Why Electives Matter
The classroom buzzes with activity. Sixth graders gather around computers in the classroom, writing their plays. On the stage, a team of students practices their student-written production. Others use the school’s spotlight while more students are working on “backstage” tasks: finding costumes, making scenery, and creating a playlist of sound effects.
The group on stage gathers around one of the girls as she plays guitar. They start singing “I Wanna Be a Billionaire.” Other students join them on stage, surrounding the guitar girl as they hop to the lyrics. I wince, reminding myself to discuss the use of certain lyrics with them before the end of class. Despite a few inappropriate words, the students are all excited about creating programs of interest for their peers. It’s a great day in Sandlot Drama class.
The name of the class isn’t really Sandlot Drama. Those of us who teach electives tend to have more freedom to plan the time that’s needed for creative projects. The freedom to facilitate student-created plays has turned my classroom into a scene similar to when Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney would “get all the kids together and put on a show!” or when the baseball diamond, void of adult supervision, was where kids learned how to call the plays and how to resolve...
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