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Crea Movement™ is a beginning dance curriculum for high school classrooms. It is comprehensive and standardized, and includes dance resources to teach students dance technique, creativity movement, composition and dance history.  There are 14 dance units in the dance curriculum are Modern dance: 1) Straight and Curved Shapes, 2) Angular Shapes, 3) Spiral Shapes, 4) Percussive Energy, 5) Sustained Energy, 6) Suspended and Collapsing Energies, and 7) Swinging Energy; and World Dance: 8) Traditional West African, 9) Swing Dance, 10) Afro-Jazz, 11) Ballet, 12) Lyrical Jazz, 13) Hip Hop, and 14) Broadway Jazz.

Our dance curriculum is fully developed and ready to implement with lesson plans, instructional videos, and other dance resources. These resources include dance history, compositional tasks, creative dance, dance rubrics, dance assessments, data trackers, PowerPoints, exit tickets, word walls, content language objectives, and more.

It’s tailored for Beginning dance, but could be scaffolded out for other levels; especially if it’s the first time students are encountering the curriculum.

Whether you wish to improve your dance instruction or bring new energy to your program, Dance for Schools’ dance curriculum will do just that! We’ll help you to improve your use of dance academic and content vocabulary, teach creative dance and personal expression, connect movements and techniques to students’ lives, teach dance history and cultural contexts, write in dance, and help students fall in love with dance as a lifetime activity.

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Semester 1 (Modern Dance)

• Straight and Curved Shapes
• Angular Shapes
• Spiral Shapes
• Percussive Energy
• Sustained Energy
• Suspended and Collapsing Energies
• Swinging Energy

Semester 2 (World Dance)

• Traditional West African
• Swing Dance
• Lyrical Jazz
• Broadway Jazz

Semester Structure

Dance units, minutes each, dance curriculum overview.

Pacing and Planning

• 180 Lessons
• 40 Minutes Each

Dance Resources

• Technique Assessments and Rubrics
• Data Trackers
• Writing in Dance Activities
• Creative Dance Exercises
• Composition Tasks
• Dance Syllabus
• Dance History Presentations
• Cultural Dance Presentations

Embedded Learning

• Elements of Dance (Space, Time, and Energy)
• Improvisation
• Composition and Choreography
• Working as an Ensemble
• Dance Vocabulary and Content Language
• Dance History
• Daily Assessments

Movement Breakdowns & Instructions

Videos and lesson plans teach teachers each movement series with counts, instructional tips, and Checks for Understanding

Content-Language Objectives

Daily goals include verbal and written vocabulary and ELA supports

Diverse Word Walls

Word Walls include pictures of a variety of dancers with diverse bodies and ethnic backgrounds

Assessments & Rubrics

Student-friendly assessments and rubrics are included with each dance unit, composition task, and project

Printable Resources

Lessons include a variety of printable resources, such as assignments and exit slips

Differentiation

Each movement section includes strategies and tips for intentional differentiation

High School Dance Curriculum Live Demo | Crea Movement (Modern)

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As a student at SUNY Purchase Conservatory of Dance, Marie McNair remembers struggling to complete a final choreography project. “There were many moments when I was stuck about what to do with the dancers,” she says. “What moves to give or not give, how I wanted to finish the piece.” In retrospect, she believes journaling could have helped her sort out her thoughts. “The kind of insight and inner reflection that writing causes isn’t something I was able to do until my senior year in college,” she says. As a dance teacher at Sidwell Friends School in Washington, DC, she recommends writing to help clarify intentions for a piece, even before beginning to create movement. “I encourage my kids to get all their ideas out of their heads and in front of them. I have them write out steps, colors, adjectives and whatever else comes to mind when they are listening to a song they are going to choreograph to.”

Writing is an effective and often overlooked way to promote learning and self-reflection in dance. Like rehearsal, it is as much about process as it is product. Journals, in particular, provide a place for dancers to set goals, record ideas and results, reflect, rant, plan, question and rejoice. Studies also show that journaling reduces stress and anxiety, increases self-awareness, sharpens mental skills, advances creative inspiration and strengthens coping abilities.

