My Teaching Philosophy

Teaching Philosophy/Personal Narrative

As a Theatre educator, I hope to inspire, teach empathy and create a safe-space for students in my classroom, through compelling, story-telling endeavors.  Through a  focus on sharing our humanity, we can reconnect with one another, which is more important than ever, in the wake of the pandemic we've lived through, the technology we are bombarded with daily & the division we see in the world, between many groups of people.  

Three prime areas that this can be achieved in are through: 1) spoken expression (verbal discussion and critique), 2) public performance (in either classroom presentations or for an outside audience), and 3)  writing (research and/or creative papers and playwriting exercises).  I want students to look out at the world, and into their own hearts, and share their thoughts and views on the struggles that people go through.  Empathy - that is one of the most important things we teach, as Theater educators.  To be able to understand the ‘other’.  Walk in someone else's shoes and try to feel how they feel. That's what we do when we portray a character.  Our world is in desperate need of more empathy. And more listening. My theme for the year is ‘Empathy & Exploration’, and my hope is that by linking these ideas together, we can foster and create connections and new experiences that make us better humans. 

I sometimes hear people say, ‘why do theatre now?’, or ‘how is theatre still relevant?’. To me that’s like saying why have real, in-person relationships when you can Zoom or FaceTime?  Camera-told stories can be fantastic, but once captured, they will be frozen in time forever.  Theatre is a live, visceral, kinetic experience that can be different every single time, and so much more intimate and personal.  Technology has its place, but it can isolate people.  Theatre reconnects us by bringing human beings together in one room, to follow a story together.  There’s a power and energy in that, like nothing I’ve experienced.

My hope is to prepare students for the literal ‘stage’, but also the various other ‘stages’ they may find themselves in, later in life.  Whether giving a presentation at a work meeting, speaking at a place of worship, or giving a toast at a celebration, finding ways to reduce anxiety and feel more at ease while standing and speaking in front of a group, will serve them well throughout their lives, and hopefully help them feel more confident in sharing and using their voice.  

Utilizing the NYC Chancellor’s Instructional Leadership Framework, I try to connect the below 3 areas  with the Theater curriculum I create. These foundational elements really root my practice, help me connect with students & bridge Theater learning with the other subjects students are taking.