Wednesday, January 22, 2014

When we give our students "real things" to do.

Our students are impressive.

Yes, that's right.  Our Philadelphia Public School students are incredibly impressive.  And talented.  And engaged.  And inspiring.

When we allow them the space to show what they really are capable of doing.

This month, my drama students at the Bodine High School for International Affairs were pushed to prove their maturity, talent, and artistic commitment, by working with professional NYC-based filmmaker, M. Asli Dukan to capture their monologue performances on camera.



 From the minute they entered the auditorium, these sophomore, junior, and senior students experienced an actual shoot -- going through the process of blocking their pieces for the camera, supporting each other to fully embody their characters, quieting-on-the-set, and rising to the challenge of pushing through their nerves and performing to the best of their abilities.





These are the types of experiences our students need more of -- as they serve as moments for young people to find their voice, feel proud of what they are able to accomplish, and develop the substantive self-esteem that keeps all teenagers on a path toward making healthy decisions to advance themselves.

These are the very reasons that the arts should never be cut from our schools.

I hope you enjoy my students' work.

Sydney - Dramatic piece about a formerly-enslaved woman whose babies were stolen from her.

Thalia - Dramatic piece about a woman who lost family members in the September 11th plane crashes. 

Ameerah -- Comedic piece about a young woman breaking up with her basketball playing boyfriend. 

Shakirah -- Dramatic piece spoken by the Joker from Batman: The Dark Knight. 

Santi -- Dramatic piece from the mother's perspective in the movie Precious. 

Freddy -- Dramatic piece from Of Mice and Men. 

Brianne -- Comedic piece about inter-galactic space travel and imperialism. 

Ana -- Comedic piece about a woman considering giving up chocolate. 

Nadirah -- Comedic/dramatic piece about a young woman breaking up with her partner. 







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