Dance teachers can help students organize their thoughts and reflect with purpose by assigning specific and stimulating writing activities. One prompt may help facilitate discussions among dancers, while another encourages them to think privately about movement concepts. There’s no right way to use journals. Some prompts may be assigned during class, while other activities might be taken home. Some responses are shared with teachers or classmates; others remain private.

Having your students write about class, rehearsal or a performance isn’t going to replace hard work or practice. They won’t instantly perform more confidently or create brilliant choreography because they wrote a journal entry. However, writing will supplement their training and make them more self-aware dancers. In McNair’s experience, “taking time to write down everything helps students create more mature and well-rounded dances with meaning and depth rather than just long combinations put to music.” The following writing activities offer five different scenarios for reflection. Choose a few to help your dancers get started. You’ll be amazed at what you read and learn. DT

Richard Kent, a professor at the University of Maine and director emeritus of the Maine Writing Project, has worked with choreographer and Emerson College teacher Josie Bray to study the role of writing in dance. They co-authored Writing the Dance: Workbook & Journal for Dancers.

Consider your relationship with the mirror:

1. How does it help you?

2. When does the mirror prevent you from doing your best work?

3. Do you notice any habits you have in front of the mirror that you don’t have other places?

4. Is there anything you’d like to change about your relationship to the mirror?

If so, what is the first step you will take toward making that change?

Mentally prepare for a performance:

Write about what you do before a performance to give your best onstage.

Reflect after a rehearsal or performance:

1. What were your strengths as a dancer today?

2. What were your weaknesses as a dancer today?

3. What were your strengths as a duet, trio or ensemble today?

4. What were your weaknesses as a duet, trio or ensemble today?

5. Whose performance did you most admire today and why?

Consider the influence of internal dialogue, or self-talk: 

1. Make a list of what you say to yourself during a rehearsal or performance. This internal dialogue may include feelings, instructions you give yourself or random thoughts.

2. Read through your list of self-talk and write down what you notice. Is your talk positive and motivating? Do you spend too much time complaining about a classmate or yourself? Observe whether your self-talk is productive or destructive, positive or negative.

Daily check-in: 

Give an immediate response with a + (above average), 0 (average) or – (below average) to reflect your first thought on the following issues:

1. How’s my overall health? _____

2. Am I getting enough sleep? _____

3. Do I drink enough water throughout the day? _____

4. How’s my overall fitness level? _____

5. Have I eaten healthy, balanced meals today? _____

6. How’s my life outside of dance? _____

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Dance Advantage

Solutions For All Stages Of Your Dance Life

Reflection and Journaling for Dancers

October 4, 2008 by Nichelle Suzanne (owner/editor)

Dance is a form of expression, allowing one to creatively or artistically “speak” through a non-verbal language. However, dancers have often found a need to express themselves through words and writing as well.  In fact, writing can be a useful tool for dancers, teachers, and choreographers.  And, journaling or keeping a diary is a great way to preserve and organize one’s thoughts, reflections, goals, and more.

Who and What

A dance teacher and friend of mine, recently wrote on her blog, Uptown Dance NJ , about ways in which a dance diary can be used for students, teachers, and professionals.  She spoke of her own methods and uses for this valuable tool and how and why she encourages her own students to keep a dance diary.

There are many types of journals from organizational (lists, schedules, data/idea collection), to pragmatic (what you did, what you’ll do, achievements, failures), to idealistic (goals, dreams, ambitions), to emotional (how you felt, reflections, critiques).  And, there are many, many, many techniques for writing and keeping a journal.  Some people collect and use or sketch images, others write free-form, limit themselves to one sentence, or answer questions or write lists.  Some use a binder, others a bound book, and others use technology and computers.  In this regard, each must determine the methods that will best meet his/her needs. However, in order to encourage you to make use of a dance journal, I’d like to highlight how particular aspects of a diary could be useful to dancers and/or teachers.

