Share this:
For the last month and a half, we’ve been getting notes home from school, and TJ has been reminding us, that his class was going to be going on a field trip today. As I type this up, my little man is at Proctor’s Theatre for a stage production of How I Became a Pirate.
For this occasion, the kids have been practicing their theater manners in their second grade class, and we were asked to reinforce the importance of these manners at home. Knowing how wiggly and giggly TJ can be on his own, I do not envy the task of the teachers to ensure a whole gaggle of second graders sits quietly and politely during the performance. At least the production is one that allows for (and expects) raucous laughter from the audience.
I remember going to a play in elementary school called “The Knockabout Boy.” It was deadly serious, and I remember being horrified that the dad in the play hit his wife and his kid all the time. I’m happy to see they stick to age-appropriate material nowadays.
I think it’s wonderful that our school hasn’t cut out all field trips, like other schools have been forced to do because of budget cuts or other considerations. Taking the kids to the theater removes them from the madness that would be associated with watching the play as a school assembly. It removes them from the familiar setting of school and gives them a chance to learn real world etiquette, like sitting quietly with your butt in your seat and not talking to your friends while the actors are on stage. When it’s appropriate to applaud. That sort of thing.
Do/did your kids get to go on cultural field trips in elementary school?
That’s me: Christina Gleason. I’m a writer, editor, and disability advocate. I'm a multiply disabled autistic lady doing my best in this world built for abled people. I’m a geek for grammar, fantasy, and casual gaming. I hate vegetables. I cannot reliably speak, so I’ll happily conduct business over email or messaging instead.
