TETA K-12 Committee
Vice-President Elect
There are 72 days of Summer Vacation for me this year. While I am looking forward to relaxing in my pajamas and being Super Mom to compensate for all the times I told my child, “I’m sorry, I have rehearsal”, I’m also looking forward to using these 72 days to get revved up for next school year.
My non-theatre teaching peers always ask me what school related things I could possibly be doing during the summer months. After all, Theatre is just playing games and rehearsing, right? In spite of that, I have compiled a list of 10 ways to use a few minutes, or a few hours in the summer to make next school year even better.
Read Plays. Plays read super fast and are a great beach read. There are many sources for online scripts and previews of scripts as well as good old fashioned borrowing them from the library or other directors.
Review your curriculum. Look over what worked and didn’t work this past year and tweak it for next year.
Network with other theatre teachers. Enjoy long lunches, watching plays together or talking shop over nice cool beverages.
Attend the theatre and the cinema. You can get great ideas, stretch your imagination and experience new literature.
Research. If you already know what shows you are doing, or what shows you think you want to do, begin researching. The internet is a wonderful place to start and you can do it on your mobile device while waiting in line at the DPS Office or while in the doctor’s waiting room.
Join Theatre Educator social media sites. There are several groups on Facebook, experts you can follow on Instagram and Twitter and chat rooms for ITS and other groups.
Sit at your desk. Go to the school and sit at your desk. Organize that one drawer you keep putting off, alphabetize your DVD’s, make rehearsal calendars, clear off the desktop of your computer and dump emails you really don’t need to save.
Return borrowed items. Make sure you include a thank you note.
Follow up on maintenance requests. The squeaky wheel get s the grease and summer is a great time to talk face to face with the folks who repair your facility, paint your walls and change bulbs. Dropping by with a box of donuts is always a hit with our maintenance staff.
Attend TETA Summer Workshop. You will be amazed at the opportunities to find new plays, get help with curriculum, network with other teachers, attend shows, get sources for research, find out about the hippest social media forums and have a good time while doing it.
Enjoy your summer break and I hope to see you at TETA Summer Workshop. I will be the one in my pajamas.