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Guest Blog: What the U.S. Public School System Can Learn From the Arts by Alyssa Franklin

4/30/2018

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This week on the blog, I am honored to welcome guest blogger Alyssa Franklin! I am so grateful to call Alyssa not only my dear friend, but one of the most creative souls I have had the pleasure to know and collaborate with.  In her blog post, Alyssa draws on her experience as an arts educator to reflect on the impact of the arts in the classroom, and explores seven creative concepts for harnessing the lessons that arts education has to teach us all. 
Picture
Photo by Evan Monroe Chapman
This is not a political piece about gun control and school shootings (that could be a whole other essay).  However, the latest attack on the Parkland school and the troupe of young theatre students calling “BS” on our gun laws started me thinking on other “BS” systems within our country.  [Some may mock me for saying this, but as a millennial I feel as though I’ve been calling “BS” on so many broken systems that have been handed down to us for many years now (student loans, anyone?).]

I’ve been fortunate to have had a varied teaching background up to this point.  I helped create and lead an arts preschool in a non-profit arts center, taught theatre classes both in theater spaces and in classrooms (public and private) as a visiting teaching artist, led outreach workshops through a children’s museum, and now teach Theatre at a K-12 arts charter school.  So I have had the opportunity to view education, and more specifically arts education, through many different lenses.

I’ve spent my career thus far immersed in how the arts benefit students and learning.  Studies have shown that scores improve, attendance rises, and students are more equipped for the 21st century workforce when they are involved in the arts.  But what can the whole system learn from artists?

Artists help to change the world— they question the status quo, expose injustices, and help shine light on possibilities.  However, we live in a country where the pattern has been to see arts less & less in our schools. Though I remain hopeful— for example, in a recent survey done by the Mayor’s Office of Education in Philadelphia, “investing in music and arts curriculum” was one of the top answers from respondents.  

So where are the shortcomings that this arts educator is shining a light on?  Here are seven concepts that artists naturally imbed in their practices. Seven concepts, which I think we could use to help shape our schools:


PLAY

In Theatre we use “play” as a vehicle to create.  So do children (and really all human beings if they are given the time and space to do so).  Children learn best through play. We need to set aside more time for unstructured play during the school day.  Preschool and Kindergarten should be centered on play-based learning, however, even our older students would benefit from more time to play.  

And I don’t mean playing on apps on iPads…  I mean going outside in nature to hike or run around.  Or creating new projects with our hands using found materials.  Or inventing a new game with friends.

We need to think about how we can better educate the whole child.  Just how theatre games and improv prepare an actor for their work, play prepares a child for a lifetime of learning.


​COLLABORATE

Most artists love to collaborate on projects.  In the theatre world we collaborate often: actors, directors, playwrights, designers, choreographers all join together to create a performance.

I think teachers need to have more time and opportunities to collaborate.  Strangely teaching can feel very isolating at times. Often time teachers are in their classrooms “by themselves” with a room full of students teaching their specific subject or grade level.  When the only adult interaction you are able to have is a brief nod or wave of hello to a fellow teacher in the hall, there is a problem. Schools are not utilizing the power of collaboration through their teachers.
​

Others may disagree, but I am a huge advocate for co-teaching or team teaching.  When I was a teaching artist, we usually had a co-teacher or assistant. Teaching is draining—mentally, physically, spiritually.  Co-teaching can be a tricky balance between two individuals and takes work, but I truly think it could help prevent teacher burnout.  With less burn-out, teachers and students (and admin!) stay happier. It also would help lower student-to-teacher ratios, helping to make learning more personalized for every student.


BREATHE
"This morning I have been pondering a nearly forgotten lesson I learned in high school music. Sometimes in band or choir, music requires players or singers to hold a note longer than they actually can hold a note. In those cases, we were taught to mindfully stagger when we took a breath so the sound appeared uninterrupted. Everyone got to breathe, and the music stayed strong and vibrant.  Let's remember the advice of MUSIC. Take a breath. The rest of the chorus will sing. The rest of the band will play. Rejoin so others can breathe. Together, we can sustain a very long, beautiful song for a very, very long time. You don’t have to do it all, but you must add your voice to the song."
​

-Michael Moore
The day-to-day in schools often seems to be going at a breakneck pace.  Oftentimes it is a hectic race to the tests in the spring.
​

We need to take advice from music—education should not be a race, but a lifelong journey.  We need to spark a love of learning in students without such a strict timeline.
Photos by Alyssa Franklin 
​PROCESS OVER PRODUCT
​

Focusing on “process over product” is a statement made by many arts educators.  Essentially it means to put the overall experience above the end outcome. Standardized testing may very well be the exact opposite: forcing the “product” (AKA test scores) to take precedence over the “process” (AKA educating the whole child).

