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This message has been cross posted to the following Discussions: Open Forum and Advocacy .
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I wanted to get some feedback from other teachers on this: degree expectation for Theatre Educators. In my state (VA) I have seen a great disparity in what is required of theatre educators. I have a degree in Theatre Education and Art Education. From what I've seen in order to be an Art Teacher I MUST have an Art Education Degree but in order to be a Theatre Teacher I simply need to have some kind of teaching degree and an endorsement in theatre. In VA that is variable in that the district you work in can determine the requirements for the endorsement. In most cases that seems to be one or two classes in theatre. Aside from my other ITS Sponsor peers, most of the other theatre teachers I encounter are not trained in a full-fledged theatre program. I feel that this method of recruiting theatre teachers diminishes our importance by requiring us to be certified in something such as English, History- etc. This also plays into previous discussions on the value of other programs; I can teach AP Studio Art (2 different kinds) and AP Art History but there is no AP Theatre of any kind. I can receive National Board Certification in Art but not in Theatre. I feel that this starts at the very essence of what's expected of theatre educators in terms of certification. This is not to say every colleague I have who is initially certified in another subject area and is endorsed in theatre should be dismissed, but I think there is something to be said for the validity of our position.

Additionally, I have noticed a trend in eliminating undergraduate Theatre Education programs among colleges and universities. I can say that my own university closed it's program shortly after I graduated citing that they wanted to focus more on the art and craft of theatre in a more conservatory based style. In the same breath, however; in the few years I spent working for the university in recruiting prospective students I often fielded complaints from the theatre department regarding the "poor quailty" of students applying. Their main complaint was that these students were auditioning into their programs without any knowledge of what one might consider the "basics" of acting and little to no concept of advanced acting styles. I argued that if they wanted better results from the high schools then they ought to contribute to the teaching community. Ie, teach teachers what you want them to reinforce in their students. Through my other recruitment endeavors I encountered many other college and university reps with the same sentiments.

I also know from being on the "inside" if you will- that many theatre programs do not want to invest in theatre ed programs due to the cost: hiring a full time faculty to advise and teach a small number of students, paying for student teaching stipends, and having to work with their school's education department. This is why most schools have an Art Education Department- they handle everything internally. While the adoption of Theatre Education as a program is within the Theatre Department. Ultimately they do not see the value in creating theatre educators. At my own university our Theatre Ed advisor was also the Lighting Design advisor. When he decided to retire they were faced with the choice of hiring two people or cutting one. It was completely unsurprising that they didn't want to spend the money on two faculty members and that the Lighting Design major was considerably more valuable.

In my area (central VA) alone there are almost no professional development opportunities for theatre teachers. None of the area universities offer any classes in the summer for theatre educators. All in all, the entirety of the problem seems massive. I often try to wrap my mind around what needs to be done to solve all of these problems and I've some to the conclusion that it starts with that- Theatre Educators should have Theatre Degrees. If schools required that then universities would be more likely to introduce those programs. If you have the branches of higher education offering theatre education then the AP and National Board might take notice.

I don't know, this diatribe has not been entirely consistent and is almost entirely based off of my own personal experiences so I'd really be interested to know if the expectations are the same everywhere. Anyone have any input in terms of their own personal experiences? I'd love to hear them. These are my thoughts, what are yours?

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Victoria Kesling Councill
Theatre Teacher
New Kent County Public Schools


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Victoria,
There are two issues that I have been thinking about that relate to your comments.
1. What is the basic difference in art or music education and theatre education at the university level?
2. Why is public education and the administrators that hire teachers very willing to accept theatre educators that are not highly trained in theatre while they would never dream of hiring an untrained educator of music or art?

One big difference is nationally the endorsement in arts and music is most often a K-12 endorsement. Candidates in music and art take all their education class or a majority in the music or art department, are trained in teaching K-12 students including student teaching in elementary and secondary schools. The training is set up this way because art and music is expected to be taught at the lower grades as well as in high school. There are so many more student to be taught with this mind set and so many more teachers needed to teach them. It becomes easy to see with this expectation, public schools which now have hired an art or music teacher might use them to teach younger students as well as older students. Theatre is not taught this way in higher education. There is an expectation that theatre educators will only teach in high school settings. There will an endorsement that allows for 6-12 grade so that middle school can be taught as well if it is a highly progressive district. The art and music teachers are often used along with PE and library staff to allow for the elementary teacher to have a prep time. It is rare to have elementary theatre.

