Tonight, at rehearsal I played a game with the cast called Pass the Squeeze. Its simple really, they hold hands in a circle and pass the "squeeze" around in absolute silence as quickly as possible. We always challenge them to break the "world record"- a very fast fictional time set some other week in another town by a different cast. And of course, when things are posed as a competition, they get very, very serious. The first time they passed the squeeze, it took 16 seconds to travel around the entire circle. We paused the game when they cut their time by half and asked for ideas why this game would help them have a better show. The first thing they said was teamwork. They also called out focus, ability to stay silent and reaction time. Smart kids. And then they got down to business and managed to pass the squeeze around the circle in just under 4 seconds flat! After the screams of joy died down (I'm not exaggerating when I say they got serious) I told them, in utter seriousness, that they could do anything in the world. This is a group of kids who have struggled to focus all week. But for a few seconds, they were still and listened. And the absolute belief on their faces gave me chills.
We have such responsibility, as adults working with children. They learn so very quickly, and believe so intensely. I am incredibly lucky that I have a job in which I can reach hundreds of children and help them believe in themselves. Every week I have the chance to impress upon them that they can do anything. Because they can!
Well said.
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