Thankfully there has been more push back against all of the testing lately, but it still is not enough.  Anything that is not on the test is abandoned by some schools or squeezed haphazardly through tiny cracks.  And the arts aren’t the only thing that has been slashed by budget cuts.

What about instead of focusing purely on facts and knowledge, we agree as a country to help grow our students’ social-emotional capabilities and their emotional intelligence?  Of course schools would still need accountability, but there has to be a better way…. Process over Product.


INSPIRATION  ​
“Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.”
​

-William Butler Yeats
To build off of the last point, there needs to be less giving “knowledge” and more lighting a “spark” in education.  Many teachers are already embracing this through project-based learning, makerspaces, and cross-curricular connections.  

My hope is that this spreads into a universal given in US education.  We cannot possibly know what our students will need to know when they graduate or after.  All we can do is ignite a life-long love of learning and discovery, so that they can create the answers themselves.

And we should model what we preach.  Teachers should be given more opportunities to learn, grow, and collaborate across disciplines and between schools.  Just as the arts inspire others, education should continually inspire students and teachers.  


THE WORK CAN BE MESSY…

Learning is messy, creating is messy, art is messy.  As artists we try to embrace the “messy” as part of the project.  

Just as project-based learning, up on your feet learning, active playful learning, collaborative learning—it’s messy!  It’s not sit in your seat in neat rows, textbooks out, and copy from the chalkboard/smartboard kind of learning.  But it’s worth the risk to be a little bit messy.

And in turn, this often requires more support in the classroom in terms of co-teachers and/or assistant teachers.


THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX

Artists are very good at making it work with what they have.  Even if the funding isn’t there, even if they are rehearsing in a closet… they get the job done.  They are flexible and productive (most times).

I don’t have all of the answers to the problems plaguing the US Education system.  I know most times change is slow, money matters, and politics play a key role.  However, I think it would do everyone well to think outside of the box for the solutions.  Just like artists, we can make it work with what we have.


A FINAL THOUGHT…

An artist’s job is to question and to hold a mirror up to society.  What is that reflection saying about our education system?  How can we take those questions and create meaningful dialogue and change?

At the end of the day, art is also an exploration of being human.  Shouldn’t schools also be about exploring what it is to be human?  I think so.
PicturePhoto by Alyssa Franklin




​Alyssa Franklin is a K-12th Grade Theatre Teacher at an arts-integrated charter school.  She enjoys playwriting, painting, reading, and photography.  Alyssa is grateful to lead a creative life through her work with her students.  She lives near Philadelphia with her wonderful husband and their two adorable kitties.  

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Monday Motivation

4/29/2018

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PicturePhoto by Cristina Gottardi on Unsplash







​1. Overwhelmed by your never ending To Do list? Try an app like Todoist,
which lets you schedule tasks for specific days of the week, and when you have completed your items for any given day, it gives you a "You're all done! Have a good night!" message. For a perfectionist like me who often needs permission to move on from what I need to do to what I want to do, this has been a game changer for helping me to walk away from the To Do list and get on with living. 

2.  Remember that you don't have to do the fancy version of your dream, and that it's ok to tackle it like a beginner.  I've wanted to write, direct, and act  in my own movie since I was a kid, and have put it off for years because I've never been able to afford to buy or rent camera equipment to film it.  Last week, my therapist suggested I take the pressure off myself and start with making a five minute film on my Smartphone. And you know what? This weekend, my husband was kind enough to film a solo silent film we dreamed up on his iPhone.  Think iPhone films are just for kids or amatuers? Take a look at the trailer for Steven Soderbergh's new film, starring the lovely Claire Foy of The Crown fame, shot entirely on an iPhone. What excuse do I have now? 

3. Feeling frazzled? Try this super short guided meditation aimed to help even the most fidgety of meditators (I'm raising my hand up HIGH over here) get their calm on. 

