Ian Williams is a recent graduate of the University of Michigan with a dual-degree in Vocal Performance and a Bachelor of Theatre Arts. He is interested in exploring the relationship between the arts and social change, and how performance pieces, such as the HIV/AIDS Module, can make a difference. Ian also spends a good amount of time with children, but, in this dispatch, he talks about how his experience teaching the module to children created an entirely different relationship than any he had prior to it. You can watch Ian read a portion of his dispatch by clicking here.
Connecting with Children through the Module
It’s hard to simply describe my experience with Charles Hugo Primary School because the experience happened so fast. However, I can say that I learned a lot more about working with youth. I currently work with children five and younger, but I have very little experience in teaching children, especially on HIV.
When we came to Charles Hugo I had my share of challenges when teaching the students the module. Particularly when the students learned the module and taught it back so quickly. There was a point that I wasn’t sure how many times was too much to go over the module. I think that is just a testament to how wonderful and intelligent these children are.
In my group, after learning the oral version, the students learned Rodney Brown’s dance version of the module. I had never learned it before so it was wonderful to learn the choreography with the students, and then see them teach it to their peers. It was amazing to me how these students, who had only just met us, were so welcoming and so eager to learn and teach back to us.
In the six hours that we worked at Charles Hugo, I felt very connected with the children as if we had known each other for a long time. I was sad to leave the students, but my experiences with them taught me a lot about how children can make all the difference in the world. I love the students of Charles Hugo, and though our time was so short they have made an incredible impact on this trip for all of us in POA.
