Spring Break - April 10-April 17
No Distance Learning
How We Do It and Why
By Mary Siebert
“You’re braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.”
– Christopher Robin, from A.A. Milne Winnie the Pooh
Even the most organized among us knows how to improvise. No matter how meticulously you plan it out, life is constant improvisation. If you construct a structured and predictable mirage for yourself, you can wake up in a hurry by bringing a baby into the picture. All of the books and videos and wise grandmas in the world could not have prepared you for your unique child. There are moments along the way when you may say to yourself “AHA! She is acting like a two-year-old!” But those fleeting landmarks can be just as confounding as they can be reassuring. Because eventually they don’t line up, and the truth is, we are all improvising. Sometimes more than others.
Experts in the theatrical art of improvisation will coach you to “listen, breathe, react, respond.” You always have to keep breathing. If you fail to breathe, your brain loses its quicksilver magic and can easily lock up. You might experience a moment of blankness. Or terror. So it’s important to listen to what is happening, or to carefully observe, and to keep breathing.
To follow the next steps, (react and respond,) the actor thinks: “Yes, and…”
Let’s say you are improvising a scene with a partner, in front of an audience. Your partner picks up a stone and says “Oh look! An armadillo!” Now, if your response is “That’s a rock.” you’ve killed the story on the spot. But if you move in, wrinkle your brow at the rock and exclaim “Oh dear, it’s been injured!” then you and your partner can keep the story afloat. In your head, you have to say “YES!” to the armadillo, and move forward into the “and.” The “and” is your creation, built upon the restrictions presented to you by your partner, or perhaps by a virus. But first, you have to keep breathing and then say “Yes” in your head. “Yes, this is the new reality for now, and…”
The same is true for emergency caregivers. They expertly observe and listen. They keep breathing, stay focused. They make a decision, and they act on it. For these skills and commitments, we are deeply thankful.
The arts and sciences use improvisation. They use leaps of imagination to find creative answers to new problems, or new ways to express. It is true of parenting. It is true of teaching. We all observe, then improvise, sometimes with more expertise or success than others, but we persist.
Yesterday, after what was meant to be a once-in-two-weeks trip to the grocery store, my husband was disappointed that he’d forgotten to purchase an ingredient. I volunteered to pull on a mask and go back to the store, but he preferred to improvise with whatever we had. We dined on something equally as delicious, but with a new twist. Sometimes a few restrictions, (or a lot of them,) can force you to grow in ways you never would have before.
Your teachers are experts at workshop-style teaching, at observing in real time and adjusting their approach to move each individual student forward from where they are. Those teachers are suddenly doing their brilliant work with many restrictions. And so are you. The kindness, grace, strength, resilience, and persistence within our shared community move us forward too. The opportunity to keep breathing seems even more precious now than it ever was.
A Note from our School Counselor- Amanda Sullivan
Week four of our stay-at-home schooling and I hope you are doing well. I miss seeing your children smiling in the hallway, giving hugs and waving, and I look forward to the day when we can all be together again in the happy halls of Arts Based!
Last week I talked about the importance of keeping routines and rituals in your home to help your kids find a sense of balance. I’ve heard from several frustrated parents this week and it seems like cabin fever is setting in for some, and for others, lots of mental exhaustion for parents who are trying to work at home and teach their children. It’s not easy to balance life indoors, especially if you are a single parent without your usual network of support.
School-age children often act out at home—frustration, aggression, defiance—when they are feeling stressed. Because kids (especially younger kids) do not have the vocabulary yet to express their concerns, their actions do indeed speak louder than words. For example, if a child is worried about COVID-19 and being stuck at home without being able to see their friends, instead of sitting down with you to express those concerns verbally, their worry might turn to anger and being defiant with you.
Being calm is your best defense. Try to reflect their concerns back to them and let them know you are aware of their worries. You might say something like, “I know this is a stressful time right now, and you seem to be really angry. Let’s talk about what is going on.” ONLY do this, however, once they are calm. Trying to talk reasonably to a child in the middle of a tantrum rarely works!
Also, stick to your house rules, even though this is a strange and stressful time we’re in right now. Communicate those rules clearly to your child: “You might be worried and angry, but it is never acceptable for you to hit or call me names.”
The American Counseling Association has put together age-appropriate responses to disaster and trauma. Though this is not specifically related to COVID-19, it may help you to understand any behavior changes in your child.
The best thing that we can do with these new changes in our lives is to be patient. We’re all being tested right now with these unique challenges and our patience—including your child’s— can wear thin on some days. This came in my inbox last week, and it’s good advice:
- Practice the pause.
- When in doubt, pause.
- When angry, pause.
- When tired, pause.
- When stressed, pause.
And when you pause, take a moment to breathe deeply and focus your thoughts. Teach your child this, too, and you will find living in close quarters will be much easier.
As always, Scott and I are here to help in any way that we can, through email or even online chats. Please feel free to contact us with any concerns via email: Amanda Sullivan or Scott Ertl.
Staffing Updates
Welcome Ellen Osswald to ABS Ms. Osswald will be covering maternity leave for Mrs. Jennifer Carter, our speech therapist. Ms. Osswald and Mrs. Carter have been conducting online sessions with students this week. Here’s a bit about Ms. Osswald.
A native of eastern North Carolina, Ellen graduated from Wake Forest University with a B.A. in Spanish and Politics, and later received her M.S.in Speech-Language Pathology from James Madison University in Harrisonburg, VA. She spent several years in Monterey, CA, working in inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation for both the pediatric and adult population at a teaching hospital, and has most recently worked in neighboring Davie County with three to five year olds within preschool and PreK settings. Ellen is excited to have the opportunity to work with the school-age population at The Arts Based School, helping to improve students’ communication skills to further self-confidence and academic achievement. Proficient in Spanish and German, she holds licenses to practice speech-language pathology in North Carolina and California, and is certified through the American Speech-Language Hearing Association. In her free time, Ellen enjoys a variety of activities, namely traveling, hiking, and exploring the outdoors with her family.
We’re sad to say goodbye to Ms. Janine Bardell, first grade teaching assistant. She will be with ABS through the end of the school year, but will be moving after she is married this summer. We wish her the best as she sets off on her new adventure!
ABS April Board Meeting
The ABS Board of Directors will convene the April Board meeting on April 14, 2020, at 5:45pm using a virtual meeting platform. Board meetings are open to the public. If you would like to view the meeting, please email Principal Hollis for the link.
YEARBOOK ONLINE ORDER DEADLINE EXTENDED
The deadline for yearbook orders is EXTENDED THROUGH MAY 15. This gives you more time to order, but don’t wait – order today! Last year we sold out of yearbooks AND sold out of our reprint! Orders can be placed by visiting the Strawbridge website and clicking the red “Order Pictures and Yearbooks” button at the top of the page. The price is $22 and our school code is YB106312.