Author:
Mr. G
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Date Posted: 19:17:03 02/15/03 Sat
Well, I wasn't going to post, but after thinking about it for awhile, I think I have to. Especially since I gave out our web address in our programs, and touted it at Open House registration for incoming freshmen last week.
To Jennifer:
I really can't say anything more to you. I've tried many, many times to be reasonable and understanding with you, to include your views into our Thespians group even though we've disagreed personally, and cast you even when I knew you would likely be a divisive influence in our plays. I thought that if I did, you would learn what I was trying to teach. You didn't. And, for failing to teach you those lessons and for that only, I'm sorry.
To everyone else who's read this letter:
First off, thank you to Corey and Rabecca for their posts. Behind Jennifer's letter is, I think, a misguided attempt to genuinely help those Thespians she's left behind. I've always openly respected her for doing what she thought was best for the Drama program, for her talent, and her passion, although I think her negativity and divisiveness really put off a lot of people she might have otherwise influenced in a positive way.
It's no secret that I have a Bachelor's Degree in Arts and Science with an English major, and not a Theatre major. I was open about it then, and am still openly proud about my English background in my Drama classes. True to what Jennifer writes, I was the best you could get. No one applied for the open Drama position at WCHS back when it was a two-classes-a-day position, and for whatever bizarre reason I'm thankful for, Mr. Frelick asked me to do it when he hired me as an English teacher back in July 1999. Would you have been better served with a teacher with a Theatre degree? Hey, probably! And I'd probably be an English teacher doing the Debate club or Creative Writing program and I'd never know the difference. But hey, like it or not, you got stuck with me.
Knowing that I had only two musicals' experience in high school, plus eight years of music performing arts behind me - I set out to teach what I knew was important, and to hurry up and get experience in the specific content I didn't have. Now, with 5 productions, 5 competitions, 3 1/2 years of teaching, 11 Drama classes taught, 3 credits of University Theatre credit (it's hard to take more with so many productions), 350 Drama students, dozens of in-class workshops, and many dozens of plays and theory readings behind me I am far better at Theatre content than I was before. But I've found that even with all that new content and new technical approach, my original priorities in teaching hold true.
I believe that the things I have tried to teach are important, whether you're the 2% of Drama students that go on to Theatre at the University level, or one of the 0.02% of Drama students that will manage to go on to an actual career - or if you're one of the original 98% I was reaching back in the olden days when we opened.
The most important things I hope Drama class and Thespians teaches you are:
* How to respect each other
* How to work together
* How to laugh like heck while working your dumb butt off
* How to take honest pride in your accomplishments, no matter how great or humble they are
* How to take honest pride in others' accomplishments, no matter how great or humble they are, whether they are Drama 1 or Drama 4
* How to find the lesson you can learn from others (we all have different strengths)
* How to learn from your mistakes
* How to become self-disciplined
* How to channel your energy into something positive
* How to become confident in front of others
and
* How to be unashamed to be your true self.
Those are qualities I think the world needs more of, and lessons our professional Theatre and Film world could learn as well. I'm competitive, I hate losing, and having been in the business world for 9 years before coming here, I could definitely teach you how to be cutthroat in a cutthroat world - or I could show you how it doesn't need to be that way at all. How we can create something together ... like a play. It starts as an idea, and ends as a cooperative reality.
This is my best job ever - even when I count in those who don't and didn't like me. Don't lose Jennifer's overall message through her bitterness, though ... she recommends community theatre, and hey that's a great opportunity. Go out and do it! The more experience you get, the better you'll be.
The original point of this thread was my disappointment that we didn't try harder at Districts from the start. And, as you should get from my letter - I really, truly don't care if you all get Fairs and Goods at the next competition, as long as you throw yourself behind your event and do your honest best. There will always be people who are better and worse than you, and you should never grade your success by comparing yourself to others, whether it's a better person in our troupe, another school whose plays are more fantastic than ours, or actors who are at the top of the "A" list in Hollywood.
I can promise you that we'll always work to improve, to make each play better than the last, and that's about the only guarantee I can give you. We're in it together.
Oh, and one more note to Jennifer. I wished you the best of luck when you were getting ready to leave, and I meant it. I'll do it again, now that you're gone. May you have the best of luck in all the things you do, and while I've disagreed with you and the things you've done, I truly hope you get to keep doing what makes you happy.
Everybody else:
Let's do "The Odd Couple" and show 'em what we're capable of!!!
Sincerely,
Mr. G
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