I sit on the Radford Children's Theatre Committee and every year we bring the Missoula Children's Theatre to town. As always throngs of children show up for limited amounts of parts. Last night 115 children auditoned for 62 parts. Clearly, there is a need.
However, the folks who have chaired the committee and brought MCT to Radford for the first time several years ago, are stepping down. Of course, everyone can't serve eternally. If we do not find someone willing to step in, this could be the last year our children get this opportunity.
Here is my little rant...
Whichever school I am at, it's usually the STP I see helping out (clearly, more than ten, but you get my jist). The same faces reading in the classroom, monitoring lunch hour to give the teachers a break, helping with the medical clinics, serving as home room parent, lending a hand with classroom duties, volunteering at the front desk, serving on the PSA, you name it!!
Now when the school needs a chaperon for a cool field trip, there aren't enough seats on the bus to accommodate those adults.
Everyone wants all these great opportunities for their children, as long as it means they can come when it starts, leave when it ends and never think of it again.
I think my tirade is over...until of course, I end up hearing no one would take MCT and I get suckered into it. But if you could see the thrill of some of these children who probably would NEVER get recognized or noticed for anything else...you'd be a sucker too!
7 comments:
I am so glad that there are people like you. It doesn't make it fair...but I am still grateful. You do great things, Jaime.
I don't want props (huh, get it--that's for you La) just some more helping hands! (Of course parents with sickly bed bound babies on oxygen trapped at home are unabashedly absolved of all duties!)
My favorite is the parents who you have to drag in for conferences or call a million times when lunch money is way over due. Then when you send home the letter about who's interested in attending the field trip, they're the first ones to demand they go or else they're not going to let their kid go. Urgh!
I know you weren't asking for props...(you slay me by the way) but I really admire how involved you are.
I was one of the STP last year until the newest man in my life decided to arrive early. He's lucky I'm wild about him.
You are an inspiration, Jamie. One day I am going to be like you!
Now don't take this the wrong way, but sometimes it is really HARD to work with those STP. Not you of course, the other ones, the ones in Colorado.
Thank you, you never give up and are very needed in this world!
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