Monday Was Talent Day

Monday was Talent Day for fifth graders at [insert name here] Elementary. One of the students asked me if I was going to share a talent the week before, so I prepared a dramatic reading from The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo.

When it was my turn, I nervously approached the front of the room, and then... began to recite. I have never seen fifth graders so attentive. And finally, somehow, I earned a position of respect in the eyes of 60 plus children, and my cooperating teacher.

I had worried I'd be inhibited by my timidity in many professional and casual settings, as far as communicating with Mr. [insert name here] is concerned. I felt like he did not trust my competence, at first, because of who he perceived me to be. However, today, he told me that he was shocked when I got up and recited the tale of the love struck mouse-- gave him goose bumps. And then when he saw me take control of the third grade class this morning...

"You're an actor. And in all reality, most of the performers I know are timid in social settings...they need the light of the stage to shine."

I'm relieved, and now, I finally feel like this student teaching thing will be a valuable and enjoyable experience all around.

My dad often says teaching is acting. I believe it. The ironic thing is, my shortcoming in my very short dramatic career, had always been my inability to connect the character I was playing to myself. It was never Crazy Aunt Abby Jordan, only Crazy Aunt Abby played by Jordan (from Arsenic and Old Lace). I've been thinking a lot about curriculum, and how this applies.

Curriculum is everything that occurs within the classroom. The phrase "living curriculum" is often used to describe the ideal classroom: Learning is life, rather than, learning is an highly conventional, and fabricated institution.

I think as a teacher-actor, focusing on fostering a living curriculum, I may land myself a career on the stage. I'll finally have connected the person I play to the person I am.

Anyhow, if you don't think you have any influence on children...I spied one of the naturally more rebellious children walking down the hall with her naturally more rebellious (really quite flirtatious) good friend, reading The Tale of Despereaux this afternoon.