Goal-oriented Writing

A Twitter pal of mine, Amber, describes how she “ keeps her butt in gear ” through writing down her goals and dreams.  She also uses something called a vision board which is meant to activate the law of attraction , which has a lot to do with visualizing and attracting the things we want in life by bringing attention to them. This principle can also be used in journaling, as described by Elizabeth Scott M.D. in an article about stress management .

Visualization is nothing new in dance.  We use this tool all the time when we apply imagery to perfect our technique or execution, or even practice mental rehearsal before a performance.  Writing about our goals can also be an exercise in visualization because it requires that we imagine these goals as achievable and imagine ourselves achieving them.  When we give voice to these visions on the written page, we not only allow time to focus our energy and thoughts on them, we preserve them.  It is a commitment and a promise to ourselves, more powerful than a fleeting thought, because we can look over our imaginings over again and again.

Learning and Reflection

Keeping a record of your learning process has many benefits for a dancer.  The following, from an educational website , very clearly and succinctly describes what to write in a learning journal and why it may be helpful.

WHAT TO WRITE * “Activities”/situations/experiences that went well or were difficult * Unexpected problems or issues e.g. solving a particular maths problem (that you had revised carefully) or explaining an idea in a group project meeting . [completing a pirouette without falling out of it; a disruptive student; difficulty remembering choreography] * Habits that you have noticed in yourself or others (which have some relevance) * How you feel about the way you are doing things e.g. items of understanding, clarity of thought, strength of actions, awareness. * How effective you are e.g. using feedback from others, achieving goals (assignment deadlines, finding information in library, keeping a learning diary! etc.) * Anything else that feels of importance to you – even though you may not understand the significance of it. WHY DO IT? * It helps you to learn from your successes, as well as your mistakes * It makes it more likely that you will use what you have learned next time i.e. rather than ‘making the same mistakes’, “falling back on old habits’ etc. * It gives you an opportunity to plan concisely what you want to do, what you want to change, etc. · It may help you feel more in “control of your life”, more positive, deepen your understanding, etc.

A person learns from successes and mistakes when he/she takes the time to reflect on them.  With a journal, dancers have the opportunity to recognize patterns in the corrections they receive, the worries or stresses that may inhibit them, and the types of images or thought processes that help them the most.  With this information dancers can then use what they’ve learned to solve problems, avoid injury, and improve.  In addition, a journal can aid in boosting confidence.  Even a dancer that, in the moment, or over the course of months or years, feels that they are not doing well, can look back at her recorded accomplishments and feel good about the progress made.  Looking at our successes as a whole, enables us to see the value in even the smallest of improvements.  Writing is also a way to work through emotions that otherwise we may keep bottled up.  The stress of trying to out-perform ourselves or others, please our teachers (or students), advance to the next class level, land a special role or job, and a whole host of other worries can be overwhelming for a dancer.  Putting these concerns in writing gives us a space to air them without ramification, often making them seem like they are not such a big deal after all.

Get Started!

Consistent journaling is achieved by making it a habit .  You make something a habit by first choosing to do it consistently.  It may take some real effort on your part to begin and continue your journal.  I encourage you to try to make time to write at a particular time each day, avoid distractions and situate yourself where you will be most free from interruption.  Start small .  Sometimes our intentions are too big and we end up quitting because we’ve bitten off more than we can chew.  Take brief moments to write a few lines about the day or the class.  You may find that over time you are able to write more and that you have discovered new ways to utilize your journal.  Also, set yourself up for success .  If you tend to enjoy typing an email more than writing a letter, you may find blogging your journal to be more productive than adding thoughts to a bound or looseleaf notebook.  Like finding the perfect pair of pointe shoes, you may even have to sample different methods until you find the right fit.

