Grade 5 Reading Literature - Point of View

The Performance

As the lights dimmed, the audience lowered their voices for the beginning of the performance. Parents with their camera phones stood poised ready to capture every minute of their precious child’s performance. Last year, most children in Ms. Tippy’s kindergarten class made great statues even when they were supposed to be fluttering about as butterflies. Yet, every parent applauded proudly as if their child had just won an Olympic gold medal. This year, Ms. Tippy thought it would be best for most of the performance to be singing instead of dancing or reciting lines from a script.

The red curtains flung back to expose the small children dressed in their costumes fidgeting on stage. All eyes on stage were scanning the audience for a familiar face. As soon as a child saw their parents, they would wave their hand like a flag flying in a hurricane. The parents reacted in the same way except they would turn to their neighbor in the audience and point out their child. It is quite comical to see parents and children acting as if they hadn’t seen each other in years, but they just saw each other ten minutes prior to the start of the show.

The performance begins with Mr. Philips playing the first song on the piano. His stare signals for the children to start singing. The children sing in barely a whisper as if they don’t know the words except for Johnny. He belts out the words to the song which can be heard clearly above all of the other children. Johnny’s parents beam with both pride and embarrassment as the song comes to a close.

The remainder of the performance’s songs continue in similar fashion with it seeming that Ms. Tippy nominated Johnny to sing a solo with a small background chorus for every song even though she hadn’t. Finally, at the end of the performance the children smile and giggle. They bow ten times before the curtain falls. Loud applause erupts from the audience.