A Taster of My Analysis.

What skills do actors naturally have, before teacher training, that are directly transferable to the drama classroom? This question was asked to all practitioners that teach in schools. They have been grouped into ex-performer teachers and non-performer teachers. While the ex-performers gave me a colourful, complex discussion about the pros and cons of ex-performers that teach and what they can offer before training, at JRCS, there seemed to be a unified feeling that, "performers don't necessarily make good drama teachers" (Non-Performer D, 2013). These non-performer teachers drew on their experiences and told stories of how actors are not fit for the job. "They tend to focus on themselves a lot," (Non-Performer B, 2013) and "it's never about you, it's always about the students" (Non-Performer C, 2013). As I begin to gather the idea of a stigma or a reputation around actors that want to teach, the head of department supports this notion, stating, "I think you would be right to play down you are an actor upon applying for a drama teacher role within a school. I've seen it many times, we are not looking for talented people to show our kids how it's done. We are looking for people who understand how children learn" (Non-Performer A, 2013).

Then I turn to the quantitative data within my survey, when these non-performer teachers at JRCS were asked what skills they possessed naturally before teacher training, only 20% of them felt they had subject knowledge; practitioner skills; and new classroom ideas. When asked if they had artistic passion and knowledge only 2 in 5 of them said they did. If my discussions with these non-performers suggests that actors are not naturally rich in teaching skills and my survey reveals that Drama/Theatre Studies graduates are also not rich in these skills before teacher training, I'm left with the question, who is? 

My reflections in my journal of the experience of the Goldsmith's PGCE application process tells me that,"we had to perform various tasks, all in aim of uncovering what skills we naturally have that will be useful when training... They had clip boards and watched us assist teachers to see if we had any instinctual tools and skills that were transferable to the classroom" (Ahmet, 2012). As Ex-Performer A concludes in his interview, he makes a statement that points to an important finding, "Everybody will always defend themselves. Generally speaking a teacher will always think that their way is the right way and will protect their own chosen path as practitioners. You need to bare that in mind, we naturally want to protect our background" (Ex-performer A, 2013). This opens up a new perspective within my inquiry. Are teachers from a non-performing background bound to assume ex-performers will, "seek the lime light in class and not care about the educational experience of the students" (Non-Performer C, 2013). Ex-Performer D argues, drama graduates may have more of a theoretical background, but I'm not sure of the relevance of that. I think my practitioners experience can enrich a student's process much more than somebody who has merely studied it at university" (Ex-Performer D, 2013). My review on Lawrence Davidson's articles shows support to the idea that, "clever young people just down from university with a degree in drama will find there is no substitute for practical experience” (Davidson, 1999).

 
As I gather and analyse this data, both quantitative and qualitative, I am aware that a practitioner may tend to support their own choices as a professional. Rather than find an answer to my question, it has exposed a stigma or an opinion that I may meet upon my journey in teacher training and applying for a job. The awareness of this assumption will be key, when it comes to selling myself at interview and combating any stigmas that might be put upon me. Rather than my inquiry providing direct answers to my questions, it has allowed me to learn about the culture within my future practise and construct an understanding, thus becoming a better informed practitioner.