Nichelle Suzanne is a writer specializing in dance and online content. She is also a dance instructor with over 20 years experience teaching in dance studios, community programs, and colleges. She began Dance Advantage in 2008, equipped with a passion for movement education and an intuitive sense that a blog could bring dancers together. As a Houston-based dance writer, Nichelle covers dance performance for Dance Source Houston, Arts+Culture Texas, and other publications. She is a leader in social media within the dance community and has presented on blogging for dance organizations, including Dance/USA. Nichelle provides web consulting and writing services for dancers, dance schools and studios, and those beyond the dance world. Read Nichelle’s posts .

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Dance . Learn how formative assessment improves teaching and learning in dance by exploring our projects and tools .

Arts Assessment for Learning combines research and practice in an ongoing cycle.  We call it Action Research. See it in action in the featured project below:

Like students working in a formative assessment process, teachers implement formative assessment in their classrooms, document, reflect upon, share the results, plan improvements, and make revisions.

featured in dance: Creating Choreography

“how can a combination of rubrics and peer feedback protocols help students to improve their original dances”.

Ana Nery Fragoso pursued this inquiry with 5th grade dance students at PS 315 in Brooklyn.

“Using a rubric helped my students, almost in a more mature way, get into the creative process.”

Ms. Fragoso views formative assessment as an integral part of a creative process. Much as a dancer would, she performs, assesses, and revises her teaching in a continual cycle. Yet she feels she is still discovering formative assessment’s gifts.

Ms. Fragoso introduced a primary rubric at the start of the project.

Students began with a clear understanding of Ms. Fragoso’s expectations of them, and this focused their work in teams.

Each team created a piece integrating elements of José Limón’s technique. Guided by the rubric, student dancers collaborated on choreography, and coached each other’s movements. Then, at the end of each practice session, students assessed their own progress using the rubric.

Dancers took ownership of the process while Ms. Fragoso listened and helped them reach their own goals.

In multiple rehearsals, student dancers performed their works for review. The more they engaged in feedback sessions, the more efficient the classroom became. Ms. Fragoso found her class gaining time as the project went on.

Classmates were eager to share their feedback based on the criteria, and formative assessment protocols helped them verbalize this in much more constructive ways.

Dance ensembles also received ideas for improvement through peer-assessed rehearsals. Their classmates, aided by the rubric, respectfully articulated helpful comments. Ensembles were able to consider their classmates’ comments, and collaboratively determine whether and how to make revisions.

As they grew more skilled, Ms. Fragoso encouraged their independence.

After implementing formative assessment in her classes, Ms. Fragoso has grown even more confident in its value.

“One of the most beautiful things that happens with formative assessment is the ownership that the students have of their own learning.”

For more about this project, check out this video or visit this project’s page for our documentation, downloadable tools, and work samples., creating choreography : self & peer assessment with ana fragoso, brooklyn ps 315, “one of the most beautiful things that happens with formative assessment is the ownership that students have of their own learning .”.

Ana Fragoso, Dance Instructor

My 5th grade students used a Dance-Making Rubric and a Collaboration Rubric to support their creation of original choreo­graphy integrating concepts from the Jose Limon Dance Unit. The dancers learned about Jose Limon's life and artistic work while creating their own dance studies based on some of Limon's concepts and choreographic themes. The ease of their collaborations and the quality of their dance-making was improved through use of the rubrics and self and peer feedback.

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Dance units: Middle school levels

These Dance units are for Middle School Level students. Several are aligned with the Common Core and all are aligned with the Blueprint for Teaching and Learning in Dance.

Included Resources

Dance is community...community is dance, dance is community...community....

In this Dance Unit, Students will gather insight into self and community through improvisation and dance making. Students will create a dance that addresses the concepts of awareness to self and others: Address – others and different body parts; Nearness – relationship to others; Connect – making connections; and Support – the push and pull in the way we interact with others. This Dance unit is written for the 8th Grade and is aligned with the Blueprint for Teaching and Learning in Dance Benchmarks. This unit was written by Edwin Brathwaite.

Senior choreography project

In this Dance Unit, students will learn how to use an autobiographical literary work (memoir, poem, or story) to develop a solo dance and then collaborate to create a group dance. The students must include a 7th grade student, music, and costumes. This will result in an 8th grade student concert. This Dance unit is written for the 8th Grade and is aligned with the Blueprint for Teaching and Learning in Dance Benchmarks. This unit was written by Sarah Sandford-Perez.

