Secret teacher: Issue 93

I have been a member of the Drama teaching community for the last 12 years. I'm an experienced Curriculum Leader and adore my job. I really appreciate the online Drama community where we can share our highs and lows with each other.

So, you can imagine my upset when reading an opinion column about the lack of cohesion between online and well-established Drama teaching organisations (in which the reader plugs their own recommended ‘must join’ group).

We are told that in order to avoid becoming the stereotypical ‘Drama Teacher’ we must avoid panicking, stop overreacting and enabling the wrong information! We must unite under one group, the best group, the group with their finger on the pulse!

We are not ‘snowflakes’. Drama teachers are inherently strong-willed – we've needed to be to keep our subject alive. We are passionate about our subject, and we want our students to achieve the best results they can. We want to immerse ourselves in the talent that our students have pouring out of them through plays, musical productions, concerts, festivals… the list is endless.

When we need to reach out for support, there are a multitude of different dramatic online groups and organisations that we can tap into. A community. Not all communities thrive under one centralised system. The fact that we can go to one group to share our highest highs and lowest lows, swap resources with another group and talk strategy for GCSE and A Level with another, is in my opinion inclusive and supportive. A diverse array of opinions and ideas is the best way to build best practice and is exactly what a Drama department needs – not one location that gives you a how-to guide, which could stifle creative, but multiple, places where you can bounce ideas.

There is a place for all the excellent organisations to work alongside each other without there having to be a dominant or ‘correct’ organisation. These groups can be linked if their leaders communicate with each other, work together and promote inclusivity.

No matter what level of experience you have, whether you are a one-person department or not, there are places – a number of places – where you can find support, assistance and discussion that can help you.

After all, who are better than Drama teachers to know the power of ‘yes, and…’?

Do you have views you'd like to express anonymously? Get in touch with the editor at sarah.lambie@markallengroup.com and ask if you can contribute a Secret Teacher column. We'd love to hear from you!