to think that school plays and other non curricular activities should be inclusive?

[PosieComeHereMyPreciousParker]

DS1 has just come home with the four lines he has to learn for an assembly. He said he wanted to be one of the four soldiers, but he's a narrator instead. Before he named the four soldiers I could have listed them myself, the four most able boys in the class. Am I unreasonable to think that a good teacher would use instances like this to include pupils that aren't top of the class? It wouldn't have mattered if DS1 hadn't been picked if it was four other boys, but the same four as always just seems a bit lazy.

The teacher has asked to borrow DS1's coat for one of the soldiers....talk about insult to injury.

few years (baby on lap distracting)

cantdecidewhattodo - I haven't lost sight of what the events are about, I've had the will to do another nativity play ever again beaten and sucked out of me. I see tinsel in a school corridor and start to twitch. I just dress them all up very very prettily, the parents get the pictures they're after and all are happy. Even got them to mime it one year as the narrators spoke with a microphone as I couldn't face another round of 'we couldn't hear anything'

This is a general thread about the routinely lazy teacher who pushes the same kids forward, this is not about DS. He graces the stage with his drama school at least three times a year and has 'starred' in the Bristol Fashion week. He's a confident and delightful little boy. It was actually about me knowing that the four boys were picked before names were mentioned.

lol, Riven I think I need wine AT the nativity, not weeks later

Last nativity I was pregnant and stupidly ate my first ever KFC just before it. I spent most of it announcing my condition by being sick in the toilet.

I needed vallium the last nativity I had to do - never mind wine.

Angels, despite banning wings because of the miniscule village hall stage and the fear of some kid turning around and knocking one of the others off it with mahoosive wings... at least 5 showed up with them on.

Innkeeper number 2 - refused to bother to learn his lines. Eventually he was set upon by three irrate inkeepers wives who refused to let him out of the corner they boxed him into until they'd taught him them!

Shepherds - after being appointed a shepherd, one little lad announced he was going to borrow his dad's cattle prod for his costume... farm apparatus had to be banned from costumes in anticipation of the cattle prod showing up in school.

Shepherds - to stop them twirling the sheep above their heads by their legs, we put them in a box by the stage for the kids to collect as they went on stage... they forgot and I had to chase them on stage to give them the sheep to hand over (mass hilarity at that one).

One reception lad who enjoyed his moment in the limelight so much he refused to leave the stage... thank God for the very with-it Y6 who spotted what was going on and firmly led him off by the hand!

After hours of discussion about these precious gifts the wise men were bringing and how they'd hand it over really carefully and bow... wise man number 2 proceeds on the night to lob the box at the baby, nod and almost head-butt another kid in the process and jump off the stage.

WHY IS IT ALWAYS MY CLASS THAT PROVIDE THE COMEDY RELIEF?!!?!?!

Least we didn't have any complaints about our choice for Mary - we only HAD one girl in year 6!

''pisces, we're not talking about children being disappointed are we? WE're talking about the children who are never invited to shine'

I think that some parents muddle the 2-all they want is for their DC to be centre stage!
I can't say that I have ever seen the same DCs in the main parts. I have seen Tinker Bell in wheelchair but she made a super job of it and her comic timing was superb so she was just the best for the part. My DSs school tried their best-the year my DS was David Copperfield they had 6 David Copperfields! Difficult to explain but it worked. Some of the 'naughty' ones are fantastic in a part. They did however audition-anyone could try for a part they wanted but only one person gets it-as in RL.

I nearly wet myself to overhear this conversation in the office one year:

mother of sick child on phone: My son's ill
Office staff: But he must come in! He's God!

If it makes you feel better my classes over the years have:

-mary picked up baby jesus by the foot and proceeded to donk his head along the floor behind as she walked

-king on stage found it found it funny to ham it up and pretend to drink his gift (goblet with a bow, don't ask)

-inn keeper: 'no, the pub's shut, sorry' (cue me mutter INN! The INN is shut)

but the best of all was the high-schooler in a play I took kids too: 'Sir Francis drake circumcised the world with a hundred foot clipper' No child in the room could see why the teachers were choking trying not to giggle.

Strawberry, that is fab.