Haiku choreography unit

In this Arts and the Common Core Dance Unit, students learn about the history and origin of the haiku. Students work with the teacher to create examples of haikus. Students suggest themes for haiku and create a list of possible themes to use. Students create a haiku with a dance theme and choreograph a short dance phrase that reflects the theme and rhythm of the haiku. This Dance unit is written for the 8th Grade and is aligned with the Common Core standards and the Blueprint for Teaching and Learning in Dance Benchmarks. This unit was written by Carol Lonnie and Traci Hinton Peterson.

Dance unit: Eight line dances: From then till...

Dance unit: eight line dances:..., dance unit: eight line dances: from then till now.

This Dance unit will focus on the impact of social dances and how these dances helped to build community. Students will learn about the history of line dances and how these dances originated from the 17th‐century English country dances. The unit will also focus on the present form of line dances performed at social events such as the electric slide, the cha‐cha slide, the Wobble. We will begin with the line dances of the 1970s and ‘80s. The students will learn many of these dances along with their patterns and formations. Small groups will be formed, and students will then create their own line dances using various formations and patterns learned in the class. Students will present their dances for the class. This Dance unit is written for the 7th and 8th Grades and is aligned with the Blueprint for Teaching and Learning in Dance Benchmarks. This unit was written by Carol Lonnie.

Dance unit: Flamenco!

In this Dance unit, the students will learn basic flamenco rhythms and movements. They will research the origins of flamenco, and develop a dance based on their research. They will perform their dance, and write a research report. This Dance unit is written for the 7th Grade and is aligned with the Blueprint for Teaching and Learning in Dance Benchmarks. This unit was written by Cheryl Galzur.

Dance unit: Free to be me

This Dance unit includes rich opportunities for learning as it explores strategies for provoking new ideas about dance while making connections to literature and visual arts. The theme explores dealing with the social/emotional challenges of being in middle school, including experiences with individuality, tolerance, and acceptance. Through movement experimentation, the students explore what it means to be “Free to Be Me.” Students use the knowledge they gain through the unit to inform their movement improvisations, leading to choreographic processes. Student work collaboratively to create a dance inspired by quotes, poems, personal narratives, stories, and visual arts. At the end of the unit, students will share their dances with their class and the school community. This unit will help students understand the meaning of individuality, tolerance, and acceptance so that they may live as leaders. This Dance unit is written for the 6th to 8th Grades and is aligned with the Blueprint for Teaching and Learning in Dance Benchmarks. This unit was written by Kristine Ventimiglia.

The science of ballet technique: Creating dan...

The science of ballet techniqu..., the science of ballet technique: creating dances from science.

In this unit, students will explore the many ways science influences movement. The unit provides opportunities for students to evaluate their range of motion and execution of ballet technique, set personal goals, experiment with scientific concepts in anatomy, kinesiology, and physics (Newton’s Laws of Motion), and apply these concepts to self- correct and to help achieve their personal goals. Since turnout is the foundation of ballet technique and one of the most difficult aspects of the technique to understand and master, the unit will focus on the structure and function of the hip joint. The unit is designed to provide middle school students with the knowledge of how to take care of their body, prevent injury, and avoid physical risks in dance class and throughout their life. This dance unit was created by Nicole Kasbar.

Waves: Creating dances from science

Waves: creating dances from sc....

Students will create a short choreographic study that helps them understand and differentiate between longitudinal and transverse waves. Students will research different types of waves and create dances inspired by the waves. They will create a dance study based on what they learned in this unit and their previous classes about the characteristics and behavior of waves. Ultimately, students will create original choreography inspired by phenomena the eye cannot see. This dance unit was created by Cheryl Galzur.

Exploring early modern dance choreographers

Exploring early modern dance c....

