A Signing Star Shines

Forgive me, Leigha, for what I am about to write. I have found out that being a parent and a teacher is not an easy combination. I am in a profession that involves encouraging children to do whatever they want. That is, until your daughter hears that there will be tryouts for the variety show.

I will never forget that dreadful day that she came running into my classroom, announcing that she was going to sing opera for the tryouts. This is where the angel and devil, sitting so nicely on my shoulders, start the great debate. Do I encourage her to try out, knowing full well that everyone in the room will need ear plugs? Do I try to talk her out of it, letting her know that she has inherited her mother's singing (dis)ability? Quick, had to think of something. Then comes my normal response, "we'll see." Unfortunately, Leigha is quick to know the meaning of that phrase. A few days later Leigha comes up to me and says she is not going to try out singing. PHEW! But wait, she wasn't finished. Now she is going to try out dancing! Seeing that this poor little girl has been denied dancing lessons, this wasn't a pretty picture in my mind either. I have seen her dance, and I say that loosely. Maybe I should have found a way to put her in dance classes like she wanted. Note to self: find a way, ANY way, to get her in dance classes next year. Maybe she would forget about the deadline for auditions? Not a chance!

Leigha's teacher is a wonderful teacher who reminds her students of upcoming deadlines. Maybe I picked the wrong teacher? However, her teacher redeemed herself quite well. Leigha's teacher came up with the idea of Leigha signing a song! How perfect! No dancing or singing required, just something she was very familiar with--SIGN LANGUAGE! At first I don't think Leigha was thrilled with the idea. However, after I explained that she would have a better chance making the auditions if she did something that was different, she decided she would do it! PHEW! I thought about having her sign Shine or Colors of the Rainbow from Signing Time!, but Rachel had just been at our school for a performance. I wanted it to be something that other children weren't familiar with. Leigha's kindergarten class sang It's a Wonderful World last year and she decided she would like to sign that song. We had a lot going on the week of auditions, so I was a bit stressed out that she hadn't practiced enough. I have learned that I don't have a lot of patience when it comes to teaching my own child. I felt a little better when I heard the other teachers were having the same problems. By the time we get home, patience is not a widely known concept. I finally realized, with some help (although I think a harsher word would fit better) from a friend, that I needed to calm down or she wouldn't enjoy the experience. Baby steps--I am learning. When she finished with her audition, I felt a bit of relief. That is, I felt relief until I found out she made it! Now we really had to practice! Leigha has no problem signing the song at home, in our kitchen, in front of just me. The problem is that her signs would have to be seen by the children sitting in back of 400 other children. It reminds me of when I was skating with Disney on Ice. I remember someone telling me if my make-up looked good to someone standing near me, I didn't have enough on. Leigha would get pretty silly as she tried to exaggerate her signs. On Wednesday, May 28, Leigha had two performances at school. The first performance was for grades K-2. There aren't as many students in the lower group, so I think it was a great way to start off. Although she wasn't full of smiles, she did an amazing job. During the second performance, which you can see below, she did a great job and only left out a few of the phrases. I think she was more nervous this time because it was the older students and there were over 400 of them staring at her.



The following night was the performance for the parents. I was very proud of her! She did a fabulous job. All of her signs were correct, and nothing was forgotten. Unfortunately the video wasn't the best because I had the three boys with me and they were NOT in their wagons. It was difficult keeping them from running up to the stage to see her. They kept calling her name and pointing to her. It's a miracle that Leigha didn't lose her train of thought! My little girl is growing up!