Downs With Ups

“Didn’t Poppet do a great job at the concert,” a man recently commented to me enthusiastically at the supermarket. I was pushing my shopping trolley down the aisle with Poppet at my side. Smiling, I replied, “Thank you,” feeling rather embarrassed that I couldn’t comment on his child’s performance. I’d no idea who he was.

Poppet certainly made an impact at her school’s annual concert in late November last year. As it was her final year at the school, it was particularly significant to her parents, not that she was concerned. She just went and blitzed it. We were the ones feeling proud and sentimental.

A large team of enthusiastic and committed teachers and parents put this production together, all co-ordinated by the performing arts teacher, who has the energy of a power station, combined with an engaging personality.

When I learned that Peter Pan was this year’s theme, I wondered how Kirsty was going to ensure that each of the 260 odd students were going to be given a dance routine and a song or two to sing. Obviously, the story needed to be carried along as well, so it was to be a combination of theatre and song and dance.

The Grade 6 students were given the speaking roles. Some roles, such as ‘Peter Pan’ and ‘Wendy’ consisted of a lot of dialogue, whilst other roles were more incidental. Several weeks prior to the concert, Poppet had come home with a laminated A4 sheet of paper, upon which the following words were hand-written:

“End of Scene 3 just before interval.

Lost Girl 1: Hey everyone. I think I can see smoke in the distance – that must be the Indian Village.”

Poppet had been given a speaking role! We practiced her lines at every opportunity. In the middle of dinner, I’d say, “Hey everyone,” then she’d finish it. In the shops, as she was going to bed, even while she was doing her teeth, we’d practice those lines, toothpaste flying onto the mirror.

However, two weeks out from the dress rehearsal, a note came home from her aide saying that Poppet wasn’t participating in rehearsals. She just wasn’t involved, simply opting to sit and watch.

I was concerned and worried for Kirsty. Poppet knew her lines, she had performed in many concerts before and seemed enthusiastic about the concert, and so what was causing this unhelpful behaviour?

One thing we know about kids with Down syndrome is that they need to practice something repeatedly to get it right. If she wasn’t rehearsing at school, then there was every chance she could stuff up the scene.

I asked Poppet if she knew what an ‘Indian village’ was. No, she didn’t. Aha, I thought. Maybe this is why she is reluctant to say her lines. She doesn’t know what they mean.

Kids with Down syndrome are visual learners, so I fired up the laptop and asked Poppet to Google, ‘Indian village’. There were hundreds of pictures of Indians, teepees and fires and smoke. She now understood what her lines meant. However, had she seen or read Peter Pan? No, she hadn’t. I realised she didn’t have a context for her part.

After buying a DVD of Peter Pan, we sat in bed one afternoon and watched it a couple of times, stopping to talk about the story and how the Indians were involved and what a ‘lost boy’ was. Kids with Down syndrome need a visual context so that they can build on their knowledge.

We arrived at the theatre, took our seats and studied the program to find out when Poppet’s class was performing. All the students looked fabulous in their costumes, made by one dedicated mother and a band of helpers. The Grade 6 kids who had main roles performed them almost perfectly, then came time for Poppet’s class.

As usual, I sat fixed, feeling a mixture of anxiety and excitement. Then there she was. She knew her dance parts; she sang her songs along with her fellow students, keeping up with them, even going up and down stairs. Then came the moment for her lines.

She looked out into the bright lights towards the audience and spoke her lines clearly and audibly. I was bursting with pride. As the curtain began to close, I called out, “Go Poppet!” Smiling, she turned towards the audience again and gave two thumbs up. It was as if everyone in the audience realised how big a deal this was, for they all laughed and clapped.

Days later, when talking to the principal about the concert and the reluctance of Poppet to participate in rehearsals, I was offered a different reason as to why Poppet wouldn’t participate. Whilst I was concerning myself with more complex reasons for her lack of co-operation, it may have been something quite simple.

“Poppet already knew her lines and what she had to do,” the principal said. “She just thought, ‘if I already know it, why do I have to keep doing it?’”

This was a completely different perspective and quite feasible. Next time, I should give Poppet more credit.