© Emma Wee
Day 1 –
We have 22 teachers joining us from all over Lebanon, some travelling 4 hours a day to reach us – they’re all here to try something new in their teaching lives. Some we have met before – about 40% of the participants were part of the Youth project we did back in October; a reflection on how well received that workshop was.
The day starts with introductions of the CAST team, and an explanation of what they can expect from the next 3 days. We have two drama specialists, one vocal animator, a designer and choreographer on the team. There is nervousness and anticipation on both sides, but equally everyone has come with open minds and open hearts, which is the best possible starting point.
During the sessions the participants will take turns at being both teachers and students.
This is designed to help them examine their own teaching practice – how they deal with the discipline in the classes, what they get from being a teacher. It’s important to give voice to these concerns – and the energy is engaged and focussed.
Somewhere halfway through the morning the school cleaner’s son joins the group – he was originally slightly left out of the first youth project as he wasn’t ‘picked’ as one of the 80, but proudly wearing his faded, well-worn and oft washed “What a Drama” t-shirt from the workshop, he joins this group of teachers who are attempting to get over their initial embarrassments at jumping around the room doing vocal warm-ups, and no-one bats an eyelid. Some wonder whether we are simply playing games with no reason, but each session is given its purpose and learning benefits…does it make sense though?
© Emma Wee
Day 2 –
Everyone has come back – and we have gained a new teacher. Apparently this is an extremely rare occurrence and we’re all thrilled. Equally exciting is the fact that some of the exercises that we thought might not have translated fully have clearly worked. The teachers were asked to create their own adaptations according to the subject they teach (whether that be maths, science or geography, not just an arts based lesson) and bring it to today’s session, this has yielded some thought provoking results. The energy at the break is flying high – they all come back into the room and start singing at every opportunity. “How do you feel?” I ask them… “Happy”, “Relaxed”, “Confident” – “Fantastic”, I say “But you do realise that you’re all learning?” The penny seems to drop – creative play that doesn’t rely on rote discipline does not necessarily mean that the learning stops. This is what we’ve been trying to achieve.
© Emma Wee
Day 3 –
The last day – and everyone is tired, but still giving their all. We have issues with people travelling back to the furthest camps and we have to push the course through its timings to get it finished far sooner than planned. The morning comprises of the group trying out their adaptations of the exercises we have given them and then starting to create new work using all of the techniques that the they’ve learnt; it’s lovely to step back and see how much confidence they have in using the new material.
In the afternoon we show the film from the October workshop. It shows the children performing in the very room we’re now standing in, with the sets the children built are still here in the school. It’s a moment that emphasises what these three days have been about; and brings home to us the fact that much more of this work needs to happen for these children. That by working with these teachers there is the hope that we can reach far more than the initial 80 students that we worked with back in October.
Despite their concerns at leaving early, after the certificates are handed out, the singing starts again and the group is reluctant to leave.
It’s been an amazing time – and hopefully each one of these teachers will have taken something with them from this process to help them back at their respective schools.