Lessons Plans

I am eating lunch in the gym/theater and listening to a live recording of The Chieftains through the state of the art sound system in here. It's moments like this that I wonder if I could ever leave nursing and do this full time*. Any minute now the students will finish their own lunch and come down, ready for our invited dress rehearsal for the whole school.
The following thoughts will be familiar to anyone with Google Reader due to a publishing glitch last night, but I wanted to share them here.

It has been interesting having two vastly different groups of students working together. Yesterday before the Adolescent Program came back from skiing I met with the six Upper Elementary students to do my intro to stage directions, my safety talk, a review of the plot of AMSND and then costumes. I turned my back to speak to another teacher who entered the room and when I turned around I saw that the students had organized a game of Wah!. I couldn't believe it. When I even pause for a breath or a sip of chai the AP students begin to fight over space on the couch, or to write music on Garage Band, or else they find basketballs and begin throwing them around. (WHERE are they getting the basketballs?)

I realize this is due not only to differences in stages of development but to differences in group dynamics and in individuals within the groups. But that's expected. I have taught theater and directed shows now for eight years (not counting the time I spent as an apprentice) in various capacities for age groups from 3-5 year olds to college students . I meet the challenges gladly. Some of my standard lessons by now are "tried and true," and I hardly have to think about them, I just engage them. Many were originally created with an appreciation for various cognitive and social developmental stages. Most were just picked up along the way in my own education, and adapted as I saw fit. Because every show is different and each group is different, many of my lessons are made up and tailored on the spot. The secret to maintaining control, however, is to never let on when I'm improvising. The kids will yell, "Let's play Big Buddah!" "NO! I want to play Hey Baby!" And even as I am scanning my brain for the lesson I need to teach based on whatever their rehearsal was lacking and finding the appropriate exercise to demonstrate a point I am calmly smiling and saying, "Come on, now circle it up! You know I don't take suggestions for classtime."

Although the students are socially at various stages of development -- some of them still in Industry v Isolation and others struggling with Identity v Role Confusion (and some struggling more than others), cognitively they have all reached the formal operations stage of development. It is for this reason that I tend to treat them like small adults. This is a good thing and a bad thing. It's good because I tell them from the first day that we're all here to work and to put on the best show we can. I expect respect and professionalism and in return I will give the same. More often than not they exceed my expectations. Most of their Montessori experience is based on similar models of varying degrees of responsibility placed on them based on their development. We're honest. They tell me when they're bored. I tell them when I need them to step it up. They call me "Mischtical". I call them "ladies and gentlemen". I let them watch Monty Python in class as long as we can pause it and discuss why things are funny.

The flip side to not babying them is that sometimes they have to remind me that they need recess. But that's still a good thing, because without that reminder I wouldn't take recess either.
The Chieftains are singing North Amerikay. I love recess.

But now if you'll excuse me I need to go make sure all the fairies have wings and probably re-answer "can I have a sword in Act III?" (no) "Do I really have to hold his/her hand?" (yes) and the ever popular and unrelated "can you tell us how to make our own blood packs?" (later, definitely.)
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* Sigh. Probably not. One of my biggest flaws is that I have too many passions and I pursue them all with equal zeal.

Mmmmm Soft Places

Not a lot of time to write anything substantial today. All my free time went to sketch writing for the new IA Mainstage show. At work, I costumed A Midsummer Night's Dream almost completely, which was unexpected. The students were super excited for their new digs. I have found that in school play directing there is a distinct kind of science to the production schedule, even in a truncated time period like the ones I operate within. The costumes are neither revealed nor handed off until all the lines are learned and the play has been run at least once off book. Then the costumes are a reward. However, it's my preference to wait until the show has been run several times off book with me nit picking and nagging the kids until they are almost sick of the show. Then WABAM! Costumes. Something to make the old new, and to rekindle the energy of the production process.

After work Keith and I drove to the MSPCA to pick up a sad package: the cremains of Princess Sabrina Diamond Fluffbottom. I haven't seen Keith in ages, but he emailed me and asked for the ride. I was happy to oblige and sad that I didn't have more time to spend. Keith told me the story of the night she died which had us both close to tears by the end. R.I.P Miss Fluffbottom.
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Three Hole Punch got another positive mention in a blog this week. The salty and dapper Neil Reynolds of Code Duello and IB Mainstage plugged our show's final week.
Code Duello is one of my all time favorite improv shows. I have seen them several times in Boston, and once in New York. The first time I saw them was at the Cantab during a Bastard's Inc. show. I immediately wondered, "If I get good enough will I get to work with those guys?" Even now, I can't believe I know Matt and Neil. When we were all at the DCM last summer 3HP sat for their set and talked about how crazy it is that we have the luck (and blessing) to know them. Needless to say, because my love of their show borders on fanaticism I am floored by Neil's plug and by the kind message he sent to us personally.
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In the interest of full disclosure, I should tell you all that my 13 day stretch of work got a nice little break up on the seventh day, Saturday. I took an early train to work, and after a harrowing experience involving a wheelchair, an old man, a discarded mattress and a can of soup in a plastic bag I arrived at work out of breath and sore, but still early for my shift. Ashley had shown up early too, but found out she was not on the schedule. Because the supervisor couldn't approve a float nurse (due to some program wide belt-tightening), Ashley was told she'd have to go back home. Since she needed those hours and I needed the time off she was easily talked into taking my team for the day. Before I knew it I was back at home cleaning my apartment and writing sketches. By noon I had accomplished so much that I even let myself take a nap before church and then had dinner with my adopted grandparents.
People ask how I handle working so much. The answer is that I count on miracles like Saturday all the time.