“Literature originates from the tremors within the soul. Studying literature is learning to empathize with life because empathy is the root of art,” explained young MC Gia Han, guiding the audience into a journey of exploring the Vietnamese literary world for fifth-grade students.
“Year-End Literature and Vietnamese Showcase” for Fifth Graders transformed Dewey into a vibrant, colorful world. From profound knowledge of arts like dance, music, sculpture, and poetry to language activities in society such as scientific and administrative language, all were vividly and captivatingly recreated on stage. The innocent performances of the children made the world of literature tender, sparkling with childhood colors.
The literary world that Dewey and its students created is not only a world of knowledge but also a world of human spirit. Borrowing situations from folktales like “Toad sues God” students conducted a simulated trial, prosecuting the Dragon for neglecting its duty of raining and causing serious consequences to the mortal world. Behind the stern words of the Toad lies a profound lesson about honesty, courage to admit mistakes, and rectify them, which is one of Dewey’s core values.
After the refreshing laughter in the trial of the Dragon, the play “Little Tales” continued to immerse the audience into a beautiful, magical imaginary world, both unfamiliar yet strangely familiar. There, parents were transported back to their childhood, meeting familiar characters from Andersen’s fairy tales, such as the Little Match Girl, the Tin Soldier,….. In this world, the Tin Soldier didn’t need to fight evil to prove his bravery. Instead, Andersen’s characters nodded in agreement: “I have traveled the world, but today I learned a lesson from a child who corrected my story. She was right; the demon in my tale is the demon of foolishness, and the courage she added is the courage of intelligence.”
The “Year-End Literature and Vietnamese Showcase” for fifth graders also revived the glorious pages of national history. It brilliantly portrayed the indomitable spirit of General Tran Binh Trong, who said, “Better to be a demon of the South Sea than a king of the Northern Land,” and echoed the optimism of the soldiers in the resistance through the song “Forest Melody.”
The knowledge of phonetics, vocabulary, grammatical concepts, and texts learned from grades one to four all became a solid foundation for TDSers to master language concepts in fifth grade. The children expressed their emotions towards beauty, walked the path of artists in creating artistic works, and delved into the world of literature.
Moved and proud, these were the lingering emotions in the hearts of parents after witnessing the exhilarating performances of their fifth-grade students on stage. Mr. Bui Ngoc Son, parent of student Bui Van Trang from grade 5 Boston, likened the stage brought by the children to a sumptuous feast of Literature and Vietnamese Language, a celebration of art. “I believe that through this feast, parents have savored the delicious dishes, the specialties of Literature and Vietnamese Language at Dewey School.”
Ms. Nguyen Thuy Anh, parent of student Nguyen Phong Anh Minh from grade 5 Los Angeles, shared, “I feel a strong inner strength in my children when they stand on stage. It’s no longer just a duty but has become their passion and love. With today’s outstanding performance, I completely trust in the future maturity of my children.”
