I decided to write this post on "Connecting School and Home Experiences."
I remember being in love with performing since I was very young. I still remember an adaptation of "Billy Goats Gruff" that I was a part of in pre-school. I remember talking to my mom about how excited I was to be in it, although I don't remember which character I was. Ever since then, I have been hooked on the feeling of performing in front of an audience. There is something about it that nothing else can match. My parents, throughout my schooling, were very supportive of my being involved in theatre.
Starting when I was very young, second or third grade, my parents would take me to plays put on by community and professional companies. I remember being enthralled in plays for as long as I can remember. I guess the inherent theatre major in me was always intrigued by the lighting, costumes, and set of the play as much as the actual acting. Something about being able to create a completely different world on stage has always been exciting to me.
Another thing from my childhood that contributes to my love for theatre was growing up with five older sisters. We did a lot of dressing up and creating stories and other worlds together. Although this is something that all children do, I feel that between my sisters and the friends I had in Elementary School, I was involved in this type of play for much longer than most other children. Also, as soon as the imagination play started to wind down with friends, I joined my first community theatre class.
One other thing, that I guess kind of oppositely affected my choice to be involved with theatre was that I was outnumbered by my sisters at home and had become content with being the one that just hid in the background. When I got involved in theatre it gave me a chance to truly be myself. Not only did I get to perform and speak out in front of people but I also got to explore the ideas and beliefs of others which taught me what I truly believed for myself, rather than simply following the ideas of my family.
As for how I can use this to teach my students, I think it can be a great tool. I want to make it a goal to know about the backgrounds of my students because I know not everyone will go on to be a theatre major after high school but there are many things that theatre can teach students. I also think using a students background is a great way to figure out what aspects of theatre they may be interested in. Someone who has worked on carpentry projects with their parent growing up may be interested in set design or building. Likewise, someone who has grown up sewing with a parent may be interested in costume design or construction. There are many ways to utilize a student's backgrounds to personalize and amplify their education and I hope that I will be able to recognize these things in my students when I am teaching.
I really enjoyed how you said that you know that not everyone will 'grow up' and do the same things that you have chosen to do...teach theater. But even if your students want to become engineers, or business people, or any other possible career there are still things that they can learn from your specific content area. I feel the same way about FACS. If you go into something with the right attitude the question of what can I learn from this, you will learn something. It really goes to show that each content area is equally important.
ReplyDeleteI really liked how you talked about students background and being able to figure out their different interests with theatre. I agree with that and I really feel that understanding students background in any content area can make a huge difference in teaching. As you stated at the end I also want to be able to utilize my student's backgrounds to make my teaching become real and personal to them. I think being able to recognize those different backgrounds is something that we are continually learning throughout life and our teaching. I also feel that this quality of recognizing is a great asset in everyday life as you interact with so many other people.
ReplyDeleteI was totally in "Billy Goats Gruff" when I was in Kindergarten. I got to play the Troll. As we have been talking about in our theatre class, it is so much more than acting. People just do not see past the performance. They do not understand what theatre really means to the students, performers, designers...Like you said, theatre was a way for you to stand apart from your sisters and really decide what you believed in. For me it was about finally finishing something and being a part of something bigger than myself. We have to find ways to help people see beyond the curtain. I also think that your class and productions will be a lot richer and more meaningful to the students if you do access their background knowledge and experiences. Theatre may be just what they need to hone a skill or learn one that they have wanted to learn. They could write one acts about their life and experience. When we incorporate student's lives into the classroom is stops being your classroom and starts becoming our classroom.
ReplyDeleteIt is interesting how influential siblings are in our lives. Learning about a student's entire family can lead to a different approach in how you teach him/her. I think sometimes we are so stuck on the influence parents have we forget that siblings are just as influential of a force, if not more.
ReplyDeleteAs someone who has never participated in theatre I tend to forget the intricacies that exist behind the acting. From the time I have spent playing in pit orchestras for theatrical events I know that there is much that goes on, but I always figured that the teacher took care of most through the high school level. Lighting and set building would be an amazing skill to have. Perhaps theatre wouldn't have scared me so much if I knew I could participate in other ways besides being on the stage. This can be a wonderful way to draw upon student interests and experiences.
I had never really thought before about theatre is related to woodwork classes, as in building sets, or to FACS classes, as in sewing clothes. I think these connections will enable you to build interdisciplinary connections with other teachers, besides the music teachers.
ReplyDeleteSounds like you had a lot of positive, affirming experiences with theatre from a young age. That's great. I was always painfully shy but I think a welcoming theatre class may have helped me come out of my shell at an earlier age.
Thanks for your posting. :)