My goal is to enable students to develop positive attitudes toward self, others and the environment through creative experiences. While learning the basic tools of self-expression, students will learn to respect and appreciate their own creative ideas and those of others. Through theatre, students explore customs from around the world in order to better understand the important cultural role of theatre arts and storytelling on a global scale.
Why I love theatre:
When I was in high school, I was lucky enough to have a theatre teacher who made a profound impact on my life. I looked forward to going to school everyday because I knew theatre class awaited. Ms. Wood-Patterson treated her students like artistic collaborators and intentionally targeted students who were struggling socially or in some other way to give theatre a try. She had a knack for turning what some teachers would see as “troubling” attributes into creative outlets. Her absolute rule was to honor each other’s creativity, and so the groups formed in her program were always delightfully eclectic teams, learning from each other’s unique points of view, accepting differences and taking pride in their collective efforts.
I believe having a teacher like her for four years helped to make me the compassionate, critical thinker I am today. The urge to provide similar opportunities for students has nagged at me so profoundly that after 15 years of being a professional actress in NYC, I have made teaching my priority (although I still perform, secondarily). I am very proud of the program I’ve created at Hunter College Elementary School. I would be equally proud and privileged to work with other highly skilled and creative colleagues and teachers to develop, hone and learn new methods and ideas.
It’s invigorating to watch students gain confidence in their own voice, to see them work together to create something meaningful. There are so many opportunities for students to engage in highly stressful and competitive activities at school. I believe the theatre arts balances all of this. Its success relies on an entire group coming together as a team. There is a place in theatre for every form of talent or passion and when nurtured in a positive and open way the process of bringing everything together in one piece is magical and thrilling. For the last three years I’ve directed the HCES 6th grade play and made it a priority to ensure that every student feels the pride of artistic contribution. Too often I see ideas shut down before they’re explored. I see constant reinforcement that vulnerability is weak. I believe theatre counteracts those “creativity crushers” and provides an important venue for safe, creative expression. I believe theatre forces students to look at all perspectives of a situation, exploring humanity and motives on such a detailed level that it becomes habit to approach problems with empathy and insight rather than with frustration or judgment. The essence of theatre is communication: learning to work together, to accept, to say yes and in the process, to share a thought-provoking message with a larger community - and hopefully, to have some fun along the way!
Amy Fitts
Why I love theatre:
When I was in high school, I was lucky enough to have a theatre teacher who made a profound impact on my life. I looked forward to going to school everyday because I knew theatre class awaited. Ms. Wood-Patterson treated her students like artistic collaborators and intentionally targeted students who were struggling socially or in some other way to give theatre a try. She had a knack for turning what some teachers would see as “troubling” attributes into creative outlets. Her absolute rule was to honor each other’s creativity, and so the groups formed in her program were always delightfully eclectic teams, learning from each other’s unique points of view, accepting differences and taking pride in their collective efforts.
I believe having a teacher like her for four years helped to make me the compassionate, critical thinker I am today. The urge to provide similar opportunities for students has nagged at me so profoundly that after 15 years of being a professional actress in NYC, I have made teaching my priority (although I still perform, secondarily). I am very proud of the program I’ve created at Hunter College Elementary School. I would be equally proud and privileged to work with other highly skilled and creative colleagues and teachers to develop, hone and learn new methods and ideas.
It’s invigorating to watch students gain confidence in their own voice, to see them work together to create something meaningful. There are so many opportunities for students to engage in highly stressful and competitive activities at school. I believe the theatre arts balances all of this. Its success relies on an entire group coming together as a team. There is a place in theatre for every form of talent or passion and when nurtured in a positive and open way the process of bringing everything together in one piece is magical and thrilling. For the last three years I’ve directed the HCES 6th grade play and made it a priority to ensure that every student feels the pride of artistic contribution. Too often I see ideas shut down before they’re explored. I see constant reinforcement that vulnerability is weak. I believe theatre counteracts those “creativity crushers” and provides an important venue for safe, creative expression. I believe theatre forces students to look at all perspectives of a situation, exploring humanity and motives on such a detailed level that it becomes habit to approach problems with empathy and insight rather than with frustration or judgment. The essence of theatre is communication: learning to work together, to accept, to say yes and in the process, to share a thought-provoking message with a larger community - and hopefully, to have some fun along the way!
Amy Fitts