An International Perspective Bahar Cetinsoy

An International Perspective Bahar Cetinsoy

My expectations before starting the program…

Eight years of my teaching career, I have always looked for better ways of teaching and reaching every child.  I have always felt that a big piece of the puzzle was missing.

The second year of my career, I was compelled to run English drama clubs as an ESL teacher who had no experience in teaching  theatre.  It was the  year   that magical dust of theatre was sprinkled on me. Instead of the all hard work,  I was so happy and proud when I put the first production of my English Drama club.  Theatre not only helped me to improve my teaching skills but it also enabled me to see true feelings, behaviors and character of my students.

I knew what I wanted to do. I wanted to integrate theatre more in my lesson and run drama activities more profesionally. I searched for a program which could combine both theatre and pedagogy, something not only to teach  about theatre but to teach through theatre. After days of searching, I found  the Educational Theatre program at the City College of New York which  I was  extremely happy and screaming of  joy.  I was so timid and hesitant to write to the director of he program, Jennifer Katona, thinking that I , as an international student, could not be eligiable for it. Mrs. Katona’s wrote back as soon as I emailed to get more information. She was very  welcoming and encouring. From that time on, the  application process  had begun till the last step of it, which was online interview with Sobha Kavanakudiyil.  Unlike most of the teachers I’ve had ,  Ms. Kavanakudiyil friendly  and understanding  attitude  eased my  anxiety  and helped me  express myself  better .

Ten days later, my journey of inquiry started with accaptance letter to the City College of New York, Educacational theatre program.

Here I was, the first class…

 I didn’t know I was the first and the only international student in the program. Before  my first class started, I was very nervous. I was thinking if I could grapple with  language challange  as all my friends  were native speakers of English. Meeting my classmates took all my nervousness away. Everybody had pleasant smile on their face as if tryring to tell me that they were happy to  have me there. They have been so encouraging  and collaborative. Whether a teaching artist or a primary school teacher, everybody brought  their experience in to explore  the purpose of education and how drama and theatre  facilitate learning in different settings.

Even though I was owerwhelmed with the reading  load at first week, I enjoyed  all required reading since I  could find answers for my  questions about how education should be .  The more I read, the more I see how much education needs art and theatre integrated in yhe national curriculum. I have seen how much students  can be engaged in learning without feeling fail, how much fun they could have while learning,  how they could  learn from hands on experience, how a physical movement rather than a test, could  be a tool to evaluate students’ understanding.

I  am at the right place with the right adress in my hand and  proud to be the first international student in this program which will pave my way  with the power of theatre to fulfill my dream  for education. 

New Student, New Year Sarah Malone

NEW STUDENT, NEW YEAR Sarah Malone

It’s been a long time since I’ve experienced the first day of school as a student and not as a teacher.  Two weeks ago, I began classes in the Graduate Program in Educational Theatre. I found that the first day of school as a graduate student didn’t feel all that different from any other first day of school.  I was still nervous and excited.  I still bought new schools supplies.  I still spent a little longer than necessary deciding what to wear.  I suppose the main difference is that the choice to come to grad school was wholly my own.  It’s not required and it’s not even something I’m expected to do--it was my choice and I am very glad to have made it.

I’ve been working in the field of arts education for many years and professionally for the last five.  I am thrilled to be able to devote time, energy, and thought to developing my capacity as an arts educator.  I currently work full time at Roundabout Theatre Company in their Education department but will be transitioning into a new full time position in Education at Disney Theatrical Group.  The idea of working full time while going to grad school doesn’t seem as daunting as it does invigorating. I’m excited to challenge myself to learn new things, brush up on research, and keep abreast of upcoming trends in arts edu. I also can’t wait to get to know my classmates, hear about their experiences, and learn from each other.

Fall has always been my favorite time of year.  And the first day of school has always felt like a holiday to me. I know that Spring usually gets all the credit for being about “new beginnings” but I think Fall deserves some too.  It’s the start of a new season and a new school year-the possibilities are endless.

I Notice, I Like, I Wonder…..Jennifer Katona

I Notice, I Like, I Wonder…..by Jennifer Katona

Ah reflection the cornerstone practice of any great educator  - as I sit down to reflect on the year it occurs to me how quickly it all went by. I know for many of you who spent the year transcribing interviews, rehearsing musical numbers from Jungle Book, reading Dewey and re-writing papers you may have felt like the semester would never end but as quickly as it began in August here we are preparing for graduation.

