Date: Sun, 25 Jan 2009 13:01:25 -0500
To: <puptcrit-AT-puptcrit.org>
Subject: Re: [Puptcrit] workshops


Besides, Mark, you are doing things that most teachers either are not
interested in, don't have time for, or think is a waste of time. I have
puppets in my special ed class. Let me tell you about Darrall, age 6,
autistic......on Friday, he was so involved in our Martin Luther King song,
that on his own he grabbed the MLK puppet and was singing it to himself.
Then we continued the rest of the afternoon to work on reading with Moe, the
frog puppet, pointing out answers. I could see this boy blossom before my
eyes! Had I not had the puppets there, this might not have happened.

In most schools, puppets are considered play and children don't play
anymore. They do worksheets and take tests.

Sad, sad world.....
I taught puppetry for 20 years to overprivileged children.....each year was
different and enlightening.

Keep pushing and keep teaching.

Mary H. 


On 1/25/09 10:13 AM, "Bruce K. Chesse" <brucec-AT-chesseartsltd.com> wrote:

> Mark,
> 
>   What marvelous conclusions you have expressed here which leads me
> to contradict you. You are by your very nature a "teacher". Doing
> workshops for over 40 years nowI have found that  "meeting needs"  is
> the clue to success. All students come with hidden agendas in terms
> of learning and a good teacher recognizes that. Specifics are where
> it's at and having choices within them are what motivates people to
> find in themselves  the desire to create. Puppetry has all the
> ingredients that lead to success and the puppet itself as it takes
> shape becomes a motivator as well. It want to be born in its own
> image. Great set of thoughts.
> 
> Bruce Chessé
> 
> 
> On Jan 25, 2009, at 5:39 AM, Mark S. Segal wrote:
> 
>> I left off the title of difficult because it disturbs me a bit. I do
>> workshops (paper puppet 7-adult (usually)) in all kinds of
>> scenerios. In my
>> opinion the important thing to remember is that one has an audience
>> whose
>> needs -need to be met.
>> "Privelaged" (which I am sure all would like to be) or underserved
>> - each
>> is an audience with needs and expectations, if one has a difficult
>> time it
>> is the performer's responsibility to see where they have missed. It
>> becomes
>> an excellent opportunity for growth.
>> Once I started treating a workshop as a performance with a
>> beginning, middle
>> and end - had much more success with it. Once I cut down options
>> (for the
>> students) and became specific - had much more success. Once as a
>> workshop
>> leader (performer) developed flexibilty to what was being given to
>> me - had
>> much more success. It was all a process and still is.
>> The key is the relationship between presenter/performer and the
>> AUDIENCE.
>> 
>> Have found there are usually four types of participants
>> (irrespective of
>> economic or other situation).
>> 
>> Those that try for themselves. (they are the joys and turn out
>> really neat
>> stuff - that sometimes teaches me).
>> Those that want to have it done for them. (I try and encouage them
>> to do for
>> themselves first - will not help until I see an effort)
>> Those who want to be right and are afraid of making a mistake (how
>> many
>> times have you heard, "is this right"?) (They are self limiting - I
>> try to
>> empower them).
>> And those that will not participate. (These are always the challenge).
>> Always have adult helpers/supervisors working with the kids as well.
>> 
>> I am not a teacher - that takes a set of skills that I don't have
>> and have
>> not learned. I am a performer. Teachers are like long distance
>> runners - I
>> am more like a sprinter.
>> 
>> The biggest problem I have faced (and again it cuts across all
>> lines) is
>> what I perceive as a lessening of attention spans - what I could do
>> with a
>> group 10 or 15 years ago - maybe can do half of that today in the same
>> 45min -1hour time slot.
>> 
>> So it is up to me as a performer to learn how to deal with that
>> condition of
>> audience.
>> 
>> The only power of change I have is on me. But if one changes one
>> element in
>> a relationship (performer-audience) one changes the entire dynamic
>> (relationship).
>> 
>> Mark S.
>> 
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