Critical here is what EdTA discovered in the high school survey a year ago that most theatre teachers and their administrators saw the #1 job of the theatre teacher was to put on great plays (not teaching theatre classes). With that data we must work for administration and educator alike to see teaching of theatre as the most important part of what theatre educators do. To do that we must have an expectation that theatre education is emphasized in the younger grades. We as educators can do three things: advocacy for a K-12 theatre endorsement in our state, in districts will strong secondary programs in theatre: push for theatre at the elementary level, and higher education must push for a change in university theatre education pedagogy to include classes that are about teaching theatre at all levels. Process drama and creative dramatics should be mainstays of a theatre education degree along with how to direct and do technical theatre. This is what will make a difference in the future of theatre generally and of theatre education specifically.

The reason that art and music educators are always highly trained and theatre educators are not, two fold.

One, administrators that hire can easily see that they can't draw or play the instrument, they think it requires someone that is trained in those areas to teach it. While watching a play they do not see anything they think that they can't do. It looks like walking around, talking, maybe there is some dance or music in a musical, but they can get the music person at the school to do that, right? As theatre educators we spend 1000's of hours attempting to make it look effortless when the production goes up on stage and when it does we are punished for it because it looks like it was "easy" to an untrained eye. No one sees the hours you put in because they are all at home while you are there on weekends, evening, and holidays making sure the production is perfect.

The second reason is that while most schools want to have plays and musicals done at their school for students to participate in as an extracurricular, they do not want theatre classes. They do not see them as important. There is a feeling that the students will just be "playing around" or doing "little games". Factors that contribute to this? First, it does happen in some theatre classes. Usually an untrained educator who was in theatre in high school or college, but has no pedagogical background in theatre is asked to teach a class. They are doing their best, but they have no standards, no learning objectives, etc. And the administration feels justified ending the classes because they see no value in them.

Second, people don't think that theatre can be taught: people (sometimes theatre educators themselves) say "talent can be enhances, but not taught" or "I know talent when I see it" with that attitude why have classes? I have had students say to me, "I wish I could take your class, but I don't know anything about theatre" I always ask if they say that to their chemistry teacher, "I'd like to take chemistry, but I don't know anything about it." NO! That would seem ridiculous because they expect that the chemistry teacher will TEACH them about chemistry. If there is no expectation by theatre educators that theatre can be taught and students don't think it can be taught, then what's the need for a theatre classes? Just put the talent on stage and enhance it during the "play practice". If we don't understand how theatre can be taught to ALL students and make that clear to students, parents, administrators, and policy makers; then how can we expect to see more highly qualified theatre educators teaching theatre classes in our schools? We as theatre educators must make it clear that ALL students should, can, and must learn theatre in theatre classes to enhance all areas of their lives. 

EdTA and its members are the only ones that can make this change happen! We are educators. Let's educate!

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Leslie Van Leishout
Theater Education Coordinator
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville


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Original Message:
Sent: 03-23-2014 15:31
From: Victoria Kesling Councill
Subject: Education for Theatre Teachers

This message has been cross posted to the following Discussions: Open Forum and Advocacy .
-------------------------------------------
I wanted to get some feedback from other teachers on this: degree expectation for Theatre Educators. In my state (VA) I have seen a great disparity in what is required of theatre educators. I have a degree in Theatre Education and Art Education. From what I've seen in order to be an Art Teacher I MUST have an Art Education Degree but in order to be a Theatre Teacher I simply need to have some kind of teaching degree and an endorsement in theatre. In VA that is variable in that the district you work in can determine the requirements for the endorsement. In most cases that seems to be one or two classes in theatre. Aside from my other ITS Sponsor peers, most of the other theatre teachers I encounter are not trained in a full-fledged theatre program. I feel that this method of recruiting theatre teachers diminishes our importance by requiring us to be certified in something such as English, History- etc. This also plays into previous discussions on the value of other programs; I can teach AP Studio Art (2 different kinds) and AP Art History but there is no AP Theatre of any kind. I can receive National Board Certification in Art but not in Theatre. I feel that this starts at the very essence of what's expected of theatre educators in terms of certification. This is not to say every colleague I have who is initially certified in another subject area and is endorsed in theatre should be dismissed, but I think there is something to be said for the validity of our position.

