March 7, 2012
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The Daily News
1 One thing is certain: any time the WPC shows up at school, you can be sure that electronic or electrical crap will go wrong.
2 Who, you may ask, is the WPC?
3 In education, they are always important people coming in to observe your lessons.
4 They aren't unique to education; they are in every single job that's out there.
5 I always alert my students as to when the WPC are coming. This time, it was sort of an ambush.
6 We were told on Monday that they were coming to observe us in our habitats from nine a.m. to noon yesterday.
7 Pretty short notice.
8 In teaching, at least, you have to come up with some sort of dog-and-pony show any time you get observed, especially by the WPC.
9 So knowing they were visiting on short notice, I had to alter my lesson plan just a bit.
10 My plan was to have my students spend the entire period working on their upcoming skits, which are due on Thursday and Friday. I was going to catch up with all paperwork and grading while they worked. I knew they wouldn't stay completely on task, but I also knew that they had that deadline. All was perfect until we were notified mid-Monday that the WPC was going to visit yesterday.
11 I decided to add two elements to my lesson: one was a brief lecture on the story of A Midsummer Night's Dream, and the second was to show my class a VHS (I know!) of our 1994 version of the Midsummer crossovers that opened the show.
12 I told them that it was made around the same time Shakespeare wrote it.
13 Anyone out there feeling a bit...er...old?
14 Anyway, it made for almost an extra half hour of lessons, just in case the WPC showed up.
15 What, you may ask is the WPC?
16 My classes each period asked the same question, to a man.
17 Each period I would hesitate before telling them.
18 And the question would again come up: "Mr. H, who is the WPC?" My answer:
19 "White People with Clipboards."
20 Always a crowd pleaser.
21 My third period class is this angelic class of seniors who are a lot of students I taught four years ago. There's this special bond that happens with them each day,and it is awesome. We've all been through it, so we all get along wonderfully.
22 Yesterday, after the lecture and the VHS, one of my best groups asked if they could rehearse in the hallway. These are some of the most mature and best students ever, so I naturally said yes.
23 This did two things for me: one, it put the best and brightest practicing skits right outside my door, and it also shrunk my class size by six, a significant number. Everybody was working, and it looked good.
24 My lessons didn't change too much. It was my original plan, before I ever heard of the visiting committee.
25 I walked around the room helping different groups, and then went in to the hallway to see how my ace group was doing.
26 The second I opened the door, one girl drew her hand across her throat several times and pointed to her right, indicating that the committee was right there.
27 I looked over and saw three white ladies, our principal, and our former principal from YB, Juan Cruz.
28 I did a double take to the students, who were all smiles, ears and braces.
29 The WPC walked right past them, with one lady saying, "Oh, practicing some skits, huh?" I just smiled and said, "Yeah." Aw shucks ma'am.
30 They ignored my room and went on down the hall. The second they disappeared, my honors group broke into enormous smiles.
31 Together we had all survived a WPC ambush.
32 I knew I wasn't out of the woods quite yet. I anticipated a subsequent visit within the next two hours, so I re-loaded the VHS player, and located my handouts on Midsummer.
33 After break, my fourth period class came into the room. I told them of the possible ambush by the WPC. They also laughed, and then I started my lesson. After explaining about Shakespeare, and how the modern trend is to have some sort of gimmick ( making Shakespearean shows pirates, boom-boxes, hip-hop, jazz settings, etc.) I went to the VHS player. Just then, the door to my classroom swung open like a western saloon. In walked three white ladies, and our principal, AND Juan Cruz.
34 It was right out of a movie.
35 I got immediately swaggish, because I had cocked and loaded the famous crossovers of Midsummer, complete with a Mendelssohn intro, and music from the Beatles' Yellow Submarine album, produced by the immortal George Martin. I had it hooked up to my Altecs. All was perfect. I also had one of the best shows ever ready to rock.
36 I then pushed play.
37 Nothing.
38 Nada. I could hear the pencil screechings of the WPC behind me. I could feel the triumph of Juan Cruz, who to this day I think doesn't like me very much.
39 I pushed play again. Nothing. I ad-libbed, "Okay, so we are experiencing technical difficulties. This happens every time I'm being watched!" Mild laughter. Even the WPC laughed.
40 My technical mind said, "Re-boot, even though it is a VHS!" I pushed "eject". The VHS slowly moved out. I pushed it back in, and immediately heard the four opening notes to Mendelssohn's amazing piece, the theme of the four lovers. The forest appeared, complete with the trees, the glitter, and the fifty-thousand leaves.
41 Side B of Yellow Submarine blasted through the room, and the past came in to rescue the entire day. There was Oscar, and Eric, and Sharise, and Chris, and Fina, and everyone else, taking it home. I narrated the crossover, asking my students who was who. The WPC had surrounded the room, and had no answer.
42 Midsummer to the rescue!
43 My students LOVED it. They loved that each tree had a name. They loved the story of Puck coming in on a horse on closing night. They loved the lush forest. They loved that the moon was a hand-made gobo cut from a Coke can. They loved that we not only built a riveside out of burlap and phony flowers, but that we had a swimming pool with a mirror in it and a fan so that we could give the impression of running reflected water anytime people would walk downstage. And they loved the fifty-thousand leaves that billowed through the entire production.
44 Incredible stuff. I even told them that we had thrown glitter on all the trees and throughout the Theatre so that it would be sensationally magical for the audience.
45 The WPC eventually left, but the students applauded at the end of the video. It still holds up, and it taught a new group of students that Shakespeare should NEVER be considered a subject in school, but should be for the ages.
46 Triumphant moment.
47 It was a simple case of my teaching/directing philosophy: Those who can, do. Those who can't, teach. Those who can't teach direct. Those who can't direct, fake it successfully.
48 Fun story, and a hopeful story for others in companies and businesses where they get occasionally ambushed by their own versions of the WPC.
49 Let this throw some levity into the mix the next time you get bullied by accountability. They will never be as good as you. And you will never fear them again, from this day forth.
50 Never.
51 Have an awesome day.
52 Peace.
~H~
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