“Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep.” Scott Adams
One of my passions is musical theatre. I love it all: the songs, the stories, the choreography, the costumes and the sets. I love the creativity. I take every possibility to bring my love of musical theatre to my students. First thing in the morning, when we’re listening to “elevator music” to get ready for our day, I sing along with every musical theater melody I recognize. The students cheer (which is my version of a curtain call). In the fall, we read several versions of “The Gingerbread Man.” The finale of our study is our production of “Gingerbread Man – The Musical!” I’ve changed the lyrics of several familiar and simple tunes to re-tell the story. The students gain a deeper understanding of the story and we all love performing the songs. When I teach through my passion, my students become passionate about learning.
What are your passions and how can you share them with your students? Can you take your students on a virtual trip to a favorite vacation spot? Is there a game or sport you love that can be incorporated into a lesson? Your students will learn more when you add your passions to your lessons.
(Access to these photographs does not constitute a transfer of copyright or a license for commercial use. The images are for personal use only. No portion of the images can be used without the expressed written permission of Michael B. Stanley, Jr.)