Additionally, I have noticed a trend in eliminating undergraduate Theatre Education programs among colleges and universities. I can say that my own university closed it's program shortly after I graduated citing that they wanted to focus more on the art and craft of theatre in a more conservatory based style. In the same breath, however; in the few years I spent working for the university in recruiting prospective students I often fielded complaints from the theatre department regarding the "poor quailty" of students applying. Their main complaint was that these students were auditioning into their programs without any knowledge of what one might consider the "basics" of acting and little to no concept of advanced acting styles. I argued that if they wanted better results from the high schools then they ought to contribute to the teaching community. Ie, teach teachers what you want them to reinforce in their students. Through my other recruitment endeavors I encountered many other college and university reps with the same sentiments.

I also know from being on the "inside" if you will- that many theatre programs do not want to invest in theatre ed programs due to the cost: hiring a full time faculty to advise and teach a small number of students, paying for student teaching stipends, and having to work with their school's education department. This is why most schools have an Art Education Department- they handle everything internally. While the adoption of Theatre Education as a program is within the Theatre Department. Ultimately they do not see the value in creating theatre educators. At my own university our Theatre Ed advisor was also the Lighting Design advisor. When he decided to retire they were faced with the choice of hiring two people or cutting one. It was completely unsurprising that they didn't want to spend the money on two faculty members and that the Lighting Design major was considerably more valuable.

In my area (central VA) alone there are almost no professional development opportunities for theatre teachers. None of the area universities offer any classes in the summer for theatre educators. All in all, the entirety of the problem seems massive. I often try to wrap my mind around what needs to be done to solve all of these problems and I've some to the conclusion that it starts with that- Theatre Educators should have Theatre Degrees. If schools required that then universities would be more likely to introduce those programs. If you have the branches of higher education offering theatre education then the AP and National Board might take notice.

I don't know, this diatribe has not been entirely consistent and is almost entirely based off of my own personal experiences so I'd really be interested to know if the expectations are the same everywhere. Anyone have any input in terms of their own personal experiences? I'd love to hear them. These are my thoughts, what are yours?

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Victoria Kesling Councill
Theatre Teacher
New Kent County Public Schools


