So, what’s happening in this photo?
It is a scene in a play, called Winterlands, created by our youngest class.
They were the weapons makers and looked after the camp while the Hunters did the glamorous work. They wanted the freedom to explore the Northern Forest. They had “discovered” that the Hunters were destroying the Forest. The North Witch and the Polar Bear have asked for their help.
The photo shows them preparing for battle to save the forest. It’s an imaginative and exciting story – all their original ideas. But there is more to it than that. The little girl ready to loose her arrow is bright and articulate but when she first joined this class, she was very shy and felt wary of joining in and speaking up. It was the others in her group who raised her self-esteem.
In role, they said that she was the brave one who sneaked into the Hunters’ tent to steal their torches. They said that nobody could make arrows better than she did. They do this in role without prompting because they say what feels natural in the story. They enrich the story by commenting on each others’ actions. They discover who they are in the story, what is important to them and why they do the things they do. Their actions are validated and qualities are observed and spoken of.
So look again at the girl with the bow and arrow. She hasn’t simply posed for the camera. In fact, this was captured while they were in role, believing in the moment. She is a brave and determined warrior standing up for what she believes to be right. She may remember this moment, she may not. But in that moment she was who she wanted to be.