Open Forum

Hi everyone!

I'm going into my 3rd year of teaching drama and, wow, sometimes this job feels entirely overwhelming - no one prepares you for that feeling. Anyway - that's beside the point. One of the many things I don't have down is an absence policy. What do you all do when students are absent on performance days? I make it very clear to kids and parents that they must be at school when it's performance day in class, but there still is someone absent. My current policy is that they have to film themselves in front of an audience on their own time and then I'll watch their scene later; however, that just isn't working out. Do you give kids 0s for not showing up or let them perform the next day? Any advice would be much appreciated!

Thank you so much, 
Ashley

Original Message------

Hi everyone!

I'm going into my 3rd year of teaching drama and, wow, sometimes this job feels entirely overwhelming - no one prepares you for that feeling. Anyway - that's beside the point. One of the many things I don't have down is an absence policy. What do you all do when students are absent on performance days? I make it very clear to kids and parents that they must be at school when it's performance day in class, but there still is someone absent. My current policy is that they have to film themselves in front of an audience on their own time and then I'll watch their scene later; however, that just isn't working out. Do you give kids 0s for not showing up or let them perform the next day? Any advice would be much appreciated!

Thank you so much, 
Ashley

My philosophy is that there is absolutely no way to duplicate or makeup an ensemble performance experience, but students must be afforded the opportunity to make up the grade.

Since so much work goes into a performance & it's preparation, the makeup work needs to be equal to that. I assign a 5 page research paper on a specific master teacher, such as Lee Strasberg. It must be typed, single spaced, 12 or Arial font and have a minimum of 3 documented resources in a bibliography with a minimum of 5 direct quotes from those source, at least one from each source.

I give them this alternative assignment up front. It's in my course syllabus & it usually deters students from missing performances.

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Jeana Whitaker
Theatre Director
Mesa AZ
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Original Message:
Sent: 07-20-2017 15:35
From: Ashley White
Subject: Performance Absence Policy

Hi everyone!

I'm going into my 3rd year of teaching drama and, wow, sometimes this job feels entirely overwhelming - no one prepares you for that feeling. Anyway - that's beside the point. One of the many things I don't have down is an absence policy. What do you all do when students are absent on performance days? I make it very clear to kids and parents that they must be at school when it's performance day in class, but there still is someone absent. My current policy is that they have to film themselves in front of an audience on their own time and then I'll watch their scene later; however, that just isn't working out. Do you give kids 0s for not showing up or let them perform the next day? Any advice would be much appreciated!

Thank you so much, 
Ashley

What is your Districts or Schools Athletic programs policy about days of games? Does this not have to be a school wide policy to have any teeth?

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Phillip Rayher
Director, Theatre Dept.
Ruth Asawa San Francisco School of the Arts
San Francisco CA
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Original Message:
Sent: 07-20-2017 15:35
From: Ashley White
Subject: Performance Absence Policy

Hi everyone!

I'm going into my 3rd year of teaching drama and, wow, sometimes this job feels entirely overwhelming - no one prepares you for that feeling. Anyway - that's beside the point. One of the many things I don't have down is an absence policy. What do you all do when students are absent on performance days? I make it very clear to kids and parents that they must be at school when it's performance day in class, but there still is someone absent. My current policy is that they have to film themselves in front of an audience on their own time and then I'll watch their scene later; however, that just isn't working out. Do you give kids 0s for not showing up or let them perform the next day? Any advice would be much appreciated!

Thank you so much, 
Ashley

For performances in class with missing actors, the first thing I do is offer extra credit to another student for understudying at the last minute. If the points were 100 for the performance, and understudy can get 20-50 points for marking a part for an absent actor. 
The absent actor can do that for someone else when they are back, both they would have to do so several times to completely make up for it. 
Unless there is a legitimate illness or emergency the performance is a 0 until made up as an understudy.

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Scott Hasbrouck
George Washington HS
Denver, CO
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Original Message:
Sent: 07-20-2017 15:35
From: Ashley White
Subject: Performance Absence Policy

Hi everyone!

I'm going into my 3rd year of teaching drama and, wow, sometimes this job feels entirely overwhelming - no one prepares you for that feeling. Anyway - that's beside the point. One of the many things I don't have down is an absence policy. What do you all do when students are absent on performance days? I make it very clear to kids and parents that they must be at school when it's performance day in class, but there still is someone absent. My current policy is that they have to film themselves in front of an audience on their own time and then I'll watch their scene later; however, that just isn't working out. Do you give kids 0s for not showing up or let them perform the next day? Any advice would be much appreciated!

Thank you so much, 
Ashley