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Leslie and Victoria, With advocates like you and hopefully a lot more theatre teachers across America, theatre can be elevated to the same level as art and music. You both make such excellent points. In my years of visiting high schools and mentoring theatre teachers, i discovered another roadblock. There are many non-certified teachers running extra-curricular theatre programs. They love it. If they push for classes to teach skills, they will either have to get certified or the school will be required to replace them with a certified teacher. Therefore, they don't work toward the goal of including theatre in the curriculum. A solution to this dilemma is to require certification for the extra-curricular teacher as well. That said, I know some excellent programs that are run by non-certified teachers. Perhaps a push to get these people certified would help. Then the classes could be added. There are some MA programs out there doing just that. And, yep, we do make it look easy, Leslie. Who ever thought our skills could be a detriment to our programs? One more thing....would districts ask the music teacher to produce a choral concert without classes to teach singing techniques and provide rehearsal time? I don't think so. Thanks to both of you for continuing to pursue this important issue. ------------------------------------------- Lana Hagan Department of Theatre/Dance Southern Illinois Univ. Edwardsville/retired -------------------------------------------
Original Message: Sent: 03-23-2014 15:31 From: Victoria Kesling Councill Subject: Education for Theatre Teachers This message has been cross posted to the following Discussions: Open Forum and Advocacy . ------------------------------------------- I wanted to get some feedback from other teachers on this: degree expectation for Theatre Educators. In my state (VA) I have seen a great disparity in what is required of theatre educators. I have a degree in Theatre Education and Art Education. From what I've seen in order to be an Art Teacher I MUST have an Art Education Degree but in order to be a Theatre Teacher I simply need to have some kind of teaching degree and an endorsement in theatre. In VA that is variable in that the district you work in can determine the requirements for the endorsement. In most cases that seems to be one or two classes in theatre. Aside from my other ITS Sponsor peers, most of the other theatre teachers I encounter are not trained in a full-fledged theatre program. I feel that this method of recruiting theatre teachers diminishes our importance by requiring us to be certified in something such as English, History- etc. This also plays into previous discussions on the value of other programs; I can teach AP Studio Art (2 different kinds) and AP Art History but there is no AP Theatre of any kind. I can receive National Board Certification in Art but not in Theatre. I feel that this starts at the very essence of what's expected of theatre educators in terms of certification. This is not to say every colleague I have who is initially certified in another subject area and is endorsed in theatre should be dismissed, but I think there is something to be said for the validity of our position. Additionally, I have noticed a trend in eliminating undergraduate Theatre Education programs among colleges and universities. I can say that my own university closed it's program shortly after I graduated citing that they wanted to focus more on the art and craft of theatre in a more conservatory based style. In the same breath, however; in the few years I spent working for the university in recruiting prospective students I often fielded complaints from the theatre department regarding the "poor quailty" of students applying. Their main complaint was that these students were auditioning into their programs without any knowledge of what one might consider the "basics" of acting and little to no concept of advanced acting styles. I argued that if they wanted better results from the high schools then they ought to contribute to the teaching community. Ie, teach teachers what you want them to reinforce in their students. Through my other recruitment endeavors I encountered many other college and university reps with the same sentiments. I also know from being on the "inside" if you will- that many theatre programs do not want to invest in theatre ed programs due to the cost: hiring a full time faculty to advise and teach a small number of students, paying for student teaching stipends, and having to work with their school's education department. This is why most schools have an Art Education Department- they handle everything internally. While the adoption of Theatre Education as a program is within the Theatre Department. Ultimately they do not see the value in creating theatre educators. At my own university our Theatre Ed advisor was also the Lighting Design advisor. When he decided to retire they were faced with the choice of hiring two people or cutting one. It was completely unsurprising that they didn't want to spend the money on two faculty members and that the Lighting Design major was considerably more valuable. In my area (central VA) alone there are almost no professional development opportunities for theatre teachers. None of the area universities offer any classes in the summer for theatre educators. All in all, the entirety of the problem seems massive. I often try to wrap my mind around what needs to be done to solve all of these problems and I've some to the conclusion that it starts with that- Theatre Educators should have Theatre Degrees. If schools required that then universities would be more likely to introduce those programs. If you have the branches of higher education offering theatre education then the AP and National Board might take notice. I don't know, this diatribe has not been entirely consistent and is almost entirely based off of my own personal experiences so I'd really be interested to know if the expectations are the same everywhere. Anyone have any input in terms of their own personal experiences? I'd love to hear them. These are my thoughts, what are yours? ------------------------------------------- Victoria Kesling Councill Theatre Teacher New Kent County Public Schools -------------------------------------------

