An Actress

In one of my classes last year, we discussed how teachers have to be actresses and actors. I agreed with the statement, but today confirmed the necessity of being an actress, and I truly believe in that statement now.

Today, I was an actress. I tried thinking of a specific actress, and maybe I was a little like Amy Adams in Enchanted, but I don't remember much about that movie.

I have one student, who I'll call CJ. CJ is stubborn beyond belief. The nature of her disability is usually linked to an increased stubbornness. CJ's stubbornness comes through when it is time to transition or just do work. Actually, you can see her stubbornness anytime of the day.

For example, CJ's time on the iPad was over, and she needed to choose another center. CJ did not want to leave the iPad. I told her her time was up, and it was time to switch. She latched her tiny fingers onto the iPad and refused to move. I sighed, and wondered how I was going to get her to move. M needed the iPad because it's part of her routine--she completes her iPad center and then heads to snack. Thinking on my feet and acting all perky and excited, I told CJ I needed her help to pick out some books which I could read to her. I couldn't do this on my own, and wouldn't it be soooo much fun to read with me in the sensory room? She thought for a little, and then decided she liked this idea and left the iPad. I sighed with relief (my day is filled with lots of sighing and deep breaths) and headed to help CJ pick out her books.

My day is filled with countless moments of me trying to get CJ to do her job. It requires so much acting and thinking on my feet of how I can phrase what she needs to do as a job of helping me. CJ LOVES to help, and it's even better if she can do it on her own, so I'm always trying to figure out a way to word my sentences in that manner.

Another example of my acting today occurred during math group. My students were dead and out of it for some reason. I put on this bright and happy face and attitude, and made that the most exciting lesson ever. We were working on this math game of earning pennies, exchanging them for dimes, and then dollars. I kept it moving so quickly which for some reason made the students more interested in the game. After the students left, I took this huge breath and let it out. I was exhausted from those 40 minutes of super high energy which my students needed during math.

Being an actress today made my day more interesting and made me more personally excited about those activities. I'm not sure how teachers manage to have that necessary kind of energy every day. I'm also not sure how people make acting a living but props to them. I learned that being an actress is very hard and tiring work, but nevertheless, I will be an actress again tomorrow and the day after that because that's what my students need which means it's part of my job.