In spirit of tradition I would like to frame my remarks in what has come to be known as my “LikeWonders” J

I Notice – how much everyone has grown over the semester both in practice and skill as theatre educators but also in dimension and character. I have found myself often this year standing in awe of the talent and integrity of the gradate candidates and alumni and wondering how I became so fortunate to be able to call you all colleagues.

I Like/Love – how the ensemble continues to grow! This year I was able to place 75% of student teachers in the classroom of alumni from the program. That continuation of learning is what makes CCNY unique and strengthens the learning and growth of our theatre teachers.  I have loved all the visitors to CCNY this year –Jeremiah Drake, Jonothan Neelands, Cecily O’Neil, Stephen Belber, Nilaja Sun and Karel Zdarek –each brought a new lens by which to look at the work we do and added new perspectives to our ongoing dialogues.

I Wonder what the coming year will bring –which master Teaching Artists will we welcome –how will CCNY candidates continue to demonstrate themselves as artists, educators and advocates? In what ways will our program adapt to new innovations and mandates and how will those changes impact our learning?

The joy and dread of working in education is that you get to say hello to new faces each school year and this Fall we welcome 30 new candidates however with that welcome comes a good by e and we must say farewell to 25 graduates –however as history has proved I know those graduates will not be far from the heart or minds of the program. I know our relationships and conversations will change but our connections will remain steadfast.

As always it has been an honor to serve as your leader and in the words of Jonothan Neelands spoken to us in January –let the ensemble we’ve developed be a model of how we should interact with each other as human beings in this world….have a great summer!!!

In the Spririt of Collaboration: Coordinating Volunteers at Face to Face

In the spirit of collaboration: Coordinating Volunteers at Face to Face

By Tamar MacKay

This year, I had the pleasure, and sometimes challenge, of coordinating volunteers for the Face to Face conference, the biggest arts in education conference in the New York City area. I was lucky to be working with Matt Freeman, theatre administrator and educator extraordinaire, who has held the position for several years. The Face to Face conference is largely volunteer-run, and in the days leading up to the conference, I was swapping emails back and forth, taking note of schedule changes and cancellations. The theatre industry is always crazy and ever-changing, so I couldn't blame people for having to modify their schedules and for having to take other gigs that would help them in their career...or to pay their rent.

The night before, Matt and I and the rest of the Face to Face team had everything we could have in place, in place...but there was still such an element of uncertainty. Would everything run smoothly? What glitches would pop up that we hadn't anticipated? What would our volunteers be like? More importantly, would we have volunteers? They did have a call time at an ungodly hour....

The next morning the Face to Face team was there at 7am, and as I was moving coat racks and setting up nametags, I wondered if everyone I had been in touch with had decided to give in the urge not to leave their warm beds. But, just a few minutes later, our volunteers began arriving! By the looks of their willingness and enthusiasm, I wondered how many of them had already had time to grab their Starbucks usual.

The role of a volunteer isn't always glamourous, but it is necessary and, I hope, in the end, rewarding. Volunteers were ready to change the set-ups of rooms (which included moving heavy chairs and desks back and forth from room to room), to assist the effervescent Ben Compton, Conference Coordinator, with any tech trouble-shooting in the sessions, set up food, direct traffic, and to complete a plethora of other tasks. We were lucky to have a team that was so ready and willing to help each other, to jump in when needed, and to troubleshoot problems that no one could have predicted. I felt a sense of pride over these people, many of whom I had just met, knowing that they were members of my field. I knew that the arts education was filled with willing and talented people, and the team that we had was proof of this. Matt and I gave direction, but when it came to pure problem-solving, we often threw the task at hand to our volunteers. We had quite a few stage managers and production people, who knew how to change the entire layout of a room or hall efficiently with a short turnover time. We had performers and front of housers who made people feel welcome and helped attendees with where they needed to go. We greatly relied on, and utilized, the talents of our volunteers. With such a great team, everything ran smoothly and we were happy that the volunteers were able to attend sessions at the conference as well- they deserved it! The team acted as a true ensemble, with everyone pitching in and making sure that everything that needed to be done was done.