I think this is an ongoing struggle. I am in California and Theatre is covered under the "English" credential. I double majored in Theatre and English in college with the goal of becoming a theatre educator. We have been lobbying for years to reintroduce separate Theatre and Dance credentials (dance and health teachers must be certified in PE), but with little progress. The latest response from our CTA (state union) was they would not help advocate for us because they don't want any more credentials. The state education department said they did not see the need for a Theatre credential because it is the SAME as English. The universities do not offer theatre education because there is no credential to prepare students for. I took the classes that I thought would give me the best knowledge base for teaching, but had that not been my goal from the beginning, I am not sure how we'll prepared I would have been. A few years back, there was a school in my county that was going to lay off the theatre teacher and place an English teacher with no theatre background in the position. The school board's reasoning was that it is the students, not the teacher that make the difference in a play. One of the students in attendance stood up and told them that if they believed that, they have never been in their classroom. So yes, the general public believes that a) it doesn't matter who teaches/directs and b)talent for acting is innate. How is this perception changed? More theatre education. Catch-22. I think our best response is to advocate where we can and teach our students to advocate. I am also doing everything that I can to use common core to my advantage. I have already started working with ELD/ESL students using theatre techniques to strengthen language skills. We'll see what happens. ------------------------------------------- Heather Brandon -------------------------------------------
Original Message: Sent: 03-23-2014 15:31 From: Victoria Kesling Councill Subject: Education for Theatre Teachers This message has been cross posted to the following Discussions: Open Forum and Advocacy . ------------------------------------------- I wanted to get some feedback from other teachers on this: degree expectation for Theatre Educators. In my state (VA) I have seen a great disparity in what is required of theatre educators. I have a degree in Theatre Education and Art Education. From what I've seen in order to be an Art Teacher I MUST have an Art Education Degree but in order to be a Theatre Teacher I simply need to have some kind of teaching degree and an endorsement in theatre. In VA that is variable in that the district you work in can determine the requirements for the endorsement. In most cases that seems to be one or two classes in theatre. Aside from my other ITS Sponsor peers, most of the other theatre teachers I encounter are not trained in a full-fledged theatre program. I feel that this method of recruiting theatre teachers diminishes our importance by requiring us to be certified in something such as English, History- etc. This also plays into previous discussions on the value of other programs; I can teach AP Studio Art (2 different kinds) and AP Art History but there is no AP Theatre of any kind. I can receive National Board Certification in Art but not in Theatre. I feel that this starts at the very essence of what's expected of theatre educators in terms of certification. This is not to say every colleague I have who is initially certified in another subject area and is endorsed in theatre should be dismissed, but I think there is something to be said for the validity of our position. Additionally, I have noticed a trend in eliminating undergraduate Theatre Education programs among colleges and universities. I can say that my own university closed it's program shortly after I graduated citing that they wanted to focus more on the art and craft of theatre in a more conservatory based style. In the same breath, however; in the few years I spent working for the university in recruiting prospective students I often fielded complaints from the theatre department regarding the "poor quailty" of students applying. Their main complaint was that these students were auditioning into their programs without any knowledge of what one might consider the "basics" of acting and little to no concept of advanced acting styles. I argued that if they wanted better results from the high schools then they ought to contribute to the teaching community. Ie, teach teachers what you want them to reinforce in their students. Through my other recruitment endeavors I encountered many other college and university reps with the same sentiments. I also know from being on the "inside" if you will- that many theatre programs do not want to invest in theatre ed programs due to the cost: hiring a full time faculty to advise and teach a small number of students, paying for student teaching stipends, and having to work with their school's education department. This is why most schools have an Art Education Department- they handle everything internally. While the adoption of Theatre Education as a program is within the Theatre Department. Ultimately they do not see the value in creating theatre educators. At my own university our Theatre Ed advisor was also the Lighting Design advisor. When he decided to retire they were faced with the choice of hiring two people or cutting one. It was completely unsurprising that they didn't want to spend the money on two faculty members and that the Lighting Design major was considerably more valuable. In my area (central VA) alone there are almost no professional development opportunities for theatre teachers. None of the area universities offer any classes in the summer for theatre educators. All in all, the entirety of the problem seems massive. I often try to wrap my mind around what needs to be done to solve all of these problems and I've some to the conclusion that it starts with that- Theatre Educators should have Theatre Degrees. If schools required that then universities would be more likely to introduce those programs. If you have the branches of higher education offering theatre education then the AP and National Board might take notice. I don't know, this diatribe has not been entirely consistent and is almost entirely based off of my own personal experiences so I'd really be interested to know if the expectations are the same everywhere. Anyone have any input in terms of their own personal experiences? I'd love to hear them. These are my thoughts, what are yours? ------------------------------------------- Victoria Kesling Councill Theatre Teacher New Kent County Public Schools -------------------------------------------

We spend our entire careers creating 'magic' that the administration and parents only see between the opening and closing of the Main Drape.  They have no idea how the magic is made, nor do they see the thousands of job skills for which this work trains the students.  We have to make a bigger effort to involve the administrators and parents in the backstage development of a show so that they see the skill sets and collaboration that is necessary to create the 'magic.'

Frequently overlooked by many administrations is the vast differences between teaching the acting skills, the show management skills (directing, marketing, house management, stage management) and teaching the production skills (technology like sound, lighting, rigging, set construction, costume fabrication).  Each of these require unique training and time with the students.  We have to educate the administrators about these elements so they see that the teachers and students are not just 'goofing around in the theatre.'

Dumping the responsibility for managing the auditorium facilities on the teacher with a full plate and a degree in English isn't fair to the students, the building, or the teacher . . . and frequently all three suffer as a result.

Another area often overlooked is that 'theatre' involves performance and presentation.  We are responsible for the management of assemblies of many occupants in the auditorium (or gym, or cafeteria), and yet the teachers (and administrators, too) receive NO formal training in the safe procedures of crowd management. The recent versions of NFPA 101 Life Safety Code require that there be a Trained Crowd Manager for each group of 250 persons.  Who gets that training and is recognized for having it?  This places the building, audience, and performers at risk.

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Erich Friend
Theatre Consultant
Teqniqal Systems

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