There I was in early September, on a date that I thought would never arrive back in the bleak days of April. On my hands and knees armed with a tape measure and some dance tape, marking out little squares two metres apart on my Drama studio floor. Three years at drama school and it has come to this.
Why the squares? It had been shared among our local drama teachers’ group that this is what one school was doing, and so it seemed to be a good way of being clear about 2 metres. Mostly though, it's because I felt I should be doing something, anything, to see that I'm making preparations to be ‘Covid safe.’ In the weeks leading up to the term, I have seen countless drama teachers searching, mostly in vain, for some guidance. Little has been forthcoming.
The only help I could find was the excellent document from Open Drama, which set out ideas for teaching in a Covid-safe way. Most of the document was common sense: Keeping groups apart, not sharing props, costumes or scripts, keeping practical work to a timed limit. So, with my mask at the ready, my squares clearly marked (after 3 attempts – maths clearly not my strong point) and one hand gripping hold of the Open Drama poster, I was ready to begin the term.
In reality, the students are great at adapting to this new way of working. They clean chairs after each lesson, sanitise hands regularly and wear masks when waiting to come into the studio. However, keeping them apart when working practically is near impossible. At first, I struggled to contain this, but in reality the students (who are in year group bubbles) spend time playing together, walking arm in arm and mixing closely outside of class. While I would not encourage a face-to-face 10-minute duologue in close proximity, I'm not going to stop the flow of a brilliant year 10 movement sequence because the student's arms happen to brush each other.
In all honesty, I, like every other drama teacher, am anxious that I don't want to be responsible for the spread of this horrible virus. However, as with everything, we have to balance the risks carefully, and the joy of seeing students raring to go with practical work should not be undervalued as we work within the new normal.