Yesterday I went to a meeting, a pre-service workshop, which was all about your first year as a drama teacher. The do and don’t of a first year teaching. For starters. Why? After almost 10 years of teaching experience…. I consider myself a starter in this new country. But I’m not new on the whole teaching thing. The school system is a bit different. The drama lessons over here have a national curriculum and a state curriculum, which is far more clear-cut and more developed than in the Netherlands, they even have exams with external examiners. Of course I knew that part since I was reading the new Victorian drama curriculum.
So what was new? I discovered that all first year teachers around the globe struggle their way into finding their own style and ways of teaching. Everyone learns that not every lesson can be all singing and dancing and bells. Sometimes it is just a lesson. Sometimes even a boring one. Everyone asks his- of herself, how to ever be liked by these children. And how do you get not willing kids to play. Without giving them lines. Finding a way to tempt them to play. Everyone struggles his or her way through the administration part because no one really had to do that on internships. Everywhere teachers have to learn that when you’re sick; you have to stay at home and be sick. (Some of them never learn that part.)
Luckily I found my style and my ways. I’ve accepted some of my shortcomings: I’ll never be great at time management or following the program as planned. But I know that I can improvise and let everyone play – even for a second have the experience of acting. I know how to make a save class and how to increase students self-confidence. I hope to be authentic and creative during my lesson. Sometimes I fail, sometimes a lesson is just a talk. Now I know one thing for sure: I love my teaching job. I don’t know how yet, but I’m going to try and teach over here. With a curriculum and everything that comes with it. For sure; it’s going to be a rocky road getting at that point.
But I’ve learned again you can’t make any mistakes accept the one; not depending on yourself and your own strength.
