I look at this photo of me at age 5. I was so excited to be a dancer, to feel the sequence and satin on my chest. The sweaty ballet slippers but I was uncoordinated. I froze up when the Broadway dance teacher gave me stage directions. She would call out a combination and I needed her to go really, really slow in order to follow it.
How could it be possible that I had so much passion inside? So much in me was dying to be like “Fame: I Want To Live Forever, I Want to Learn How to Fly…” and yet, my little arms and legs couldn’t coordinate to follow what the dance teacher wanted me to do.
Years later, I am still continuously amazed at how many teachers are unaware that many kids are kinesthetically challenged. If they would only slow down and just say, hey, for those of you who didn’t get it, don’t worry, you will, then imagine how much confidence can be built.
This can happen in a particular academic subject and a vivacious child may be stuck and we just don’t know it.
So, when I am teaching, I am always reminded that not everyone gets it right away. And maybe that’s ok.
We all have our gifts to give in this world, and it happens in its own time.
