Acting! First You Must Make Your Voice High Like This, Then Go Low, Like This...

        Another semester down!

As I have mentioned, I took a class in Theatre. More specifically, how to be a Theatre Teacher. A little bit because when I started the class I had been a George Mason Employee and I wanted to take the class and it was free. A little bit because Theatre is really an overlooked art form for anyone who speaks in front of people, and that’s just about everyone except those scientists who work in basements creating some of the coolest things on the planet but then give it to other people who do the presenting. And who probably took theatre! FULL CIRCLE, BABY!

Moving on.

When I first started the class, I kind of felt a bit like an outsider. Everyone knew everyone else. In my zeal to sign up for the class, I’d neglected to see that it was actually the second part of a two part course, and pretty much everyone met and knew each other during that first class. (Also, theatre is notoriously close knit so... yeah. ) I was just sort of the oddball English guy that sat in the corner and went to the Professor after the first day of class and explained my situation. Her name is Mary Lechter, and I’ve never felt more included than when she let me know that I should stick around, and it would be fun. And boy, was it.

It was actually the more informative of classes I’ve taken over the past few semester. We’d get a unit, something that had to be taught, then we’d have to make an entire lesson plan around this unit, down to how much time we’d spend on each thing, then we’d pick one of those things and teach the class. It ended up being a lot of fun, we’d spend time annoying the other classes that were learning to math or something like that. (Take THAT, Mason Scheduling that won’t put us in a theatre classroom.)

I really enjoyed the time I spent in the class and the time I spent getting to know everyone. I’d like to think that not spending all that time not taking theatre classes let me think outside the box and do unique activities and things other people didn’t think of. I don’t know if it actually was, but I had a good time doing it. I can even remember the dark period, when things were falling apart, this was still a groovy class to come to, and a good time where I was able to cut loose, and the times I did have enough and I had to dread what came next... well it really helped me go through that.

It’s rare that a class ends, and I wish I were still taking it. Tuesday mornings were horrible... I was running around until 10 at night... but man... I’m going to miss having that class on Monday nights.

So, now it’s on to what’s next for my teaching adventure. Next up I’ll be chronicling my adventures in attempting the Praxis 2, then hopefully soon I will be chronicling my adventures in student teaching. That’s what’s next for me.