tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12657288.post7261321361995534790..comments2024-01-07T06:59:04.212-05:00Comments on The Playgoer: Arts Teachers vs Teaching ArtistsPlaygoerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02994724588504353485noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12657288.post-39973412393407886072010-02-24T22:25:31.762-05:002010-02-24T22:25:31.762-05:00My wife has done both for many years. As a teachin...My wife has done both for many years. As a teaching artist, she got to work with some amazing and remarkable arts organizations over the years, and brought a lot of great learning and theater education to kids in literally all five boroughs. However, the freelance lifestyle, lack of benefits, irregular schedule and low pay eventually took their toll, and she chose to pursue a full time teaching career instead, becoming a full time theater teacher in at first 6-12 grade, and now K-5 settings. <br /><br />As a theater teacher, she has the benefit of consistency and continuity with the children she teaches, and has had some amazing opportunities to impact their lives in a positive way, through theater, but also as a teacher. Also, she gets health benefits. Navigating the city bureaucracy isn't easy, especially in this period, but she's found a niche that works for her. <br /><br />However, that is not to say that teaching arts organizations don't do great things with their artists- just that in many ways, it is apples and oranges to compare full-time teachers with guest artists who are brought in for specific residencies or projects. It'd be nice if when school budgets were made, every school could make the arts a priority and retain full-time staff. But if their only option is to hire teaching artists and bring the arts in from the outside, there's a benefit there too. Nor should they be mutually exclusive either-- it's a funny thing about theater that it actually encourages (and requires) collaboration, and it wouldn't surprise me if the more theater teachers there were, the more opportunities for theater teaching artists there would be too.Matthewnoreply@blogger.com