Pent up emotions in children? Try drama

Retired school teacher Farida Chapman believes that drama is an effective aid in assisting children with pent up emotions, and it should be reintegrated into the school system. The author and poet said although she has retired, she still finds the time to write stories and poems for children to perform dramatically, mainly because of her passion for children. She said she has used poems and stories as a medium to teach students various subjects, and has found it very successful. “It makes teaching fun,” she said.

Chapman, a mother of three children and four granddaughters, said she was recently invited by the Arima Lions Club, to be the facilitator at a workshop on calypso and ex-tempo for children of schools in the Arima district. “I discovered they are hungry for things like that, the response was awesome and at the end they were making up verses on their classmates. Even the very shy, shy kids came out and danced and sang,” said Chapman, who is a member of the Trinidad and Tobago Drama Association, and has also performed with Paul Keens-Douglas in “Talk Tent 2004.” She said she believed drama was an effective tool in teaching and suggested it be reintroduced into the school system. She said drama assisted children in dealing with their emotional problems, adding, “They release pent up feelings.”

Chapman, a former student of the California Primary School, said drama was an especially great medium for under-achievers, for whom she has a passion. She has found that under-achievers are great actors and often times used their dialogue to get them to read better. Chapman, who began her teaching career in 1966 at the Orange Valley Government Primary School, said once her assistance is required by schools she would be willing to work with the children. She continues to work with the El Socorro North Government Primary School, where she  taught for 29 years. She recently wrote poems for students of the school to perform in the St George East Primary School choral speaking competition. Besides working with children, Chapman is an active member of the retirees section of the Trinidad and Tobago Unified Teachers Association (TTUTA). Chapman has recorded her own monologues on CD and was nominated for a Cacique Award for Most Outstanding Supporting Actress for her role as Ma Dulcie in the play, Comedians can Cook.