“Fear never goes away, we just get better at being terrified.”

I am guided as a teacher by the belief that students do not function in a vacuum, but rather within a context of received ideas, challenges, and dialogue—in short, as part of a community. I see it as fundamentally important for learning to be seen, by students, as something other than a series of abstract tasks to be fulfilled to please the narrow audience of an instructor. As members of a community, I believe my students can become more self-conscious learners and, to a greater degree, learners who are internally motivated—animated by their involvement in dialogue and by their interest in the subject matter, rather than merely in pursuit of a grade. 

I believe that a respectful and collaborative learning environment enables the freedom to create and to be fully self-expressive. This is important in any classroom but is especially true in theatre. Theatre as a practice is changing rapidly and it is vital that the teaching of it change as well. First and foremost, theatre education must be grounded in consent. That means that directors and educators must be willing to step back from the traditional power structures and negotiate community agreements for each class and production. By inviting students to feel the power of their half of the relationship, they gain ownership of the work. At the first meeting of every show that I direct and every class that I teach, I lead a series of exercises to help create expectations for the student teacher relationship as well as policies such as attendance, late work, and other aspects that are usually imposed. It is my experience that when people are working to the standards that they create for themselves, they have a tendency to far surpass their original expectations. 

I realized that Theatre speaks a sort of universal language. I began to realize that, since this is what I love, it can also be the way in which I contribute to the world—by teaching and inspiring young learners. Theatre often goes under-recognized, although in a pandemic traumatized world more than ever, the arts are needed by our young people as a forum for safe expression, communication, exploration, imagination, and cultural and historical understanding. Theatre and the Performing Arts transcend time and social barriers to introduce lifestyles and points of view, present choices, reveal human vulnerability, raise ethical questions, and provoke thought. Ideally, these subjects give us an enhanced understanding of humanity.

Theatre also teaches students to be more tolerant and open through multicultural and historical perspectives and through their involvement in the creative process itself. Due to the collaborative nature of art, students develop crucial skills in cooperative decision-making, leadership, clear communication, and complex problem solving while working with others.  The skills and experience that students develop by learning to perform, create, and respond to works of art provides a foundation for the kinds of literacy students must have to communicate and work successfully in our ever-changing media, technology, and information age

I also value the practice of leaving the world a better place than I found it. I have cultivated my talents and abilities through both theatre arts and education, and know that my strengths will be best utilized as a facilitator/educator. So much energy is directed toward the “what” and “how” of teaching and leading, that the “why” can fall off the radar. However, it is the “why,” that likely inspired most of us to become educators and theatre practitioners, and it is the “why” that sustains us in these challenging vocations. My “why” remains connected to utilizing my strengths and abilities to make the world a better place, through creating art and classrooms lead with compassion, empowerment, and creating opportunities for success for others.