Students will research the following dancers/choreographers and develop choreography to share with the class. Students will research history and find choreographic samples from the dancers/choreographers to share with their group. Choreography inspired by these artists will be generated by the group. Isadora Duncan, Michio Ito, José Limón, Katherine Duncan, Lester Horton, and Martha Graham are the dancers/choreographers of study. This dance unit was created by Jan Ford.

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The Whole Dancer

Health, Nutrition, and Lifestyle Coaching for High Level Dancers

The Power of Journaling for Dancers

It’s become very clear over the past decade or so that the practice of keeping a journal is beneficial. Studies have shown that it can have a positive impact on happiness, reaching goals, and even physical health. It’s shown to be particularly valuable to write down things you’re grateful for each day. 

When I work with dancers, journaling is a pretty consistent recommendation. Dancers tend to see big benefits because pre-professional training and professional dance jobs can be stress inducing. You’re in a competitive environment where many dancers are vying for the same place or job. If your sights are set on a specific training program or company, there’s even more pressure.

There’s a lot to process, and dancers tend to have particularly active inner critics. That little voice in your head has gotten so used to telling you all the things wrong with you, it’s hard to catch a break. Writing can help you shift that internal narrative.

If you’re ready to start a consistent journal practice, having a bank of prompts can make getting started much easier. That’s why I created this worksheet with “30 Journal Prompts” for dancers. Sign up to get it here. The prompts include topics related to body image, food, confidence, and your relationship to dance.

Having a topic each day will allow you to find direction and work to release the judgment. That’s something you might also struggle with in getting started: wanting to be perfect in your writing. Even when we journal just for ourselves, there might be pressure to be some unflawed version of yourself. Let it be raw, real, and messy. It’s just for you; let it all hang out!

Here are some practical tips to build a consistent journaling habit:

1. Start small. Just a couple of minutes a day is enough. 

Part of what makes it feel so hard to start something new is we put big expectations on ourselves. We think, if I don’t write for 30 minutes a day, it doesn’t “count” or “it’s not worth it.” Remove those self-created measures of “success” and allow yourself to just do a little and consider it a win (this applies to many areas of life).

2. Weave the habit into an existing habit.

Do you have a relatively consistent morning routine? Pick a time within that set routine to add in your journaling. It’s much easier to start and maintain a new habit when added into things you’re already doing consistently.

3. No pressure, let it be ugly.

This isn’t for anyone’s eyes but your own. You don’t have to show up as some “perfect” version of you. Be real in your writing. It will likely help you to show up more authentically in other areas of your life as well.

4. When you have nothing else to write about, write about what you’re grateful for.

“ Research indicates that regularly practicing grateful thinking can move your emotional ‘set point’ for happiness by as much as 25 percent in the right direction.” Writing down what you’re grateful for (and for dancers, I often suggest writing down why you’re grateful to your body in particular) can increase happiness.

5. Start with a friend.

Do you have a friend who might be into journaling too? Reach out and set up a way to keep one another accountable (text or talk each day to confirm that you’ve journaled).

Take it a step further.

Once you’ve downloaded your “Journal Prompts for Dancers” worksheet, get to journaling. It’s going to help to establish a strong “why” behind your desire to start this practice. Is your goal to build confidence? To come back to uplifting and support thoughts and affirmations each day? Whatever it is, get clear on what’s possible simply by committing to a daily journal practice.

• ← My Body Image Story in Ballet
• Dancers and Emotional Eating →

Jess Spinner

Jess is a former professional ballet dancer turned Holistic Health, Nutrition, and Lifestyle Coach for high level dancers. She founded The Whole Dancer in 2015 after identifying a greater need for balance, wellness and support in the dance world. Since The Whole Dancer was founded, Jess has worked with 100's of dancers worldwide at top companies and schools. She has been featured in or written for Dance Magazine, Dance Teacher Magazine, Pointe Magazine, and Dance Spirit Magazine.

