Teaching Philosophy

            I can trace so much of who I want to be as an educator back to my family- as well as who I am as a person. This is particularly true of my grandfather, who served as an officer in the U.S. Marine Corps and USMC Reserves for several years. Upon his departure from active-duty, the men in his unit presented him with a plaque thanking him for his unwavering, “firm but fair” leadership; these qualities persist in him to this day, and it is his example that I want to follow in my own practice. I believe that every student deserves a fair shot at the opportunities for growth that theatre presents- theatre holds the tremendous capacity to empower all those who participate in it if they are given the proper room and resources to explore their own creativity, and I want to ensure that each student who enters my classroom is given that chance at empowerment. Establishing that chance will look different in the case of each individual student, simply because each student hails from unique backgrounds and prior opportunities; however, I aim to practice student-centeredness in each case by communicating openly with my students to distinguish their individual needs, and helping them procure the tools they need to flourish from there. My own education has given me ample resources to meet each learner where they are, and it is my duty as a teacher to ensure that each student is given a fair chance in my classroom- no matter what “fair” may look like for them in particular.

            My experience working with young artists in the past (specifically as a counselor at an educational theatre camp, as well as the in-classroom work I have completed so far) has also taught me that I must set firm expectations for my students and hold to them. This is where the other part of “firm but fair” manifests- I will let my students know exactly what I expect from them at the very beginning of our time together (this will be guided by both the TEKS and a classroom policy that prioritizes respect for oneself and others), find out what they expect from me and from themselves as well, and help them meet those expectations using the resources I possess. I am absolutely open to any necessary adjustments based on unforeseen circumstances throughout the year- another facet of student-centeredness in my own practice is showing compassion for the turbulence that often marks students' years of growth. Unreasonable strictness is also out of the question- authoritarian teaching methods are never beneficial to students’ overall learning and well-being no matter where expectations are set, especially in an arts classroom. However, I have learned that if educators set firm expectations and supply the resources to achieve them, students will absolutely rise to the occasion, and develop invaluable self-confidence in their own abilities in the process.

            There is another side of my grandfather that I seek to emulate in my own practice: in addition to his “fair but firm” attitude towards leadership, he has always made sure to let his family- including his grandchildren- know how happy he is to have them in his life. I am genuinely so excited about working with young artists and teaching theatre in particular, and I want to display this every single day in my classroom. I have already incorporated into my practice telling students how happy I am to be working with them at the top of each lesson or rehearsal that I facilitate (I sincerely mean it each time!), and I do not try to curb my enthusiasm when I am particularly excited by the discoveries that we make in those facilitations. Educators openly, genuinely loving what they do and freely displaying their passion for sharing their knowledge often encourages much more buy-in from students- furthermore, said students become so excited about the subjects they are learning! This is what guides my personal teaching practice the most: I genuinely love teaching theatre, I love devoting my career to it, and I want to display this as openly and joyously as I possibly can.