Drama Vault

Hello, and welcome! My name is John, and I'm a high school theatre teacher at a Performing Arts High School in Southern California. I've been teaching since 2014, and I've taught every grade in K-12 over the course of the past seven years, almost always with an ELA and/or Theatre Arts focus. My experience has given me a great perspective on how the the progress and process of learning can vary wildly from student to student, and that the best way to help students learn and grow is to provide clear guidance, help them understand that you care about them as individuals, and include them in the learning process as empowered partners in learning. I have written multiple levels of Theatre Performance class curriculum in my current position, and what you'll find in my store are materials that I have developed because I was trying to meet an instructional need for my student, so I developed it and tested it myself before it ever hit my store.

The old adage, "Be the teacher you wish you'd had when you were younger," is the creed that I work and live by. I strive to develop individual relationships with my students (especially the most difficult to read ones), because without relationships, I cannot effectively do my job. Teaching Theatre/Drama requires you to be able to make students feel comfortable not just with you, but with each other: they will not get up on stage and perform if they don't feel emotionally, physically, psychologically safe, therefore open and honest communication is the backbone of my relationships with my students. That is especially true when it comes to grades and assignments; since Theatre and Performance work can be subjective and difficult to grade, I include them in my grading expectations and requirements from the beginning of each unit. The more empowered they are with understanding what you want from them, the better their work and confidence will be!

Educational Theatre Association Inspirational Theatre Teacher Award (2020)

I hold a BFA in Theatre Performance from Auburn University and an MA in Education from Alliant International University. I have a Clear Credential for Secondary English specialization in California, as well as a CTE Credential for Theatre Performance in California.

I worked as a professional actor after graduating college, and the more I was acting, the more I was also teaching, and I quickly realized how much I loved teaching and sharing my love of theatre. I went back, got my Masters, and the rest, as they say, is history!