4. Craving something delicious? 
Try baking a pan of Predominantly Paleo's gluten free Chocolate Spinach Cake and prove to yourself that greens never tasted so good! I made this cake last month and ate a piece for breakfast every day with a cup of tea, and I must say, that it helped me to look forward to the morning a bit more.  Don't knock it until you try it! 

5.  Wise words from writer Stephen King: "Writers remember everything ... especially the hurts. Strip a writer to the buff, point to the scars, and he'll tell you the story of each small one. From the big ones you get novels. A little talent is a nice thing to have if you want to be a writer, but the only real requirement is the ability to remember the story of every scar.Art consists of the persistence of memory."

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Good News! I'm a Human First and So Are You

4/25/2018

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Picture
Photo by Pierre Acobas on Unsplash
If someone asked me today how I identify myself in five words, I  would say:

I'm an actor,
a writer,
a seeker,
a wife,
and a friend.

The most obvious omission? 

A HUMAN. 

How can I have left that one off my list? In fact, every time I've done this exercise with myself (and I've done it a lot), I've never listed "human". How does one actually forget that they are many, many things, and first and foremost, a human being? 

After the 2016 election, a group of Boston artists gathered together to facilitate a conversation about how art in our city can help move us forward. Someone asked the question, what did we need as artists in order to make sure we were up for the task? One musician raised her hand, and said something along the lines of "Well, I'm an artist, but I'm actually a human first. And like all humans, I need to make sure I can take care of myself. Health insurance, food, shelter. My basic needs."

YES. How many times do I assume that identifying as an actor or writer means that the basic needs of a human being don't apply to me? That my anxiety is different, that my fear of failure is special, or that my need for rest is less than what it actually is? Why do I automatically assume that if I'm not feeling creative today that there is something wrong with my muse or worse, with myself as a person?

Is there anything worse than feeling like your problems are unique and that strategies and solutions that work for people the world over couldn't possible apply to you? 

If you are experiencing a slight mid-week mania like I am, here's a short series of questions to ask yourself before you throw in the towel, set the whole thing on fire, and run away like a crazy person, screaming, "NOTHING is working today and I can't (don't want to/don't know how to) do ANYTHING!" Not that I know anything about that feeling (wink, wink). 

So.

Did you get enough sleep last night? 

Are you hungry?

Are you dehydrated?

Are you lonely?

Have you packed your schedule too full?

Do you need a hot shower?

If you answer yes to any of these questions and have the power to remedy any or all of them, by all means sign off of social media and take care of yourself right now.

If you can't, for instance, take a nap at your office this very moment, give yourself a break, make sure you get to bed early tonite, and then see how the world looks in the morning. It might not look completely changed but it could end up looking brand new to you, which is the only thing that counts, if it helps you to keep going.

These questions aren't a cure-all, but they certainly help a little. And as long as we are still messy, temperamental, ambitious, loving, wild human beings nearly bursting open with all the Big Feelings our bodies, brains, and souls can hold, we could all use a little help, no?

Good news: you're human. So am I. What can we do for our human selves on this Wednesday afternoon? 

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The One Question That Can Slay Your Imposter Monster

4/22/2018

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Picture
Photo by Braydon Anderson on Unsplash

We’ve all been there. You’ve been hired for the job, cast in the role, or published in a magazine. You feel giddy with excitement and are actually beginning to feel yourself begin to swell with well deserved pride for all the hard work and energy you put into your goal, which has now been realized.

Woohoo! You did it! Cue the confetti raining down from the heavens, the red carpets being rolled out, and the dance party music turned up loud. It’s definitely time to celebrate.

Then? The music comes to an abrupt end and the red carpets dissolve. Now you’re just stuck with leftover confetti bits in your hair. You feel anything but festive. A voice starts to talk to you inside your own head.

“Boy, did I fool them. I made them think I was a writer (actor, painter, dancer, etc.), and they fell for it. Does this make me a liar?”

“I can’t do this. I’m not (qualified, smart, creative, experienced, etc.) enough.”

“They made a mistake, and when they find out I can’t do this, it’ll be so embarrassing. They might even be angry.”

