Each year our team chooses a number of field studies to enrich the curriculum for all students. Today we went to see Ragtime at the Wheelock Theater. The play was described well in a Boston Globe review with this quote:
"Whether fictional or real, everyone in “Ragtime’’ is pursuing some version of the American dream. But a central point of both the novel and the musical is that the course and outcome of those pursuits vary hugely depending on race and class."
We chose to see Ragtime for the following reasons:
- To show students a life other than their own
- To address social issues that we face today and in the past in society
- To exemplify what a musical is since students put on their own musical in the spring
- To build a more culturally proficient program which aims to develop respect and appreciation of all people via the arts
The play introduced students to multiple themes that we will return to throughout the year as we zero in on respect for one another, anti-racist anti-prejudice teaching, historic figures who impacted our world today in positive ways, and what it means to practice, produce, and perform a musical for an audience.
I surveyed the students afterwards and the play got high marks from most students. It was interesting to hear about the parts that they found most intriguing and the parts that were less interesting. With every field study, children's reflections demonstrate their individuality finding variability about what they like most and what they don't like the most. This is why it is good to present a variety of field studies to the group, a variety where hopefully everyone will have a few memorable, valuable learning experiences.