"I never felt the desire,
To let music set me on fire--
Then I was saved..."
-Billy Joel

While considering my philosophy of education I was forced to reflect, to return to and to examine education from my own frame of reference. At the very core I am an artist and this meant returning to my art-to writing and to acting. It meant returning to the Promethean spark- the moment when the torch of knowing is placed into our hands and the world is suddenly and unalterably illuminated. And, at the risk of sounding melodramatic, the theatre was the spark that saved my life in high school. The moment happened while I was on stage performing the part of a wayward, angry, and frightened student who, at the pinnacle of the play, finally discovers that the one teacher who had tried and tried again to make a difference in his life had done just that. In this revealing moment all of the angst and disillusionment I shared with the character seeped through and was exposed to the deadly silent audience. I could not see anything through the blinding stage lights, but I could feel the words I had spoken attach to the heart of each member of the audience like a thousand delicate strands of a spider's web. I stood in the dimming stage lights reveling in the sensation of a community woven together in a moment of collective understanding. We remained silently together long after darkness enveloped the theater. When the applause erupted and I reluctantly left the webs floating in the wake, I felt the lingering warmth of a community forged together with words.

At the beating heart of any art form, including the art of teaching, is the fundamental human need to make connections: to past life experiences, to prior leanings, to a teacher, to an author, to a fellow student. These connections are the conduit through which education emerges. My reflection has led me to understand that the essential qualities necessary to create a poignant theatrical performance are significantly similar to my beliefs concerning how a classroom is made to breath with the same vitality and impact for learners. There are three crucial elements:

AUTHENTIC CHALLENGE, PERFORMANCE, AND ASSESSMENT

A performer must be able to make a firm connection between his personal experiences and feelings and the fictional life and feelings of the characters he plays on stage. No matter how brilliantly conceived by the author, a character is a mere husk, an empty shell until a person reading or performing that character breathes a piece of his own life and imagination into it. This is the true challenge of acting-finding the courage to expose pieces of your own life through the eyes of a fictional being, in front of an audience. The very same thing is true of the work in a classroom. Students afforded the opportunity to discover and explore connections between the work in the classroom and prior experiences, emotions, and learning in their lives- find the learning infinitely more valuable and accessible. The real work of the classroom is most effective and evocative for students when it is the real work of professionals in the field and is evaluated by an audience authentically connected to the type of work completed. In theatre an actor's final performance is assessed by the audience and by the actor himself. However, prior to that final performance the actor is given feedback from his director and his fellow actors. This should also be the case in the classroom.

During a unit in which my 11th grade students were exploring the play, Fences, by August Wilson, I realized that there was a cultural divide between the world of the play and the world of my students. Using the metaphor the title of the play implies, I asked my students to write a short reflective piece about the fences they had operating in their own lives. Once students discovered the connections between their own fences and those of the characters, they were better able to understand and appreciate the value of the literature-they were able to make a connection. While reading the play, students learned about and analyzed the various elements of dramatic literature and through this analysis discovered the major themes and ideas within the script. This is the work of directors. After watching two guest performers act a short scene from the play, students read and acted out scenes in front of the class. With help and suggestions the students were able to fill out the characters they portrayed, bringing the characters to life-this is the work of actors. Finally, students used what they had learned about the elements of dramatic literature and, using August Wilson as a model, wrote their own ten minute plays. Many students, like Wilson himself, chose to write about events in their own lives, applying their learning about script writing to make those life moments vibrant and alive-this is the work playwrights. Evaluation of student work came in the form of a staged reading of their plays in front of peers and teachers. In addition the students collected and reflected on their own work in a final portfolio.

This unit highlights the infusion of my teaching practice with my belief that the best and most effective method for engaging students in learning is to challenge them with work authentically drawn from the discipline from which it originated. When students are asked to take on the work of experts in the fields they study they are more likely to discover the sparking epiphany-the connection-that sets their life and future alight for years to come.

CONNECTIVE COMMUNITY

One of the amazing gifts of theatre is its ability to bring together people with diverse backgrounds, beliefs, and attitudes. Each person involved in a production from the playwright, director, designers, actors, technicians, and eventually the audience, brings his or her unique perspectives and experiences to the production. These perspectives and experiences are combined to create a collective work of art. This group becomes an intricately connected whole, much like individual strands of a spider's web. They become an ensemble.

