If you look at the name of my blog, it is titled “My Life With Two Heads.” I decided to call it that because sometimes my life feels like a two-headed monster. When I was a senior in high school, I decided to double major in middle level education (with a concentration in English) and Theater, and each major feels like it is one head of a two-headed monster. So far throughout my experience, I realized that each major can help me with the other.
Throughout my theater experiences, I had to be an incredibly imaginative thinker and think outside the box to create a solution. I have been known to come up with incredibly bizarre and creative concepts. After using this skill in portraying characters and designing sound effects for a steampunk production of Pygmalion, I discovered that this skill can be very useful when writing lesson plans. I realized this when I had field placement at St. Peter Cathedral’s School. It was the first time I taught a lesson about Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Tell Tale Heart.” I decided that I would have the students act out the short story like it was a play and create “intense” vocal sound effects of the heart beating to bring the play to life. My two biggest takeaways from that experience was that students always remember the more “out-there” lessons and the arts can be very engaging.
Education has also helped me with theater as well. This semester, I had the opportunity to direct an original play. Normally, I would feel as if I were thrown under a bus, but because I have taught in a classroom, I have an idea on how to lead a group of actors and a couple technicians put together an original, never before seen show.
I guess you are wondering what on Earth I want to do with my life and my double major. Well, I suppose I have a few options. I could teach and do theater on the side. I could also teach theater. Let’s face it, I probably will do both, but there is another option I am looking to explore. I have considered teaching theater to students with special needs as a means of teaching social skills. Studies have shown that theater arts have been able to improve social skills among people on the autism spectrum, and I think that is the perfect use of both my majors.
While I am more than excited for my future, I am in college and I need to focus on the present. Later this semester, I will begin a field placement at Villa Elementary school, run the sound board for Lazarus Laughed and act in and help design the costumes for Evita. Wow! I have a lot to do, and I am thrilled to do it.