids arms, legs, tummies during a dance class. This is totally acceptable as it's helping them. Same as a gymnastics teacher or sports teacher I guess. This would not be done in a mainstream school. Also, during shows we often have to do quick changes where the children are totally naked. Again, as dance teachers we don't even question this but I understand how other teachers might find this a bit weird.
Facebook is a no go and I totally agree with this. I don't want my kids knowing anything about my private life. I never even engage in conversation when they ask if I have a boyfriend. To me, it is totally inappropriate and unnecessary. I feel strongly about this but I have noticed since moving to Singapore that some of the teachers who teach the older ones do have a close relationship with their
kids. They will whatsapp, even meet up for dinner outside work or go shopping. Again, I find this inappropriate. But maybe that's just because I've come from the UK so have had that drilled into me! Also, you shouldn't be friends with parents either. I believe in keeping it professional. Bad mouthing other teachers in front of your class is also a big no no for me! I would never even bad mouth their teacher at school who I have never met. It's unprofessional.

I also see that one of the questions is "Who inspires me?" No question....my mum. She was a primary school head teacher and I have learnt a lot from her experiences. She used to get sent to failing schools in underprivileged areas and turn them around. She is such an inspiration.

Looking at all this information and thinking about different inquiries I have come to a few conclusions and questions....

- The fear of failure in high achieving wealthy children - why do they become less open as they get older?
- I am passionate about inclusion for all when it comes to drama. Can I open a school in the future that caters for the keen performer but also have links to child phycologists that can refer children to my school for creative drama lessons? Or am I not qualified to do that?
- I really think kids imaginations are inspiring. I've always wanted to write a children's book. Could I create a book with my students and have it published?
- I'm interested in the pressures of Gen Y and what we can do to resolve this problem and the struggles they are having.
- I find the differences between the Asian school system compared to the UK very different but interesting. Could I create a connection between the school I work for in Singapore and a school in the UK. Would it work? Or are the kids too different.
- I teach once a week at a special needs school. The children have autism and ADHD. There has never been any talk about them doing a production. Many of them are high achieving and extremely creative. Why can't they put on a show? Why do we expect the standard to be lower just because they have learning difficulties. They shouldn't be seen as less capable. Could I do a full scale production with them?

So many questions and thoughts! I've really enjoyed reflecting on myself and my work. I'm very excited for what the next year has to bring!