I am currently job-hunting outside of education, and I have noticed an interesting trend: jobs requiring a high school diploma are also requiring skills that are not typically on the standard high school curriculum. If your school provides them at all, it is likely that they will end up as elective courses. This includes jobs […]
Sarah Mattie
Sarah Mattie is a teaching artist exploring options outside of the traditional classroom after 10 years. She has a soft spot in her heart for middle schoolers and is particularly passionate about diversity and equity in education. She lives with her husband and four rescue cats, including a tripod kitty, and loves to listen to podcasts.
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Keeping Your Head Down?
Today, a listicle came across my Facebook feed, asking people what the worst piece of career advice they had ever received was. They ranged from the well-intentioned and seemingly sensible, to the outright insane. It made me think, What would mine be? “Keep your head down.” In all careers, I’m sure, but especially in teaching, […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
The Importance of Cuts in Educational Theatre
You are fourteen years old. You got up the guts to try out for the school play, something you had dreamed of for years but was too embarrassed to do. You also know involvement in school activities looks great on college applications, so you are willing to work hard and give it your all. Perhaps […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Career Clusters Should Not Limit Students
Like most people who attended school in the ’90s and early 2000s, I fully brought into the college = success, no college = failure ideology. I came to teaching as an aide at the age of 22 and expected to encourage students that they must attend college, no other paths. I learned a hard lesson […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
The Life of a Theatre Teacher: Twelve Jobs in One
This year, I started locking my door during my plan period. The stress and exhaustion of being a theatre teacher are starting to get to me more than before. I have four preps, teach a variance, and direct the shows after school. I need that time to be quiet. I don’t refuse to open the […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education
The Problem with Alien: A Teacher’s Perspective
Recently, North Bergen High School in New Jersey put on a production of Alien: The Play. The show was clearly beautifully done, with the students building massive and accurate sets and costumes out of nothing but recycled materials. The show was a big hit and brought in a good deal of money for the previously-fundless drama […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
The Shakespeare Paradox
In Mitchell County, NC, there was recently an uproar regarding students attending a production of The Complete Works of Shakespeare: Abridged by the Reduced Shakespeare Company. Based on the article (which you can read here), it sounds as though the Parkway Playhouse, the theatre company that performed the play, went above and beyond to tone […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Our Kids’ New Normal
I have taught through a lot of shootings and other horrible events, both local and national. The first major shooting I remember helping my students through was Sandy Hook, though other incidents had put us on lockdown previously. The fear was palpable. They wanted reassurance for days afterwards. They had the same fear after the […]