The Face to Face conference was one of the many experiences I've had at City College that proves that teamwork and collaboration can bring you a long way. Matt and I received many compliments regarding how smoothly the conference ran, and we were sure to acknowledge our great team- it couldn't have been done without them

Family Arts Day - Lisanne Shaffer

Family Arts Day 2013

Lisanne Shaffer

On Saturday April 27^th CCNY Educational Theatre hosted Family Arts Day at Aaron Davis Hall.  I was lucky enough to act as coordinator for the event alongside the amazing Sobha Kavanakudiyil!  When I was first asked to take on this role I was delighted to have the opportunity but also extremely overwhelmed.  This is the third annual Family Arts Day so I wanted to make it the best yet.  I quickly learned that hours of planning were going to be vital to having a successful day.  I have been to community arts events in the past and never fully appreciated the amount of careful planning that goes along with these events.  I will certainly look at community events through a completely different lens now, the lens of pure appreciation!

In planning Family Arts Day Sobha and I collectively decided on the performances, when and where to put each performance, timing of all activities, what supplies to order, and where each volunteer would spend their time throughout the fast paced day.  I am so grateful for everything I learned from Sobha during all of this outlining.  It felt very much like the final weeks leading up to a huge performance.  There were equal moments of excitement and doubt.  I learned that things will not always go as planned and that there will be major and minor hiccups.  Sobha handles all of these situations with such calm and poise.  I learned to smile through it all, because it will all work out in the end.

On the morning of the 27^th I was buzzing with excitement.  I woke up to an absolutely beautiful day and was so eager to get the day started.  All of the volunteers were on time and equally eager which made the morning run so smoothly.  I was so proud to a part of this dynamic educational theatre community we have at CCNY.  Our theatre skills have made us so effective at getting things set up.  I was so grateful that everyone came together in such a positive way.  Everyone worked together seamlessly and at 10 am we were ready to rock and roll!  The morning was a bit quiet but people did begin arriving right at 10.  The first performance was a performance piece on fables done by Sobha’s Children’s Theatre undergraduate class.  They were so excited to perform and did an excellent job.  It was a great start to the day!  This was followed by a melodious sing along.  The energy really seemed to pick up when the sing a long started.  After the sing along we had an original performance written by Jono Waldman called “Ruby and the Storm”.  Jono and his amazing cast, Wendy Rojas and Sobha K, were an absolute delight to watch.  From here everyone was whisked away into the black box theatre for a performance of “I Laid an Egg” by Double Image Theatre Lab.  By this time we had well over 100 people at the event and people kept filing in!  After Double Image Theatre Lab gave an outstanding performance the craft tables were really buzzing.  I saw creative paper bag puppets on the hands of quite a few rambunctious kids, so many different animals were coming to life due to the amazing skills of our face painters, beautiful paper flowers colored the space and a mini masquerade was beginning as children tried on their feathered mask creations.  Then, all of a sudden a drumbeat began as the talented Eric Hoffman, Kailie Larkin and Sarah Abrams led a huge audience out onto the beautiful lawn for a fantastic clown show! It was during this show that I saw so many parents playing and getting involved with their children.  It was amazing to see Dads playing imaginative games with their children and Moms making shapes with their kids using only body parts.  We were so lucky to have such a beautiful sunny day and such talented clowns. Bravo to all who were involved.  After the clown show, we had the talented Martha Hearn’s original play “Bright Lights, Big Cheese”.  This show starred Lindsey Detota, Lindsey Lieberman, Olga Putilina, and Julia Niedzwiecki.  It was amazing how much this show really inspired a sense of play throughout the kids watching.  I heard one child say, “the mice just wanted to play, can you believe that?!”.  We ended the day with a raffle. It warmed my heart to know that those who won could continue their learning and appreciation of the arts further with prizes including tickets to the New Victory Theatre, "Newsies" on Broadway and a one-year membership to Lincoln Center!

Overall I couldn’t be happier with how the day turned out.  Being a part of the planning was such a valuable experience that I will certainly take with me through what I hope is a long career as a theatre educator. I want to give a huge heart felt thanks to all of the volunteers who gave your time for this event! I am in awe of the people I am fortunate enough to get to work with.  To sum things up, a child whom I know came to me at the end of the day and said “I never knew I could have so many adventures in one day!”  Congratulations to all who participated, you gave everyone involved adventures that they will never forget!

