The Challenge Continues
Thanks to those of you who left me encouraging words about my troubles with the thesis project. I am partially distressed by how much my life is feeling like the first half of one of those "good teacher/bad school" movies, and I feel like I'm almost to the scene where I get fed up and threaten to quit and one of the kids- you know, the natural-leader-but-also-an-instigator, says something like "big surprise- everyone leaves us" and also partially distressed because I am not sure that there is going to be a redemptive second half to this movie. These kids just seriously don't like me. And they don't seem to like theatre much, either. And I'm not sure that I blame them, because we're just not really having much fun. Today started off well- I'm sure that their regular leader chewed them out after the disaster session last week- but it completely disintegrated when he left and the other leader fell asleep as I tried to lead the young people through a devising session. High point: one of the groups actually made a really funny, clear scene. Low point: several of the other kids loudly booed them off the stage. Nice, huh? I asked the booers to leave, as this was the 15th time today that I had asked them to refrain from calling the other kids "wack", "gay", "faggots", and various other endearments, but they just ignored me and started banging on the piano that we had been told not to use.
I have tried using lots of structure. I have tried using very little structure. I have tried to scaffold progressively challenging workshops with clear goals and outcomes for the kids to self-assess. I've tried just playing games. I've tried group activities. I've tried individual activities. I've tried written-based work. I've tried physically-based work. I've tried being friendly. I've tried being neutral. I've tried every student-centered management technique that I've ever seen or heard of. But the basic fact it comes down to is that these kids don't like me and they don't like theatre and I can't seem to change their minds. I don't even really care if they like me very much, I'm just frustrated by the fact that they are aggressively opposed to every activity that I bring in. This is really, really hard work.
The rough part is when I get home and I have to spend several hours writing my log of the day's activities. I have to relive the whole thing. Even though I know that it is for the best, it drains me even more, and I inevitably spend several hours staring at various web sites or the television instead. So thank you to you all, my dear readers, for giving me something to do.
posted by laurenj @ 9:44 PM
5 Comments:
My roommate (who teaches special ed in a West side Chicago Public School) has some advice. She has found that a positive rewards system has gotten her quite far with some of her kids (or as she quipped a little sticker chart goes a long way).
She thinks that if you could set up some sort of reward, culminating in a bigger one at the end of the term, but also with immediate ones throughout the period and each week--even better if somehow it can be related to theatre.
I don't know if that helps, but maybe it is something.
Wait--the other leader fell asleep? It seems like your biggest ally is going to be the person who is the link between the students and their regular work to you, rather than just them relying on you who is all new in every way. Seems like you need stronger support from the school for success--why should the kids pay attention if the other adult in the room thinks is matters so little that sleep is an option.
Are these kids there by choice or by requirement?
What are they like in their regular classes? (Because, maybe they're actually better with you.)
yeah, I totally agree that the asleep-leader is a huge problem. huge. hypothetically these kids are all in the program voluntarily, but the theatre project is an add-on to the regular program, and although they technically are agreeing to be there for it, I think they're a little resentful that I'm there to "take away" from what they normally do. I just haven't gotten the buy-in from them, and I think once I do it's going to make a huge difference, I just haven't found my "in" yet. (sigh) Tomorrow is a new day...who knows. I'll probably have a totally different group tomorrow since attendence isn't mandatory for their program, which is another huge problem. I'm going to find it, though. It's totally going to happen.
umm...that last one was me...SOMEONE had signed into the computer already....
I thought of another thing: non-mandatory attendance also mucks with ensemble, because, duh.
Anyway: is it possible to track each day's work in some tangible way? So that the kids who were there one day have some kind of link to who was there before, ideally creating some kind of exquisite corpse style script-type project? (Y'know, if you're not already doing that.) Maybe like a huge comic book scroll or 3-D art thing (as opposed to just writing it down standard-style)?
It might be that you've already tried this, because it sort of sounds like it from your original post, but there must be something that caused those kids to sign up in the first place--and they are middle schoolers, right? Because that agony is its own thing...not to mention a thing often unsuspected once the performance actually hits.
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