Directing Portfolio
Artistic/Educational Manifesto
Dear reader,
below is a list of ten beliefs I currently have regarding art, especially the fine arts as they relate to reading and writing, and especially in the context of teaching at the secondary level. It is by no means an exhaustive list, but I find the number to be much more aesthetically pleasing than if I were to have listed nine or eleven beliefs instead. Where I hope much of what I have to share will be new--or a new perspective--some of my beliefs may seem, at first, trivial; however, I hope my justifications for such inclusions in this manifesto will, at least, appease the pessimistic. 1. To teach reading and writing, really to teach anything, I must be enthusiastic about it. On page 62 of his book, Letters to a Teacher, Sam Pickering writes: "I emphasize the importance of a teacher's being optimistic because teachers establish the tones of their classes." Indeed, Pickering feels so strongly about this that there are many such quotable lines on the subject strewn throughout his book. Here's another from page 164: "Unless one is teaching a specific skill, the content of a lesson sometimes does not matter so much as the rigor and the spirit with which it is taught." It may seem obvious that teachers will undoubtedly enjoy the content areas in which they find themselves teaching, and would find enthusiasm natural to the task; however, teachers are often asked to teach subjects they may only have minimal knowledge of themselves, or that they may even dislike. Content areas are broad landscapes which no two traverse equally. One person's picnic-worthy meadow may be another's hay fever horror story. For example, although my Master's thesis was on poetry, I still find much of the disjointed, collage work of the Modernist movement much less appealing than many of the tried and true fixed forms. Regardless, I must teach all material with equal zeal. 2. To become a better teacher I must always be willing to learn. If I want to continue to be a life-long learner--admittedly, one of the reasons I chose teaching as a profession--I cannot always read and write within my comfort zone. This isn't to say that I must always choose to read texts because the vocabulary is dominated by unfamiliar jargon or because it is otherwise difficult, but also that I must be willing to write in forms and read texts that I am simply unfamiliar with in general or that I may even have an aversion to. A case in point is graphic novels. Before I began reading scholarly articles for a research assignment in college on the subject of using graphic novels in the English classroom, I was decidedly against the practice. Now, however, I see the potential of incorporating such texts for many reasons, including the need in this present millennia to incorporate multiliteracy whenever possible. To quote from page 9 of Bridging English (fifth edition), "[t]eachers must provide a range of opportunities for response so that students can construct their meanings and enlarge their strengths." But how can I unless I first apply this to myself? 3. I must incorporate multiliteracy whenever possible. Although I just mentioned it above as support for being a life-long learner, multiliteracy, itself, is important enough to stand on its own as one of my core beliefs. Gretchen Schwartz, in her article, "Expanding Literacies through Graphic Novels," in The English Journal (Jul., 2006) epitomizes my argument for teaching through multiple mediums in the classroom when she writes: "Increasingly, scholars and teachers realize that in a media-dominated society, one traditional literacy--reading and writing of print--is no longer sufficient. Today's young people also have to read films, TV shows, magazines, and Web sites" (59). 4. I must utilize technology. To make learning experiences relevant to today's students, it is not enough to incorporate only various printed forms of media such as magazines and graphic novels. It is a good start, a great start even, but simply not enough. Utilization of technology goes hand in hand with multiliteracy; however, in this day in age, when 'technology' is synonymous with 'electronic,' it requires a focus on internet-capable devices, especially those being used by students every day such as cell phones, personal computers, and tablets. To quote again from Bridging English: "Educators must recognize and heed the diverse ways students receive and process their worlds through multiple verbal, visual, and digital modes" (304). 5. I must make every effort to read every day. Not only does reading various and numerous texts improve my ability to teach by expanding my knowledge of themes, vocabulary, grammar, etc., but it also has that paradoxical effect of leaving me wanting more while simultaneously feeling like I will burst if I do not share the wealth I have uncovered with others. The science fiction writer, Ray Bradbury, has supplied the world with, in addition to Fahrenheit 451, a marvelous quote that, I think, sums up this notion perfectly: "If you stuff yourself full of poems, essays, plays, stories, novels, films, comic strips, magazines, music, you automatically explode every morning like old faithful. I have never had a dry spell in my life, mainly because I feed myself well, to the point of bursting. I wake early and hear my morning voices leaping around in my head like jumping beans. I get out of bed to trap them before they escape." 