Gaining confidence & performing in front of the school

I have ways referred to Emmy as my shy one, she hates to be the centre of attention and hides behind her peers to avoid being seen on stage in class shows and assemblies.

She never volunteers for lines in class and avoids putting up her hand even though her teachers know she knows the answers.

During her last parents evening, I praised and thanked her teacher for giving her lines in the assembly, the teacher’s reply was that she hadn’t even thought about it and gave everyone a part. I explained how it was the first time she had had a speaking part as being so shy she hides away and is therefore overlooked. It makes Emmy sad that she never had speaking parts but when I broach the subject she says “I don’t want them and wouldn’t be able to speak out loud anyway”.

That one line she had to say changed things for her, she realised that she can easily make herself heard and it wasn’t so scary after all.

Also, during that parents evening, we discussed signing Emmy up to drama classes of some kind. We discussed the idea at home and she hated it – she didn’t want lines to speak in front of everyone, didn’t want to learn routines and practices and performing terrified her.

We then discussed dance and singing classes which resulted in the same answer and a huge NO.

Finally, we discussed Brownies and knowing many of her school friends went she started a few months ago and she loves it. She bounds into her weekly classes happily, skips ahead to be in front of us and to go and play with her friends and last week we watched her being sworn into her Brownies group.

She stood in front of us, her peers and other parents and recited her Brownie Pledge and Brownie Law, was given all her badges and certificates and was over the moon with joy.

She took the certificates etc. into school to show her class for show and tell and is a completely different child.

In fact, her class assembly was a few weeks ago and she had volunteered for the main part in it – she was Boudicca.

She took part in a fashion walk when she had to strut her stuff on the catwalk alone in front of the school and parents, and then when it was time for the class song she took centre stage and danced alone while they all sang – she had made up her own actions to the song about Boudicca and proudly performed solo in front of everyone.

I won’t lie, there were tears of joy from me – my shy girl who always hid behind everyone else had pushed her limits and loved every second of her performance – doing it not once but twice that day in front of everyone.

She was given a special round of applause just for her for being so brave and the other parents from her class commented on how they have NEVER seen Emmy looking so confident and happy. This was also mentioned by her teachers too –  I think we have all seen a new side to Emmy and now there will be NO hiding away come the Christmas show and other assemblies.

This new found confidence has really been helped by joining Brownies and by having two amazing teachers who push her harder than she is used to and by doing so they sparked her interest, enjoyment and she’s been released from the bubble she has been hiding in for too long.

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