April 25, 2006 issue
I came to EMU four years ago after teaching drama and creating programming
for children at three professional theater companies. My son was eight
then and I was hoping to find a profession that would allow me to both
express my love for theater and be a great parent.
Eastern has a longstanding reputation for their work in theater for young
people. Since coming here, I have been able to enjoy the
wave of that reputation and create theater that everyone
— from the elementary school student to her 90-year-old
grandmother — can enjoy. I love to make people laugh and
watch them having fun. The world should be more like musicals,
where everyone sings and dances through their joys and
sorrows.
EMU is truly a wonderful place where I have discovered many ways to grow
personally and professionally. I've taken three classes
at EMU, participated in the Academic Service-Learning Program and been
a University Fellow with the Institute for the Study of Children, Families,
and Communities. In each setting, I have made new friends and become more
connected with the mission and fiber of EMU.
The students here at Eastern are tremendous. I love the diversity they
bring to the classroom, being of different ages and backgrounds.
When my students really engage with the material and put
aside their fears and take risks, I am able to watch them
grow as people and prepare for the adventure of life. My
hope is that everyone is a little different when they leave
my classes.
It's also fun getting students to realize what a great tool
theater is for the classroom. They can use the basic structures
of drama — story and conflict — and integrate them into
the curriculum. I want our future teachers to know how to
get young kids out of their seats and into a learning mode.
We often think that the quiet student is the "on
task" student,
but that is not always the case. I want students vocal and
moving, dancing around while learning about verbs and atoms
and multiplication. There is joy and laughter in this kind
of an educational setting; we need more joy in our schools,
homes and communities.