STUDENT TEACHING: What YOU can take away from MY experience! Jennifer DeRosa

STUDENT TEACHING: What YOU can take away from MY experience!

MOMENT BEFORE:

Ever since I was 15 and decided I wanted to be a teacher, I’ve been telling myself one thing:  “I can’t student teach because being observed is freaky! I’ll find the loophole.”  I’m here to tell you that there is no loophole.  I looked for it.  But I’m also here to say that I’m glad I never found it.  My time in these classrooms was absolutely invaluable.  Not only did this experience confirm that I do want to be a classroom teacher but it also changed my perspective on the kind of teacher I’d like to become! Here’s what I mean:

GIVEN CIRCUMSTANCES:

I have always wanted to teach Theatre in a high school because I loved my own high school Theatre teacher so much that I basically wanted to be her. I also thought I would not be able to handle a classroom of little kids. I wanted to work with older kids who had to take Theatre just to fulfill some kind of elective credit so that I could convert them and turn them into Von Trapps.   I would change the world and make class-cutting Theatre-haters into pre-professional Theatre-lovers.

ACT ONE:  ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

My first placement was at P.S. 2 with Karen Sklaire, a graduate of our program!

I started student teaching on September 10^th and the first class I ever observed was the CTT class.  It was their first day at Drama and I was seeing their reactions to all of the stimuli in the room-- there were stars hanging from the ceiling that they wanted to grab, costumes they wanted to wear, puppets they wanted to touch, etc.  Karen’s room is like the dream Theatre classroom, but the kids were so excited that it made me question my classroom management skills big time.  Could I handle this?  Somehow Karen was able to rein them in (including the second grader who patted me on the butt, winked at me and told me I was “so cute”…hilarious…), but I knew it would take a lot of practice before I would be able to control this class like she had been able to that day.  Her transitions in her lessons were seamless, her voice was loud and the kids listened to her.  She really was able to take a chaotic situation and turn it around.

Then, throughout the rest of the day, the majority of the kids didn’t speak English! P.S. 2 is located in Chinatown and many of the kids were brand new to the school and just starting to learn or returning and were out of practice since they were coming back from summer vacation.  Because the majority of the kids on Karen’s roster were either dealing with cognitive/behavioral or linguistic obstacles, the most important thing I learned at this placement was how valuable a sense of routine can be to your students.  Karen used the same warm-ups and the same songs every day for every class and eventually the kids could lead them themselves (in English!).   The kids looked forward to these exercises because they were familiar, and they felt like they were becoming experts at predicting what came next so it made them feel good to be consistently successful!

For my first observation, I used Karen’s City Mouse & Country Mouse unit as a jumping board into a lesson on Sound-Scaping and Setting.   For my second observation, I got to do a full musical of the Ugly Duckling (lines, songs and choreography) with the Kindergarteners.  It was one of the best times I’ve ever had as a teacher.  We ran the whole thing while I accompanied them on the piano, and they were super excited about showing the finished product to their general classroom teacher who coincidentally knew the songs and sang along with them! 

The last day at the school was the Christmas party and Karen had the kids make a huge card for me with all of their signatures and little messages. It’s made out to “Mr. Rosa” because every morning this would happen:

Karen: “Good morning, class! Say hello to Miss DeRosa!”
Kids: “Mister Rosa? That is boy!”

I have the card framed in my apartment.  I really do miss the kids.

ACT TWO:

My second placement is LaGuardia High School where I’ll be finishing my student teaching in a few weeks!  I was more than excited to have this special opportunity.  Obviously, this high school Theatre culture is very different from what you’d find at most other high schools.  Every single one of these kids is interested in pursuing Theatre as a career. There is no one to convert!  This is a fast paced school with a lot going on.  I often sit in awe of my CT wondering how she can keep all the balls in the air because she sure as hell is juggling a ton of them. She is constantly thinking about performances, monologues and scenes that are right for every single kid, submitting kids for professional projects, making limited space work for every group that needs a room to work in, visits from Al Roker, Michael J. Fox, 30 girls from an Australian Christian girls school, and a partridge in a pear tree.  Her office is like a zoo but it is so admirable that she can keep up with every single item on her mental to-do list and make everything happen. 

