Performance Standard #7
Fosters the development of students' leadership, teamwork, and effective communicative skills, and teaches deportment in a manner appropriate to the industry
Embedded Files
Dillardrec.pdfEvidence: Letter from Karen Dillard, former colleague and parent of former student.
Description: Ms. Dillard is the parent of a former student who I had the opportunity to teach for three years. During the time with me, her son explored various areas of theatre, including acting, stage management, and scenic design. From the letter: ¨As a teacher who affords students leadership opportunities and encourages autonomy, Mr. St. John allowed my son to fulfill his duties in each of these capacities to the same extent that he would have if these had been his jobs in professional productions.¨
Analysis: I believe students perform best when they feel ownership of the productions in which they are involved; this is why I have run theatre programs as theatre companies for a number of years. By affording students the opportunity to take on design and leadership roles, it is my hope they will move beyond proficiency; learning moves beyond a concern for grades and toward an intrinsic desire for improvement an mastery. Students such as Ms. Dillard's son are examples of this belief paying off.
Evidence: Letter from Burgin Mathews
Description: Mr. Mathews is a former colleague who worked with a number of my former students; in this letter, he addresses the impact my program had on those students: "Eric’s style of leadership is to support and empower his students as they themselves grow into leaders, in and out of the classroom; the ownership and pride his students take in their work are tributes to the empowering, student-centered environment Eric has crafted in his classroom."
Analysis: Theatre is a synthesis of the arts, a craft that demands a willingness to learn and an industry that requires a strong work ethic; often, the job today leads to the job tomorrow as technicians and actors alike build reputations and skills. My program is student-centered; I feel that students learn best by taking ownership of their work, and providing them opportunities to learn, grow, and lead, I am setting the stage for the development of the work ethic critical in the industry. I strive to offer a variety of material that will challenge students from production to production, as they are challenged to learn new facets of design and skills to create them. As Mathews states, "With each production, Eric creates incredible opportunities for his students behind the scenes, as well as on stage: I know from many conversations with his students through the years how passionate they are about costuming and make-up, set design and construction, sound design, musical scoring, lighting, script writing, and other off-stage tasks."
Teamwork is an essential skill in a collaborative field like theatre. Communication skills are imperative in order for productions to run efficiently. Leadership comes when students begin to feel confident in their abilities and desire to see their plans in action. These skills apply not only to theatre; many of my former students have gone on to careers in engineering, law, technology, and the medicine. No matter the field, though, I believe providing them an environment in which to test themselves gave them the chance to develop the skills the skill they depend upon today. "[W]hatever field his students enter, the lessons of his classroom go with them: Eric’s students have received valuable training in hard work, collaboration, improvisation, problem solving, and other life skills, and they leave his classrooms with a better understanding of themselves."
Mathewsrec.pdfPage updated
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