The Shows
Open The Door (K-6)
A conflict resolution primer for elementary and middle schools.
By Susan Pawlak-Seaman
New Bedford Standard-Times staff-writer
Your parents are on your case to clean your room and take out the trash. Your teacher says you have to rewrite your paper, after unjustly accusing you of talking in class. To make matters worse, you and your best buddy are on the outs, even though neither of you is sure why. No doubt about it. You're definitely having a bad day. What's a kid to do?
Scot Cannon - a mime, musician and former junior high teacher- recently visited the Brooks School to offer some answers. His 45-minute program, "Open The Door," is subtitled 'A Conflict-resolution Primer for Elementary Schools.' It provides children with positive ways to handle their anger.
The East Bridgewater resident said he uses the concept of opening doors to convey our need to constructively communicate and reach out, rather than keeping feelings bottled up. "Everywhere I go, the most important thing I've heard is that people want to know some safe things kids can do when they're angry,"' said Mr. Cannon, who has performed in schools from New Jersey to New England. In a show heavy on audience participation, Mr. Cannon advised against throwing things, slamming doors or hitting someone. Instead, pet their pets in short, to do anything they could to convert "anger into energy."
In mime, he presented a parade of folks who did just that. The vast majority, he stressed, were real people who accomplished real things. For instance, he depicted the Vietnam vets, their bodies ravaged by the war, who mobilized to create America's handicapped-access laws. His imaginary exception, he said (confessing he couldn't resist), was a caveman "having a real bad day," who furiously banged rocks together and discovered fire.
Mr. Cannon personally researches his material. The veterans, plus groups like MADD and SADD, "took their anger and did something positive" he said. The entertainer, who also does presentations on self-awareness and self-esteem, said he developed "Open The Door" this spring in response to the educators' requests. But he says he began thinking about conflict-resolution long before it became a buzzword.
A music teacher for 12 years at a Brockton juniorhigh school, Mr. Cannon says that he and his colleagues saw their share of frustrated and angry students-kids expressing emotions with a growing aggression. Though disturbed by what he witnessed, he felt a certain empathy for the students. In childhood, his extreme stutter had often isolated him from his peers, leaving him churning within. The behaviors he observed in his students dredged up "anger I never knew I had."
Mr. Cannon said he tries to incorporate his experiences which include being a foster and adoptive parent in his performances. In addition, he provides schools with an activities packet, including a questionnaire on what angers kids, plus discussion topics and ideas for role-playing and improvisation. Scot uses 15 students in his performance. He has a 30 minute rehearsal before the show.
The actor stresses that he doesn't have all the answers. What he wants to do, he says, is to help children learn to "open the door."