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Baile folklórico: Mother's Day Performance 

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Baile folklórico: Mother's Day Performance 

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Baile folklórico is a traditional dance style that celebrates Mexican culture and traditions. Most students in the folklórico club at Mark Twain come from Mexican-American households; however, there are others whose families are from Colombia, Puerto Rico, and Guatemala. When practice began in November, the club leader, Ms. Garcia, and other administrators planned for the students to perform on May 10, which is when Mother's Day is celebrated in Latin American countries. To stay true to schedule, Ms. Garcia ensured students practiced twice a week, which ultimately helped them learn and perform two routines this past Mother's Day. I began helping Ms. Garcia lead practice in April, which consisted of helping students correct any steps and helping Ms. Garcia choreograph steps at the end of the routines. Below, you will find short clips of the dance rehearsal, the performance, and the moment our students' mothers and grandmothers walked into the event, which was held in the school's cafeteria.

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Mark Twain's folklórico club members' mothers and grandmothers welcomed in shortly before the performances began. 

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What was your objective for the event? Did you achieve your objective? How do you know?

My objective was to facilitate students' cultural expression through dance and help them work with each other to perform two group dances. During rehearsal, Ms. Garcia and I gave our students constant reminders to hold their partner's hands or check each others' feet so that they danced synchronously. This is a crucial aspect of group dance, as students have to be aware of others - not merely themselves. With the help of Ms. Garcia and her students, I was able to achieve my objectives. Our students performed two group dances (featured below), and while they were anxious at first, our students were happy that they were able to perform for their relatives and share a special moment before the end of the school year. The feedback we received from other administrators and students was also incredibly positive, as they encouraged Ms. Garcia to resume the club next school year so that students could continue celebrating their cultures and families through dance.

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How did you ensure the event was not a "Grecian Urn" event?

The event itself is not something we haven't seen before, given dance has been established as a form of expression throughout history and across the world. What made this event unique, however, is the amount of time Ms. Garcia and I invested in ensuring this was something enjoyable to our students. Rather than imposing perfection, we made sure our students felt comfortable with the choreography and with each other before performing in front of their families. Collaboration is an invaluable experience, and we quickly realized our students could easily stop coming to practice or refuse to perform. With more reason, then, Ms. Garcia and I prioritized facilitating positive interactions between students, which ultimately led many of them to want to join the folklórico club next school year. This experience could also encourage our students to pursue dance or music classes outside of school, which enhances the interactions they have with members of their community.

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June 9, 2024 - Students practiced their choreography in the cafeteria to prepare for their performance the next day. 

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How did you engage families/community members to attend your event? Did it work? Why or why not?

Two weeks before the event, our school's principal sent invitations to our students' families via email to share the event and invite them to a celebratory breakfast before the performances. The day before the event, however, Ms. Garcia and I found out no food had been pre-ordered, which meant we had nothing to feed the families that had signed up for the event. Ms. Garcia and I were incredibly nervous that our students' families would not be given what they were promised, but with the help of other teachers and administrators, we were able to contact a food distributor and provide a great meal to the families that attended the event. As far as how I engaged families and community members, I had minimal control over the invitations that were sent out and the food that was to be ordered, as I was under the impression other faculty members were taking on these responsibilities. For future events, I realize asking questions and maintaining frequent communication with everyone involved in the planning of the event can help us avoid situations like the one I described above. Overall, however, the event turned out amazing, and our students' families were incredibly happy to have attended.

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How did this experience impact your instruction and/or support for your students?

During dance rehearsal, I found myself feeling impatient when our students missed their cues for certain steps or when did not put their best forth. After speaking to Ms. Garcia and observing her teaching methods, however, I knew I had to modify my expectations to help make rehearsal fun and exciting. As I reflect on my experience as a resident teacher, I realize I was often reminded that while challenging students and helping them set ambitious goals is important, it is equally important to make learning as fun as it can be. I was surprised at myself for losing sight of this, as I previously worked in a therapeutic prekindergarten program where the majority of my practice as an ABA therapist revolved around making learning fun! This experience, then, served as a reminder to maintain an engaging approach with any activity or learning experience to maximize learning and to help my students see that the words "school" and "fun" can be mentioned in the same conversation.

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June 10, 2024 - A glimpse of the first performance! 

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Discuss your leadership role in this event. How did leading the event (or playing a significant role) impact your experience?

My role in helping create this event consisted of correcting steps, collaborating with the lead teacher to complete the routines, and decorating the school cafeteria to prepare for the event. While I was comfortable with these responsibilities, I do wish I'd had a bigger role as far as contacting different restaurants for catering services. I found this to be the main source of stress in helping create this event, but I also recognize that everyone involved, including me, could've communicated better to avoid last-minute issues. On the day of the performance, I also helped some students transition to the next performance by fixing their hair and ensuring they were wearing the appropriate wardrobe. As I think about creating future events and working with others to make them happen, I realize I have to be more comfortable giving my opinions and, certainly, be more comfortable with asking questions to ensure everyone is on the same page as far as the expectations of the event and the steps we will take to bring our ideas and efforts to fruition.

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Thinking ahead, what might you do to intentionally connect your practice to develop family and/or community engagement in your own classroom?

To this day, I cherish the moments my parents visited me in the classroom during elementary school. We played games together, engaged in a range of arts and crafts, and interacted with other families who were just as excited to take part in these activities. As I think ahead to my future classroom and students, I know that facilitating similar events can provide opportunities for parents to learn about my students' abilities and interests within the classroom. Further, inviting parents to our classroom can help them learn more about my philosophy and expectations as a bilingual special education teacher. While it is something I plan to share at the beginning of the school year, I would like my students' parents to know that my philosophy is not a catchphrase or a strategy to gain their approval. Rather, it is something I'm committed to practicing and, perhaps, modifying should I find that there are better strategies that work with different groups of students. To that end, I certainly plan to invite my students' parents for fun and interactive activities in our classroom that they can partake in with their children.

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June 10, 2024 - A glimpse of the second performance! 

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Would you do the event again or plan to do it again? Why or why not?

I would definitely do this event again! While I will not be working at the same site, baile folklórico is something I think my future students would be interested in. Comparing the students' skills from when the club first started to when it ended, I realize a lot of time and effort was put into helping the students prepare for their performance. There is something beautiful about engaging with students outside of the classroom because they see that you support them and are interested in their lives outside of how they perform in class. For this reason, I want to make sure I dedicate time to after-school clubs or programs to show my students what can come from being an active and involved member of a shared community. Baile folklórico is something I'm interested in for myself as well, as it can encourage me to continue celebrating my Mexican background and empower my students to do the same.