And may I add a small moment of my own when I (genuinely) booked a flight one day too early at Easter to be met by DS's distraught teacher saying, "but he makes such a wonderful Jesus! He staggers under his cross beautifully."

I am an atheist and had no ida DS was even in the weird Roman murder play.

HullyGully, we decided to have a 'dancing jesus' one year at Easter. Great fun. Surprised the priest didn't complain (think he was asleep)

Am loving the funny stories. My dd is a sheep this year, apparently she wants to be covered from head to toe in cotton wool. No lines, but she is chorus 12 in the drama production. Last year she was Dopey in Snow White and the football team (not joke) and got to say 'duh'

We have a real baby and donkey

Riven, at least there's no octopus (thinking of the Love Actually film with the nativity)

Inclusion isn't really the right word is it; it seems more that you think the star parts should be given to the less middle class children (ref: yr namechecking child with lots of extra curriculars). Inclusion is about everybody being allowed to take part/ join in if they want. Can't see from your op that any of them aren't.

DD was a pig one year - I decided against querying the historical plausibility of this and just crossed my fingers that they hadn't given snouts to any of the Muslim or Jewish kids.

He graces the stage with his drama school at least three times a year and has 'starred' in the Bristol Fashion week. He's a confident and delightful little boy.
No, you're right, it's not about him, it's about you.

Strawberry cake - love how you picked pupils at random and were still accused of favoritism. If there's one thing I've learned from Mumsnet it's how much time most mums seem to have on their hands to grouse about non-issues.

OP - how do you feel about sports day then? That the most talented athletes shouldn't be allowed to win - or only one year and never again . Nephew was a chorister. Hugely talented singer who put huge amount of time and effort into his music. He never got any roles in school plays though because his school thought the roles should have nothing to do with ability. So that's fair?

I think that the only fair way is to ask them which parts they want to audition for and choose the best for the part.They can totally surprise you and a little shy one can become a different person. My nephew is like that -very quiet- but he loses his shyness in a part and is part of the National Youth Theatre now. (once the part os over he is back to shy).
I find it hilarious that people think that the PTA's DC get the star parts!! That really is jealousy. I have been on the PTA-you get all the work, that no one else wants and it doesn't have any bearing on your DC and why should it?! The very last thing on the teacher's mind, if they even know in the first place, is whose parent is on the PTA.
As a DC I would have wanted a part on my own merits-I couldn't stand the thought that they thought 'must bring Pisces out of her shell' or 'Pisces must have a turn at star part'. I think that very often the DC themselves is quite happy to be one of the chorus-it is the parent who wants them centre stage!

I only once ever got a speaking role in a school play. I was about 5 and I can still remember the words:

"Mummy, I'm so hungry. Will the food be ready soon. I have such a pain."

It was a dark and disturbing play.

Riv, I'd love to have taught your daughter - she sounds like she has a superb sense of humour!

Drama clubs SHOULD be inclusive and should be about having fun - particularly in primary schools.

I would be very surprised if the schools accused of favouritism DON'T ask for volunteers, audition and give the parts to the people who are best for the parts. That's the way most schools do it, so that they can't be accused of being unfair.

We once asked for volunteers, held auditions and gave out the parts. A mother then phoned to complain that her daughter hadn't been given a particular part. Turns out her daughter hadn't put her name down OR turned up for auditions. However, the mother STILL expected us to take the part away from the child who HAD put her name down and come to the auditions at lunchtime and give it to her daughter. We didn't.

He graces the stage with his drama school at least three times a year and has 'starred' in the Bristol Fashion week. He's a confident and delightful little boy.
No, you're right, it's not about him, it's about you.

Wrong wrong wrong. I wouldn't have cared a jot if it had been any other four children, didn't need to be my son at all. It happened when I was at school and it happens now.

Not all children want to shine, and not all children can be bothered to learn their parts and do the job properly. I have every sympathy with the teachers who never picked ds for a speaking part. And I feel convinced that any attempt at picking him to bring him out of his shell would have misfired badly.

fwiw ds would love to be picked to play football for the school, but frankly that's never going to happen either, because he's not terribly good at it. I don't think that's favouritism on his teachers' part, just realism.