You thought the Imposter Monster you had hidden in your closet was hibernating for good, but it turns out that she was just taking a cat nap. She’s out in full force now, ready and willing to help you understand that you don’t have what it takes.
Has anyone else heard these things before? Not only do these voices shut off the fun immediately, they can be downright cruel and toss us head first into a shame spiral that feels like it may never end.

Imposter syndrome is real. And it affects most of us, whether you are an actor in a community theatre production or award winning writer Maya Angelou. No matter who you are or how many successes you have been recognized for, it seems to follow us around and haunt our creative spirits until we think we might go mad. The sense of not being good enough can wear on our souls in a very specific way, one that can leave us questioning why we ever thought we belonged, how we ever could have believed we could do the thing we really want to do, and how we might gracefully bow out of the game altogether.

And yet.

During one of my most recent shame spirals that only Imposter syndrome could conjure up, I tried to describe this spiritual tug of war between my self-worth and my doubts to my therapist.

“It’s so hard to walk into a room to teach or to perform and feel like I don’t know everything I should. I hate having these worries all the time. I’m sick of feeling like an Imposter. I want to be able to walk in and have everyone know that I know everything and that I am the best.”

My therapist did what therapists do, and simply acted as a mirror to reflect back to me what I had just said.

“So you want to be able to walk into the room, and say ‘Hello, I’m Melissa. I know everything and I am the best.’ Does that sound like what you mean?”

“Exactly!” I said. There was a pause. She went on.

“So, let me ask you an honest question. If someone who was teaching a class you were taking or directing a play you were in, walked into the room and said ‘Hello. I want you to know that I know everything and that I am the best’, are you excited to work with that person?”

My face spoke before I got the chance to. I actually laughed out loud.

“No way!”

She wasn’t going to let me get away with a two word answer.

“Why don’t you want to work with that person?” She asked.

“Well… that person actually sounds like a jerk.” I admitted this reluctantly. “I mean, I want to work with someone who really cares about the project, who is invested and has experiences to share, but that also admits that they don’t have all the answers and that they will be learning something, too.”

“Hmm... interesting.” My therapist didn’t have to say any more for me to realize that my fear of being an Imposter meant holding myself to an impossible standard that I didn’t even admire or seek out in others. What did this mean for my own Imposter Monster?

Now you try it. Take something that your Imposter Monster tells you and turn it right back around on yourself. Afraid of making one single mistake, for fear that it will discredit you completely and unmask you as the Imposter you believe that you are? Turn that right back around and ask yourself, “Do I want to work with someone who never, ever, makes a mistake?” Not really, right? If someone doesn’t ever make mistakes, how do they ever learn anything new? Make something new? Without mistakes, are we even human?

Is this little question trick a cure-all for those nagging self-doubts that creep in? No. Does it mean that we don’t have to continue to put the work into being proud of who we are, just as we are, in this moment, allowing ourselves to celebrate how far we have come? Not at all. What it DOES mean is that we have the power to try and practice this simple but effective line of questioning with ourselves whenever we start to believe that we’ve faked it all along and that we have nothing to offer. What if it’s not our creative soul that is lying to us, but our anxious Imposter monster? Get to the truth of what’s really there before you start writing yourself off.
 
You have stories to share. You have lessons to impart. You have gifts to give. We all need your creativity and imagination to help us build the kind of world in which we want to work and play. None of these acts of service require you to have achieved perfection or infallibility, and in fact, it can be argued that it’s the mistakes and awareness that we always have more to learn that keep us moving forward, seeking the next adventure or challenge.
 
The next time you find yourself telling yourself who you need to be (and who you can’t be) in order to be taken seriously or be successful in the creative arena, be your own mirror and reflect your own values back to yourself. I can’t promise you that the Imposter Monster will go back into your closet forever, never to return, but I am confident that the next time she ventures out and threatens to rain on your parade, that you will be able to see through her a bit sooner, and with a whole lot more self-kindness and grace along the way.

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    My name is Melissa and I'm an actor, playwright, author, filmmaker, and teaching artist who wants to help you discover, cultivate, and care for your creativity. 
     
    What does being creative mean to you?

    How do you play every day?

    This is a space for taking a break, a breath,  and finding ways to flex our imagination and find the joy where we can. 

    ​No one is going to present us with a ready made creative life--we have  to step up and gift it to ourselves. I'm so glad you're here.

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