“For anyone to grow up complete, art is imperative.” – Paul Harvey
I believe that one of the primary roles of a good teacher is to find the key that unlocks the curiosity in every child. Every student is unique and learns differently and as a Theatre teacher and director, there are so many ways to help unlock that curiosity for learning.
Collaboration and acceptance of self and others are key values that characterize my philosophy of teaching Theatre. These values are very important in today’s world where students can be hurt, lost, and alone due to choices made each day. My room is a safe space for honesty, creativity, learning and magic to happen. Each student comes into my room with a strength or talent. It is my job to help them figure out that strength or talent so they can learn how to use it. I try to cover all the types of learning – visual, auditory- musical, verbal, kinesthetic, logical, social and solitary in my approach to teaching. Theatre is the perfect subject to encompass all approaches to learning on a daily basis.
My approach to teaching is to instill collaboration, creative critical thinking and strong work ethic into all my students. Working together to create something can be difficult, but students learn to put their personal feelings aside and to strive for a greater cause – the good of the show. Sometimes in life we must work with people that don’t necessarily rub us the right way but we still have to be part of that team. Instilling a sense of teamwork and esprit de corps is a vital part of my teaching philosophy! I have watched students find their place to grow and blossom in theatre. It is a safe place where they are accepted and valued for their input to the process. I have watched quiet, shy students excel at design and find their calling. I have seen students light up when they realize that their idea was chosen by the group to be the playwriting project. I have seen students from all walks of life become members of the same group, without judgement, because of the respect they have for the art, the teacher, and each other.
Creative thinking is crucial into today’s world. Every business wants to hire people who can “think outside the box”. Theatre is thinking outside the box. I love watching my students work as a team to come up with a solution to a problem -whether it is a design issue that we need to work out or how to create a puppet out of what we have on hand in our shop. Watching them think through and figure out is one of my favorite parts of teaching. I love the lightbulb moments that happen through creative play and creative thinking.
Strong work ethic is a value that I try to instill into the students who have the opportunity to be a part of our Theatre department. We have to work together as a team to create the magic of a production on stage. Theatre is hard work and I teach my students to always strive to do their absolute best. In 2015, The College Board stated,” Students who took four years of arts in high school scored an average of 92 pts higher on their SATS than students who only took half a year or less.” I believe it is because of the work ethic and thinking outside the box mentality learned in Theatre that validates this statement from The College Board.
Creative problem solving, critical thinking, effective communication skills, collaboration, cross curriculum activities, accepting others and respect for each other’s ideas are values inherent in my style of teaching. Theatre helps students boost their academic and performance. I am blessed to have the opportunity to help students grow, not only in Theatre, but also to be well-rounded individuals who can succeed.
Suzanne Allmon 