Now, on the flipside, something funny and unexpected that I’ve learned very quickly at this school is that these kids are actually appalled and offended if I bring in a game that they already know from another class or student teacher. Routine is not an option here at all.   If they know it, they’re not doing it again!  Needless to say, I am now a game encyclopedia when I had not been one before because I have to come up with something new for them every day.  It’s a fun challenge but I have to admit I get nervous to announce what the game plan is for the day because I never know what I’ll get: 32 kids screaming “Nooooo! We did that one last October!!!!” or 32 kids who are totally on board.   I take it as a huge compliment when they ask to repeat one of my lessons, though, because that means they really enjoyed it the first time.  They’re a tough crowd!

REHEARSAL NOTES: 

·        If your lesson is solid, you will forget about the person observing you.  I spent a decade in fear and then when the day finally came I forgot it was even happening.  Now I have my final observation this week at the high school and I’m actually looking forward to it.  Go figure.

·        If the teachers at the school are called “Ms.” or “Mr.” I highly, highly recommend asking if you can be called “Ms.” or “Mr.” as well. Elementary kids tend to think of you as the fun babysitter if they can call you by your first name and high schoolers think of you as their friend and start to offer you fist bumps. 

·        Don’t fist bump.  Ever.

·        Even if the dress code allows sweat pants because it’s Theatre, still dress nicely.  I sometimes felt a little overdressed but it separated me from the kids.  (Even still, one kid asked me what grade I was in and a boy accidentally asked me to the prom….)

·        If things start getting a little out of control with classroom management, it does not mean you should consider a career change. Your cooperating teacher might have to fly in and save you a couple of times.  It’s normal.

·        Don’t be afraid of going into a high school if you normally work with little kids and vice versa. The knowledge you have of working with the one age group will cross over with some modifications.  (The high schoolers don’t know it but their favorite game is one that the 5th graders loved, too! Shh!)

·        Don’t take it personally if your cooperating teacher doesn’t use all of your ideas.  You don’t stink at writing lessons; your CT might just want to stick to her own curriculum. And if that happens very, very frequently:

·        Sometimes you might have to advocate for yourself a little bit when it comes to getting some more time in front of the class and/or writing what feels comfortable for you in your lesson plans for when you’re being observed.  It is, after all, your learning time, too.   Again, that seems to be normal.

·        When you are in a position to go around and ask if the kids need help with whatever they’re working on, it can be awkward for them to say yes for whatever reason.  They may just not feel like they know you enough yet. So they will say, “I’m good,” and then you walk away and feel useless.  But chances are if you ask to see what they’ve got so far, it’ll give you an opportunity to make some suggestions.  Then they’ll trust you and they’ll come to you on their own next time they need help.

·        Push your hidden skills so that your cooperating teacher sees how valuable you can be to her classroom while you’re visiting.  Taking it upon myself to play the piano for Karen’s warm-up song one day got her excited to do a Musical …and then The Ugly Duckling became my project! One day at LaGuardia, the accompanist just didn’t show up to class.  I stepped in and played for the class, and from there I was asked to do side coaching every day for the Spring Sing!  What’s your unusual skill that you can bring to the table?  Puppetry?  Stage Makeup? Bring it in and SHOW your CT.  Somehow I found that showing rather than telling elicited more of a response, and therefore more opportunities to work with the classes.  

·        You ARE competent enough to student teach.  You might be having panic attacks like I was about not being ready, but this program has prepared you.

FINAL BOWS:

I discovered I like working with all age groups but especially the little ones!  I’ve found that I really love working with the kids who want to be there.  I don’t need to get all Sister Sarah Brown on the kids who think Theatre is lame.  And on top of all that, the CTT class that seemed totally unmanageable for me on my first day ended up being my favorite class of the year! So yes, I’m glad there was no loophole because I would not have met the 120 kids I met at LaGuardia and the 200 kids at P.S. 2, or the two cooperating teachers who taught me all of their tricks and supported me through this learning experience.  After this year I feel ready and eager to have a classroom of my own… and maybe someday I’ll even have a student teacher! The tables will turn! Fwa ha ha!!