Professional Development
Every year the University of Houston's Theatre Education Majors are required to complete 30 hours of professional development, separate from our coursework and the Theatre Education program. This professional development should be focused on teaching, education, and theatre.
Fall 2017 Reflections
During the Fall 2017 I had the opportunity to begin my develop as a Theatre Educator at the UIL Academics conference held at UH. During this conference I had the opportunity to learn from my own professors the tactics that they use to teach theatre; as well as begin to explore the world of One Act Play. Finally, the semester ended with working with Gary Cooper to hang lights at a near by high school and to work with LED lighting.
Overall, the semester was filled with tons of growth for me through professional development. Most importantly, my time spent in PD allowed me to shift into the mind set of a Theatre Educator and look at theatre through that lens.
Spring 2018 Reflections
During Spring 2018 I had the chance to really diversify my development through TETA's TheatreFest and other opportunities within the Houston area.
One of the most impact moment in my development so far was in the Gender in the Theatre Classroom workshop at TheatreFest. The hour and a half was spent discussing the role of gender specifically in the classroom and would teachers should know, should look out for, and show tell students. This workshop did not just grow me as an educator, but lead to me going out and doing research on my own to further explore the roles of gender in the modern classroom. This theme was continued during a town hall with Theresa Rebeck where we explored the #MeToo movement within the realm of theatre- especially in the rehearsal room. It allowed for me to begin to think about the rehearsal room I am creating for my future students and to be conscience of gender and identity within all learning communities.
Throughout the semester I had the opportunity to celebrate the best of high school theatre by being a captain for the TUTS Tommy Tune Awards, assisting in three UIL One Act Play contest, and watching four local Houston UIL One Act Play Contest.
