Ayline Amirayan

A COMPASSIONATE AND TALENTED TEACHER, SINGER AND SONGWRITER Ayline Amirayan is an adapted Physical Education teacher in the Norwark/LaMirada Unified School District and has created a remarkable program for her special needs students who never go to school dances. Wanting to give them that joyful experience, she prepares her students to participate in a special school dance she sponsors yearly. Inviting compassionate general education students to join her special needs students for the dance event, she also teaches them movement to music. She ends the class with a social pizza party where the general and special students have an opportunity to converse with each other in a safe setting. Ayline began this event 10 years ago. She teaches different dance themes every year including music from the 1920's with the Charleston, as well as ballroom dances, disco, pop, country and multicultural dances. Her yearly event gives her special needs students the opportunity to practice proper dance etiquettes such as being kind when asking someone to dance and learning to be polite when refusing. “Those who learn the most are the general education kids who give hope to the special needs kids who respond when being asked to dance,” Ayline said. She also encourages and prepares these students to show their talent on stage with comedy, singing songs or synchronizing dances Ayline feels this is an important part of the event so these special students get a dose of "celebrity" when they make their way onto the stage. It may be the only opportunity for them to perform for their teachers, friends, parents and family members who are invited to the event and see their children on this special performance. It has been a high light event every school year.
This is what compassionate teachers do for their students.