Teaching Philosophy

Growing up, my mom was always an inspiration to me. She was a natural teacher. She inspired so many young people teaching dance in high schools around Utah, and I will always look up to her. She has a natural instinct to teach others that I recognize in myself as I begin to embark on the same journey. Just like my mom, I have the passion and drive to teach and inspire a new generation. I have always loved theater, and most of my life has been spent training and performing in the art. I want to use that knowledge to educate students about theater and how beautiful and important the art is to our society. 

Words I live by as both a teacher and individual are acceptance, compassion, and empathy. Theater is such an important art form and it creates a space that can inspire social change and self discovery. Even grown adults can learn and explore empathy through theatrical performance. Theatre can be a space where students feel safe to be themselves and explore fully without judgment. Many students don’t have a space in their lives where they can truly be themselves without fear and judgment from friends and/or family. My drama classes in middle and high school were places where, unlike anywhere else, I could truly be myself and explore. I want to be able to create that environment for my own students, so that they too can feel accepted and safe. I believe that theatre has the ability to teach students about these words I live by. Compassion, acceptance, and empathy. Theatre is a massively collaborative art form, which forces students to work with people they may not normally talk to in school. It provides a space for students to learn empathy and develop compassion and acceptance for their peers. My classroom will always be a space where students feel safe to take risks, try new things, and be their true selves without judgment.