How can I create life-changing opportunities for my students?
Most adults looking back on their lives can recall a challenge that paved the way for future successes. It was a task that initially seemed daunting, and maybe even impossible, that they managed to master to their great personal satisfaction and pride. At the same time, they made contacts, acquired skills and were left with a sense of self-confidence.
These experiences only loom larger as we get older because we realize how much of what we later achieved as adults was made possible by the personal developments that went with these experiences. Even the things that did not work out as well as they might became the basis of future successes.
But not every big challenge works out that way. Students can just as easily learn to give up on themselves and others. Recognizing this, teachers are always on the lookout for new projects to throw at students and for ways to make existing projects work better. In this section we get a new challenge and a very inclusive approach to an old standard.
How can I connect my subject area, which students may or may not have anything to do with after they graduate, with some larger lessons they will be able to use no matter what they do in life? Tami Dowler-Coltman's students direct a play, a major challenge that consolidates everything they have learned about theatre, and prepares them to work together with others in other fields as well.
Bringing Drama to Life
"The goal of our programs has never been to prepare a few students for singing, dancing or drama careers. The goal is to help all students develop their full potential and succeed as adults, whether as singers, actors, engineers, doctors, lawyers or teachers."
"Because of Tami's influence… this school does not simply offer instruction in various disciplines, but provides broad exposure to a whole range of ideas and skills. We're a renaissance school!" Fellow teacher
Tami Dowler-Coltman
Victoria School of Performing and Visual Arts
Edmonton, Alberta
For more than a decade, Tami Dowler-Coltman has played a major role revitalizing Victoria School. In 1985, it was Victoria Composite, a beleaguered inner-city school, falling apart and slated to close. Now, 1,800 students from Kindergarten to Grade 12 attend five distinct arts programs: the School of Music, the School of Dance, the Theatre School, the School of Art and Design, and the School of Video and Broadcast Studies. Tami was a key player in the development of the curriculum for these schools, considered among the best in Canada, and teaches secondary drama and theatre arts.
Life Lessons
The primary aim of the course is to teach lessons that have value in real life. A good example suggests itself early on, during the casting process. Some students have an easier time with this than others. However, all are intensely aware of the challenges of teamwork.
Each director must make a list of the characters in his or her play, describing each one in detail. Then, we hold a general call for actors, who must audition for all 18 plays. Next, we hold call backs. Then, using their character lists, the directors propose ideal casts for their plays and the whole group discusses which actor will be in which play. The process of give and take is not without difficult moments, but by the end of it, these student directors have experienced and demonstrated a spirit of generosity in developing their ensemble that would rival any diplomatic model.
Another example: in studying a play for the purpose of producing it, students flex mental muscles beyond what usually occurs in a classroom. Besides analyzing plots, characters and meaning, they must consider different interpretations, look for alternative sources, ask questions, resolve disagreements, make decisions, and pursue a unified course of action. All of this gives a student models for succeeding in life pursuits, and nurtures creativity, self-discipline, teamwork and competency in solving problems and managing resources.
Most of all, our 20 to 25 students gain confidence, which comes with learning to apply a director's fundamental tools to bring their vision to reality. Student leaders hone their interpersonal skills to make the whole process a positive one for all members of their theatrical ensemble.
The immense task of pulling all these elements together and shaping and refining them into a vision of artistic unity becomes the ultimate challenge for the young directors. The course is a major commitment from start to finish. As one student summed it up: "Directing is stressful. It's scary. It requires huge amounts of time and energy. And it requires you to make sacrifices. Directing is also worth making the sacrifices for. It's fun and exciting, and the feeling you have sitting in the audience watching the play is indescribable…"
How can I prevent cliques and other social barriers from keeping some students out of activities that could benefit them? James Myles has taken an approach as inclusive as possible to school plays and had some very positive results on stage and off.
A Place in the Spotlight
"Teachers hold a double-edged sword. We can build or destroy a student with a single word. A student's peers hold the same power. Acceptance or condemnation by a clique can have a tremendous influence on a young person."
"Jim Myles gives young people a sense of personal worth that is often lacking in our educational system. His enthusiasm is contagious, his dedication inspiring and his rapport amazing." Fellow teacher
James Myles
Fredericton High School
Fredericton, New Brunswick
A teacher who has come to school every day for 31 years with enthusiasm, James Myles is head of the 27-member science department at Canada's largest high school. Dedicated as much to the personal development of his students as he is to covering the curriculum, he starts every day with the question, "What can I do differently or better today?"
On with the Show
Every student deserves a moment at centre stage. It takes teamwork, time and money to accomplish this.
Teamwork
A successful production requires a whole team of volunteers:
- A professional dancer from our community acts as choreographer.
- A former student designs our sets.
- A group of parents creates costumes for the supporting cast and chorus. We rent the lead costumes from a costume house in Toronto.
- A conductor and our 30-piece orchestra handle the score.
- A parent organizes publicity.
- A local business covers the printing costs for the program, tickets and a poster for each cast member.
Time
The production takes six months. Lead auditions start in October. From early December to late March, I hold individual or small-group rehearsals every day. We choreograph each movement and give students plenty of time to learn their lines. The entire cast rehearses together four times a week, including Friday evenings and Saturdays (which parents love; it keeps the kids off the streets). This may seem an excessively long schedule but I've found it necessary, given the number of people involved. Everything comes together about two weeks before the show.
Money
We moved from the high school's auditorium to the downtown theatre five years ago because the audience was simply growing too large. Some people - not just parents - come to all five performances. We raise approximately $60 000 from ticket sales, enough to cover our costs.
You also need patience and energy. I'm not dealing with a crowd of 200 kids. I'm dealing with 200 individuals. It takes patience to give them each the attention they deserve.