3 thoughts on “ The Power of Journaling for Dancers ”

I wish I would have found this blog when I was still a dancer! It is such a great idea to start journaling as a dancer because we all know how not just physically challenging it is, but also mentally challenging. I think it is really great that you are sharing and promoting these activities though and I am sure that many dancers find this very helpful. I know I would have, and I am definitely going to share this with my friends who are still dancing!

Hi Elise! Thank you so much for the comment!! Journaling is something I too wish I had done when I was still dancing. Definitely a game changer for the dancers I work with. I’m grateful that you’re planning to share with your friends who are still dancing and I hope it helps them 🙂

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Breaking news, outrage as high school student is suspended just for using the term ‘illegal alien’ in class discussion.

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A 16-year-old North Carolina high school student says he was suspended just for saying “illegal alien” while discussing word meaning in English class — possibly ruining his chances of landing a college sports scholarship.

Christian McGhee, a student at Central Davidson High School in Lexington, received a three-day suspension last week after he used the term in English class, the Carolina Journal reported .

His mother, Leah McGhee, said his teacher had given an assignment that used the word “alien,” and Christian asked: “Like space aliens or illegal aliens without green cards?”

Another student reportedly took offense and threatened to fight Christian, so the teacher took the matter to the assistant principal, according to the Carolina Journal.

Eventually, his words were determined to be offensive and disrespectful to Hispanic classmates, so he was suspended.

 “I didn’t make a statement directed towards anyone — I asked a question,” Christian told the outlet.

“I wasn’t speaking of Hispanics because everyone from other countries needs green cards, and the term ‘illegal alien’ is an actual term that I hear on the news and can find in the dictionary,” he added.

The suspension may also affect the student-athlete’s prospects of securing a college sports scholarship, the Journal noted.

“Because of his question, our son was disciplined and given THREE days OUT of school suspension for ‘racism,’” Leah wrote in an email describing the incident.

“He is devastated and concerned that the racism label on his school record will harm his future goal of receiving a track scholarship. We are concerned that he will fall behind in his classes due to being absent for three consecutive days,” she added in the message, which was shared with the outlet.

The irate mom said the assistant principal has refused to remove the suspension from the boy’s record, so the family has hired an attorney.

On Tuesday, Leah appeared on “The Pete Kaliner Show,” which airs on radio station WBT, and said her family had once lived in England, and Christian mentioned how Britons also need green cards to live in the US, Newsweek reported . She said she and her husband told the assistant principal that “illegal alien” is a term their son can look up in a dictionary. “It is a term used as federal code, and it is a term that is heard frequently on many news broadcasts,” Leah said on the show. “I feel that if this was handled properly in the classroom, it could have easily been used as a teachable moment for everyone.”

Republican state Sen. Steve Jarvis said he has contacted the school district superintendent about the matter — but he has not yet taken a stance on what should be done.

“I do not see that that would be an offensive statement, just in getting clarification,” Jarvis told the Journal. “But there again, I don’t know. I don’t know the situation of this particular incident.”

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The popular X account Libs of TikTok also weighed in by saying Christian’s record could be “damaged” by the brouhaha over political correctness.

“Please support this based student by helping to raise awareness to his story!” the conservative account wrote in the post, which has received more than 4 million views.

Among those to respond was X owner Elon Musk, who wrote: “This is absurd.”

Conservative personality Ian Miles Chong called it “insane.”

“How does one get suspended for using the term illegal alien?” he asked.

Libs of TikTok added: “Hopefully North Carolina officials can step in and ensure his record isn’t tarnished in any way because he’s trying to secure an athletic scholarship for college.

“He should not be persecuted for using the correct term just because the left is trying to change our entire language,” the account added.

A staffer at Central Davidson High School told Newsweek that they could not comment about a specific student due to federal protections.

“Please know that Davidson County Schools administrators take all discipline incidents seriously and investigate each one thoroughly,” the rep told the mag. “Any violation of the code of conduct is handled appropriately by administrators.”

The student handbook says that “schools may place restrictions on a student’s right to free speech when the speech is obscene, abusive, promoting illegal drug use, or is reasonably expected to cause a substantial disruption to the school day,” the Carolina Journal reported.

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