My Classroom, My Stage

One thing I love about teaching: I get to temporarily suspend my everyday persona and "take the stage" in front of my classes as the star in my own production. I've always regretted not taking theater classes as an undergrad because I think it would have helped my nerves a lot. I still get butterflies right before a class starts. Knowing that I have to be "on" for, well four hours straight with my current teaching schedule (no breaks in between for me) is intimidating, especially for a daydreamer like me. As a student, I drift in and out of class. As a teacher, I have to be non-stop intriguing, aware of what's going on in the class, and prepared to answer any and all questions.

To do this effectively, it helps to play a role. My role is the teacher who's "so crazy and confident, she just doesn't care." This means I have to be okay with the knowledge that my students will probably make fun of me outside of class...and they might imitate me. I've accepted that (I think). I'm not trying to be best friends with my students, so why not? It's fun to just not care....it means I can be a complete goof with no repercussions.

After all, I have other teacher friends to commiserate with me. And they do crazier things than I do. I'm known to act out the vocabulary words I teach to my ESL students, but that's not as outlandish as the teacher I knew who would walk around on the classroom tables while doing her lectures to keep the students' attention. Then, there's the elementary teacher I know who's lowkey around her colleagues, but turns into a singing/dancing maniac in front of her kids.

You know, teaching may be just the thing for all those people who have given up on their dreams of being on the stage. Stand in front of a classroom, and you can be whomever you want to be. If you're talented and excellent at improv, you'll have the captive audience you've always wanted.