6. I must make learning activities engaging. In addition to planning lessons that that are relevant in content and media, I must also make sure my activities promote active learning. As a teacher of English, a good place to start is reading. Although I am personally an avid consumer of audiobooks, for example, studies have shown that reading comprehension is heightened through applying multiple senses to the task. Therefore, reading aloud in class, which necessitates both listening to and visually interpreting texts, will benefit students more than only listening to an audio chapter or even reading individually. Bridging English has this to say on the subject: "Whether our students are capable readers who approach a work with rich expectations or less proficient readers who can barely decode the words or picture a script in their heads, they are helped by activities that invite them to enter the text" (121). 7. When planning units of study, I must be sure to offer choices. Nothing makes learning more relevant than when a student receives the power to choose. In addition to free-choice assignments in reading and writing heightening individual motivation, such projects are a great way to get a feel for what might work later with whole classes. For example, if a number of students decide to read Harry Potter for their book review assignments, the series, or perhaps even fantasy literature in general, may be the right catalyst to promote other learning activities through. In his article, "Transforming English with Graphic Novels: Moving toward Our "Optimus Prime," James Bucky Carter writes on page 52 that "[w]e should take note of what students are reading for fun." I couldn't agree more. 8. If my students are to be successful, they must learn to code-switch. Although there is assuredly less enthusiasm from students when it comes to the learning of prescriptive grammar or the studying of canonized works versus free-choice projects, such knowledge can only increase each student's ability to become successful. Master's program entrance essays, resumes, and professional interviews all require students to be able to adapt to the diction established by those in power. However, ask any linguist and they will tell you that no language is better or worse than any other. No dialect is the product of a lazy or immature culture; instead, all forms of communication are governed by intricate rules and patterns. For this reason, I have decided I will never 'correct' student diction unless the student is in a position necessitating a code-switch for a specific audience (such as during training for debate or when writing an essay), and will strive to create activities through which students can reclaim pride in their personal grammars. A spoken-word poetry event would be a good start, as would a lesson focused on writing regional dialogue. To quote from Bridging English yet again: "...teachers must affirm that all language users switch dialects to fit a particular setting, and all languages are equally effective in transmitting ideas. Furthermore, students must become aware of the fact that formal language opens paths of opportunity for all students" (75). 9. Because no man is an island, I will both confirm and condone intertextuality. As Judy E. Yordon explains in her book, Experimental Theatre: Creating and Staging Texts: "your background and experiences influence and contribute to your interpretation of texts" (12). That said, intertextuality, is not only achieved through this reader response perspective to reading preexisting texts, but also through the creation of new texts as well. When we write, we bring all that we have ever experienced with us to the desk, and, inevitably, some of it will find its way onto the page. This is often, at least in the American culture, viewed in a negative way; however, I would argue that such inclusions should be encouraged rather than discouraged. This may, of course, necessitate mini-lessons on plagiarism, but the merits of learning to properly and consciously apply intertextuality are too strong to ignore. For example, not only does intertextuality make a text more accessible and relevant to readers, but working with someone else's words can promote the growth of one's own style. 10. Because my first love is poetry, I will strive to keep the form from being swept under the figurative rug. In the chapter entitled "Celebrating Poetry" in Bridging English, the authors begin by stating that "...many high school students barely notice poetry..." (167). This indeed does seem to be the case in today's school systems and in society at large. Teachers often spend little time on poetics, and the large, chain booksellers often hide the poetry rack, sparse as it is, in some out-of-the-way, dimly lit alcove. Poetry does not deserve the reputation that so often heralds it. Though some canonized works may seem irrelevant to the youth of today, that same youth needs to see that poetry is alive and always changing, not just found in dusty old tomes. Through intertextuality (reader response criticism) anything can become personal, and the reading and writing of poetry is just one way to prove it. "Inviting students to find poetry promises the delight experienced with most found treasures" (Bridging English, 169). |
Bugs Don't BleedAbove are two links documenting a production I collaborated on with classmates Lindsay Nicastri and Bethany Pierce, entitled "Bugs Don't Bleed," while attending St. Cloud State University in 2014. The video footage was taken during our only staged performance in class for our peers, and the audio is the feedback we received from our instructor for the course, Jennifer Tudor. The script, an adaptation of Matt Gallagher's short story, "And Bugs Don't Bleed," from the anthology Fire and Forget: Short Stories from the Long War, was created through adherence to New Criticism. Like many of the other stories from the anthology, "And Bugs Don't Bleed" sheds light on how a veteran soldier copes with returning to civilian life. Though the setting is the tropical paradise of Hawaii, the story that unfolds is far from a touristy vacation account.
