File puptcrit/puptcrit.0902, message 655


Date: Sun, 22 Feb 2009 11:39:28 -0500
From: melissa clark <mcinthehouse7-AT-gmail.com>
To: puptcrit-AT-puptcrit.org
Subject: Re: [Puptcrit] Struggling with workshop


I live in new orleans and after the hurricane I was very idealistic about
teaching theater/movement/puppetry workshops to children ages K-8th grade.
 i signed up with a non-profit that seemed at first to give us a lot of
support.  they provided a workshop by a harvard psychologist that went into
a lot of detail about dealing with kids after major traumatic events (i
think he had also worked with kids in nyc after the twin towers were
decimated).  I was very enthusiastic but was placed in a school where the
administration was unbelievably uninterested in the education and
socialization of their students, which was predominately African-American.
 I grew up in southeast georgia and while I saw a great deal of racial
discrimination, I was extremely appalled by the Recovery School district in
new orleans (at the time I was also teaching yoga at other schools in the
district and also charter schools which had a completely different
structure).The thing that really got me though was the site supervisor's
complete unwillingness to work collaboratively with the rest of the staff to
present an end of the year program at Jazz Fest.  I thought it would be a
fun opportunity to work together but the supervisor didn't want to get
started on working with it until two weeks before we were supposed to
perform, even though the majority of our kids were under the age of 11.  It
was extremely frustrating, and even though we built the puppets and had the
choreography down, the day we were supposed to perform there was a huge
thunderstorm and the principal wouldn't let the kids leave the school.
 Among other disappointments that had occured in the 9 months that i was
working there, I made the decision to resign.
To make a long story short, what I found was that generally the kids can be
really really great, though it can take a lot of hard nosing on the
teacher's part.  You can't let the kids run over you, and a lot of times you
have to figure out what they're into or what they're good at...(kindergarten
students are really into working with their hands, third and fourth grade
boys just want to spin around on the floor [choreography]and fourth grade
girls want to boss you around [organizing other students]...etc) but the
admin and other staff that should be providing the most support are not
doing their jobs, which makes it difficult (as I found in my case to be what
they perceived as a young white female) to get the respect you deserve to
get your job done.  good luck out there everyone!
mc

On Sun, Feb 22, 2009 at 8:39 AM, Happy Happy <happyhappyhealthy-AT-yahoo.com>wrote:

> Hi Trish,
>
> I am a total innocent unawares when it comes to working with kids.  I will
> try my hand at it for close to the first time coming up.  So maybe I can
> offer an entirely outsiders question or observation.
>
> I am wondering, is it possible that the subject matter you are choosing
> really is far away from the needs and experience of those kids.
>
> If you were to leave the entire class up to the kids to do ANYTHING at all
> with those puppets,  which direction would they head with them.  Maybe that
> would give you a hint on a new approach.
>
> Though I can also guess that sometimes kids are probably not into what is
> in front of them.  Maybe they need food at that hour rather than more
> thinking.
>
> Just thoughts.
>
> That's all
> Jet
>
>
> --- On Sat, 2/21/09, Alan Cook <alangregorycook-AT-msn.com> wrote:
>
> > From: Alan Cook <alangregorycook-AT-msn.com>
> > Subject: [Puptcrit] Struggling with workshop
> > To: puptcrit-AT-puptcrit.org
> > Date: Saturday, February 21, 2009, 5:26 PM
> > Trish-
> >
> > I was booked at a south-cenral location about 6 years ago
> > to do aseries of puppet classes supposedly aimed at 8 to 12
> > year olds. I got ONE 8 year old,several 4 & 5 year olds,
> > so none of the things I( had planned were workabe. I came up
> > with different projects each of the 5-day week sessions and
> > the kids liked it, but it was not really puppetry---more
> > craft projects with a bit of animation involved.
> >
> > One day there were no kids. the driver of a shuttle bus
> > supposed to pick the kids up "had
> > forgotten"...this is very discouraging when the support
> > group does not give a damn. So I resigned because I had more
> > important puppet projects I was neglecting. It sounds like
> > you are dealing with similar people.
> >
> > When I was in the U.S. Army Medical Corps I was placed on
> > ward duty with NO TRAINING WHATSOEVER. There was a very
> > sharp, dedicated nurse who taught a two-week "REFRESHER
> > COURSE" that I managed to get into. I was thinking of
> > her today while watching the 27th annual Black History Month
> > Parade in Pasadena CA. Thanks to her effective teaching and
> > her high standards, I was prepared to give injections, take
> > temperatures and such. If you'd had THAT kind of support
> > you would not be feeling depressed and frustrated.
> >
> > Too often, unmotivated, unqualified and uncaring people get
> > to be in charge and consequently waste money, time and
> > potenial.
> >
> > On election night at least one Black spokesman said
> > somethng to the effect that with the election of our first
> > Black President, that "being black" was no longer
> > an excuse. I'm afraid the people in charge of your
> > program have not yet noticed that there are no valid excuses
> > for doing a lousy job. The nurse who helped me so much
> > circa 1954-5 would certainly agree. In today's parade,
> > many of the marchig units were there because somebody cared
> > enough to teach the participants, and the participants cared
> > enough to learn. Sadly there are still pockets of resistance
> > in our diverse society. It is very difficult to reach those
> > individuals.
> >
> > Alan Cook
> >
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Trish Place
> > Sent: Saturday, February 21, 2009 10:05 AM
> > To: puptcrit-AT-puptcrit.org
> > Subject: [Puptcrit] Struggling with workshop
> >
> > Is is just me, or has anyone else out there had a difficult
> > workshop teaching experience?  This one's driving me
> > nuts.  I've been a teaching artist for 20 plus years and
> > this year I'm teaching at a school that is just not a
> > good fit.  The kids are mostly African-American and
> > they're 5th and 6th graders.  I can't seem to
> > communicate with them effectively and I really feel like
> > quitting.  This is an after school elective program through
> > our local playhouse.  I've never taught through this
> > organization before, and it's not very well organized.
> > Lack of communication and set up.  No meetings with school
> > coordinators prior to the workshops so I went in
> > "cold".  The sessions were supposed to last for 12
> > times, but one got cancelled last week because of school
> > conferences and another one in March will be cancelled.  The
> > kids seemed to do fine when they were just
> > "messing" with my puppets after I did some demos,
> > but they really don't want to work at a final project
> > and many of them h
> >  ave dropped out.  So we have 4 sessions left to build
> > simple puppets and I'm basing the final project on Dr.
> > Seuss's "If I ran the Zoo".  I'm having
> > the kids create odd characters and making up rhymes.
> > Anyway, I'm very stressed out over this and a few other
> > projects going on.  Going to see a therapist on Monday for
> > the first time in my life.  I guess it's time for a
> > change.  I still love performing, but while I used to be
> > able to go into different situations and handle it, now I
> > feel like I'm losing my edge.  Any suggestions out
> > there?  Is this just plain career burn out?  Moving to
> > Florida sounds like a great idea....
> >
> > Trish
> > _______________________________________________
> > List address: puptcrit-AT-puptcrit.org
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> >
> >
> >
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