Hoops and Hopes
Dunkirk NY – This weekend I am about to plunge into grading paperwork hell – 100 midterm papers containing two essays apiece, 13 directing production books, reaction papers on our recent student production, and upcoming reaction papers on our first mainstage production. So do not look for anything intelligent over the weekend or anytime soon.
Grading is my least favorite thing to do. I am teaching our big survey course this semester in Introduction to the Performing Arts, and it reminds me once again how much our whole educational process has turned into slightly more than jumping through hoops. When you have 100 students in a room, how in-depth can you possibly be in terms of creating a meaningful assessment? There are so many ideas from professional development people out there floating around, but every one of them is resisted by students, and they take twice the time to prepare and execute correctly. And you get no support if you try – to teaching assistants, no learning assistants, no money. And the rooms are all wrong. And the technology is not widely available. And the state is cutting your budget even more. And so on and so on.
Having students jump through these hoops does little to encourage their hopes. It seems such a pathetic little game at times. But honestly, I don’t know what else to do. They need to take this class because it fulfills a general education requirement in the arts. They really don’t want to learn about the arts; they want the credit. And it leads me to think this thought when I think about all the ideas people have for reforming the arts: what if people simply don’t want them? Are we trying to reform a product that, in actual fact, people don’t want anymore? Where is the statistical data that tells us people are hungry for the arts?
And now down to the dungeon. See you when I get through the dark side. -twl