The original story, having only five characters (the returned soldier, his girlfriend, a male classmate of the girlfriend, a young Hawaiian girl, and the Hawaiian girl's grandmother) appealed to me as being ripe for the stage, especially since the story took place in only two physical locations: a coffee shop, and outside between two suburban homes, at night, during a tropical storm. Using only cuttings from the original story, we were able to remove the grandmother character successfully, since her role was minimal, and to assign the roles of both male characters to myself since they do not appear together in either location. My classmates then each took on one of the remaining female roles. The locations where dialogue sequences took place in the story made for easy scene selection. In scene one Bethany Pierce played the role of the returned soldier's girlfriend, Liz, while I played the part of her classmate, Brett. Set in a coffee shop, Liz reveals to Brett that she is both scared of Will (her veteran boyfriend) and yet still in love with him. Brett, a civilian college student, becomes increasingly frustrated with her, especially when it becomes apparent she desires to remain with Will despite his condition. In scene two Lindsay Nicastri played the role of the young Hawaiian girl, Sunny, and I transitioned into the role of Will. The two meet unexpectedly when Will steps outside during a party at his superior officer's home and finds her feeding wild chickens from her porch. The mood of this scene is both childish and creepy as Will, already established as being unstable through Liz in scene one, converses with Sunny in the rain on such matters as her deceased goldfish, her favorite rooster in the whole world, Bob, her parents' vacation, and whether Will has ever killed anyone in combat. However, the real Will emerges only after Sunny retires inside her grandmother's home for the night. Alone with the chickens, Will ends the scene and, ultimately, the performance, when he brutally murders the rooster, Bob, amidst thunder and lightning. Though initially a reader's theater performance, we maximized staging and body language to signal emotional shifts easily overlooked in the dialogue of the text. This was done in lieu of supplying a narrator, a common practice we decidedly avoided, due to our desire to utilize such additions as visual backdrops, an audio clip of falling rain, and even minor wardrobe pieces such as Brett's Hawaiian shirt and Will's Army-issue hat. Where description would otherwise be advanced through narration, we sought to show rather than tell. Additional Performances
In addition to the rendition of "And Bugs Don't Bleed" described in detail above, I also performed in two reader's theater productions while attending Central Lakes College (CLC) in Brainerd, MN. The first was David Saar's The Yellow Boat. In this production, based on a true story, I played the lead role of Benjamin Saar--an eight year old boy who contracted AIDS through a blood transfusion. In my second performance at CLC, I played the role of Wiley in the folktale Wiley and the Hairy Man.
More recently, at St.Cloud State University (SCSU), I both wrote the script for, and acted in, a one-man, intertextual performance, "Prelude to a Public Address," which asked the aesthetic question: how does the media decontextualize reality? Set behind the curtain at a public address, the sole character--the President of the United States--through a talk over the phone with an old college buddy, alternately unwinds and psyches himself up as he waits to make his appearance before the gathered video cameras and crowd. At times he is vulnerable, at others crude, but always disturbingly relatable. Some thumbnails from a video recording of the performance can be viewed below. Prelude to a Public Address
All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players; They have their exits and their entrances, And one man in his time plays many parts, His acts being seven ages. --William Shakespeare, As You Like It |
In part teaching is a performance--not a performance,
however, to be applauded.
--Sam Pickering, Letters to a Teacher
however, to be applauded.
--Sam Pickering, Letters to a Teacher