How student teaching has made me
experience the difference of these two worlds...
As I begin to sum up my time with
the Ed Theatre Program at CCNY, I am now spending a lot of time in the field.
To be honest, student teaching was not something I was looking forward to.
After being a Teaching Artist - for almost seven years now, I sarcastically
thought, “Great! Now I get to do what I have been doing for so many years, but
for free.” I was not too keen on the fact that I would be a guest in someone
else’s classroom, especially when I was used to running my own in-class or
after-school programs without assistance. Student teaching just seemed like
something to squeeze into my already busy teaching artist schedule.
However, after the first week of
student teaching, I began to reflect on the whole reason I wanted to become a
certified teacher in the first place. After so many years of enjoying the life
of a teaching artist, with its flexible schedule and generous artistic
opportunities, two things remained a constant dissatisfaction. First, I was
tired of teaching someone else’s curriculum. I was either brought in to
integrate theatre arts into an already existing classroom curriculum; or, I
would teach curricula that were given to me by the organization (tweaking it to
fit my own style course). Although there was room to collaborate and create, I
never felt like I had complete control of the academic agenda. I wanted to plan
a year-long curriculum map for theatre arts; not plan an 8 week residency
catered to the needs of that given classroom. This brings me to my second
dissatisfying factor, I felt like my impact was being cut short. Unless I was
doing a year-long after-school program, I did not like cutting my relationships
off so quickly with my students after establishing them. My role as a guest
teaching artist, in most residencies, was to teach some basic theatre skills
and to “put on a show.” I did not get to focus on the process, and I felt like
I wasn’t making a difference since I was not a part of the school faculty. I
was merely a guest coming in to relieve students from whichever academic class
they were normally scheduled for.
Remembering these factors, I left
my first week of student teaching easily reminded that being a classroom
teacher is a completely different ballgame than that of a teaching artist. I
look at my cooperating teacher and am astounded by how significant she is in
each student’s life. Her part in that school community adds to their school
culture. Bringing theatre into their daily lives, adds to their perception of
the school. For once, I actually feel a part of that culture. The students do
not see me as a guest that’s there to play theatre games; they see and treat me
as a regular teacher - a part of their school community. It’s a great feeling to know that I am now
helping to serve the school’s mission, not only my own.
On the contrast, as a teaching
artist, many of my students would look forward to my class. But now, I’m in a school where some students are just thrown in to receive an elective credit. I
am facing students who do not want to be there – just as much as I didn’t want
to be in Math class growing up. Classes taken from the Ed Theatre program
helped me approach these situations in various ways, from lesson planning to
tackling the art of engagement.
The Ed Theatre program has also
helped me hone my craft as an educator. Since I began studying in the program
two years ago, I have already sharpened my tools as an instructor. I find that
my facilitating skills have strengthened, as well as my ability to easily adapt
and modify (which I think are essential skills to have as a classroom teacher.)
My sense of intuition has also enhanced, allowing me to cater to the needs of
the class – as they are ever changing. My cooperating teacher is also sculpting
me to enter the world of the NYC DOE, which is a completely different world
than the teaching artist’s world. I am learning the logistical elements to
teaching and meeting the requirements of the City. Whether you teach a core
content subject or an elective, all teachers are being evaluated the same and
must meet the same standards. This is all new information for me to include in
my teacher’s toolbox.
All in all, I am quickly experiencing the difference of a teaching artist to an arts teacher. As I slowly
transition from one to another and continue to self-reflect, I am nothing but
completely grateful and satisfied that I have made the switch. Although I am
not completely on the other side, I am only steps away and it feels so good. I
know that I am well prepared for this new venture. My years as a teaching
artist have truly prepared me for what lays ahead. I would not be as ready as I
am today if it wasn’t for the combination of my teaching artist experience and
education in the Ed Theatre program.
