WK1 Response #1- Susan Nwokedi

Susan wrote:

Being a thespian that I am, I always look for ways to breed life into ordinary books by having my students act out the story at the end of the unit. After reading the ever-popular book “The Grouchy Ladybug” by Eric Carle, I had my students act it out. They each chose an animal or insect and acted the part of that creature. The students had so much fun I decided to share the experience with the rest of the kindergarten team. And so the school plays “The Grouchy Ladybug” was born. First I had to talk to my team leader, then the music teacher, and then the principal. Once I had all of them on board, I tackled my teammates. Everyone thought “oh what a cute idea”. So I did the research, wrote the script and held a casting call for the parts. It was awesome until it time came for everyone, remember the people that thought “wow how cute” to start doing their part. I had some good committed helpers but there were those who became grouchier than the grouchy ladybug. I ended up doing a lot of the work on my own. I remember the complaints about and antennas, getting the children dress on time for the early morning presentation. Visits to the principal’s office by one some of them to put an end to the production simply because in their view it became too much for them handle. With every complaint came a quick solution from me. In the end, the play was fantastic and everyone had so much fun that they are already talking about doing another plays next school year.


I commented:

Thanks for your comment on my last blog. I liked this story. My Dad used to always say to us, 'eaten bread is soon forgotten', and your story reminded me of that. It's difficult to put on a production which is what pretty much pushed me to animating. All through high school and college, I would definitely always use video as a project if I could. It was so much more fun and I could really use some creativity. In those days, I always had plenty of willing participants, but in the older, working world, it's so much more difficult. The saying 'if you want something done right, you have to do it yourself' certainly rings true. And, in this case, it sounds like you had to take the bull by the horns, and it came out right. Good job!!...and the whole time, I bet you didn't turn into a grouchy ladybug...or any kind of angry insect for that matter.