Year after year, my 6th graders are usually very hard to deal with. They are beginning to hit puberty, they talk back every chance they get, they rarely want to do their homework, they stay up late wasting their time instead of sleeping, they have fights with each other. This year, they also come from a rural area, and some of them are immigrants who have more than one reasons to feel they “don’t belong”, a common teenage feeling.

I recently happened to find out about George Birkadze, an amazing person, ballet dancer (also choreographer, teacher, coach) and martial arts fighter, through this video, called Black Belt Ballet. The idea was very inspiring for me, as it struck me as a “must bring to class” thing, so I designed this little activity for my 6th graders. You can share and use it freely, if you want. It was interesting to see the girls watch in amazement, and some of the boys initially make provocative comments, and then suddenly fall awkwardly silent, then make negative comments about themselves. We can’t judge those kids, we can only work to empower them. I am thinking of taking it further, this “You can’t judge people by their appearance” line is too powerful for me to stop here, so I am thinking of new ways to incorporate the video in my lessons, and perhaps do a whole project.

Happy nameday, George Birkadze!