The same is true of the community created by individuals involved in the classroom. The process of building this community begins with the teacher himself. A teacher must believe in and strive to make sure each learner feels valued and respected despite differences in learning styles, appearances, and behaviors. The teacher must also use his knowledge of the different talents and strengths of his students to enhance and accommodate the way learning works in the classroom. In addition the teacher must work to help each student develop connections between the texts and activities in the classroom and his or her life. This means connecting the learning to the larger school and surrounding community. No script perfectly matches the actors cast to perform it, but with effort the performances they create will perfectly match the ensemble of actors. This type of ensemble emerges through dialogue, collaborative efforts, and the creation of common experiences. The teacher plays an integral part in making this community come alive.

Students and their voices play an equally vital role in shaping the community of the classroom. Just as a director considers the voices and perspectives of his actors in his artistic vision, a teacher interested in a collective vision of classroom community requires the input of each of his students. When I solicited feedback from students concerning my teaching, one student wrote, "[Mr. Poch] steps away from being authoritative and breeches on interactive. He tries to connect with his students to teach, not act on a hierarchal level." Another student added, "[Mr. Poch] makes an excellent effort in getting to know and understand each individual student's needs and desires. He made himself more a "friend" than a "teacher," which is quite a refreshing change." These, my students' voices, demonstrate? my belief in engaging with students to craft a learning community.

TAKING RISKS IN A SUPPORTIVE ENVIRONMENT

The business of acting is a risky one. Actors must be free to explore the movement of their bodies, the range of their voices, and often when developing an emotional life for their character, must expose parts of their inner landscape that most people would care not to reveal. Actors need a safe place and the support of their ensemble to be able to fully explore and develop their craft. When this type of encouraging environment is achieved then even when an actor is by himself on stage, he is never truly alone. His ensemble is with him every step of the way. This same type of environment is needed as students work through the struggles and pitfalls of learning.

In order to learn, students need to feel that it is safe for them to voice their ideas, questions, beliefs, and feelings without fear of ridicule or scorn. In his book, Lives on the Boundary, Mike Rose shares his belief, "We should welcome certain kinds of errors, make allowances for them...Error marks the place where education begins" (1989). I share Rose's point of view believing that, in order to grow and change, students must be free to take risks, challenge misconceptions, and make mistakes. Students need a space where they can make these errors in relative safety. This environment is created through the creation and adherence to mutually developed and agreed upon behavioral norms based on the principle of respect for all. When in operation these norms act as a safety net for students, allowing them the freedom to take the risks necessary to learn and grow.

During my student teaching I worked with my classes to develop norms for class and group discussions. Students generated these norms by asking themselves the questions: What do good discussions look like, and what can students do to help foster good discussions? From their answers we first generated and then narrowed down a list of the behaviors we would all try to exhibit and promote during discussions. Largely because of these norms, discussion in our class became a time when all student voices were heard and the community was strengthened. One student reflected, " Participating in a structured discussion helps because you can see other views and thoughts you may not have come up with or realized otherwise." This statement illustrates that this student found value in having clear expectations for discussion behavior and in making the classroom a safe place for everyone to express themselves freely. Even students who, at other times, might have difficulty following the classroom norms became an integral part of upholding the discussion norms. One student, for example, who struggled to control his behavior during other activities, pleaded with me to be a moderator during an upcoming discussion. We discussed my reservations based on his past behavior, but he was so sincere in his desire to help lead the discussion I decided to take a risk and give him the chance. It turned out to be one of the highlights of my student teaching. This student masterfully moderated the discussion keeping in mind and upholding each of the discussion norms with tact and professionalism. The other students responded to his lead and the discussion, under his watchful eye, became vibrant and fruitful. When each member of the class, including the teacher, contributes to the supportive risk taking culture of the classroom, new capacities and new passions are discovered.

Just as the theatre revealed my passion for acting, it was in a theater that a student ignited my desire and courage to teach. He was a member of my stage crew at the high school whose theater I managed. Having had little success in school, lost and directionless, I felt a connection to this student-having played the part before. Stage crew became this student's connection to school. He signed up to work as many events as he could and he soon established himself as a crew leader. One evening while wrapping up sound cables after a concert, I overheard this student talking with a fellow crew member. I listen, unnoticed, as they discussed what they wanted to do after high school. His line surprised me and inspired me. They are words I will not forget. He said, "I guess... I want to be like Ben. I want to be a theatre person like him." The spark caught, the torch lit, the world changed.