As a professor I bring a lot of my history and passion with me into the classroom, as most educators do, while keeping in mind that my timeline is not why these students are here.  Students can choose to enroll in a class for many reasons but usually it comes down to curiosity; I believe that it is essential not to lose that curiosity for the students when working in theatrical disciplines. 

We need the fresh take and the creative intuition to allow for theatre to grow and for that art to be relevant to the creators and viewers.  It is important to teach fundamentals and let my history and the lessons I have learned through my experiences come through while working closely with the students to meet their individual goals and needs.  While teaching during the pandemic, I learned that keeping the inspiration alive is what compelled most students to continue to do the work and continue to come to class.

I am drawn to teaching the same way I am drawn to theatre, it is about the magic in an interaction; it is a symbiotic relationship between performer and audience as well as teacher and student. The goal of an educator is to share knowledge, build practical skills but also encourage innovation while providing a safe environment, and build a sense of trust and mentorship.  Students should feel responsible for their own education and be self-motivated learners but for some who have not seen that first hand, like first generation students, need to also be guided to find their momentum. We create an opportunity for students to grow and fail with encouragement and support the way they challenge us with new questions and artistic interpretations.  It is a privilege to make art and for those of us working professionally we are aware of the struggle it can take to maintain the work in theatre, we need to teach students with the privilege of art in mind.  We have to encourage them to find their own way to love the work and be honest about the time it takes so we can see future artists we have been proud to know and to have taught.