Customer Reviews

Stuff I Wish I'd Known: A Practical Guide for High School Speech and Drama Teachers

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Stuff I Wish I'd Known is a remarkably direct guide for new drama and speech teachers. The author communicates like a mentor sharing the accumulated wisdom of a lifetime spent teaching. Every page is filled with essential information about the business of coaching speech and drama and running an auditorium, especially real-life, day-to-day details that even experienced teachers outside the field may not know. I recommend this book highly to any practitioner, new or old, who plans to take on a project in the area of drama--a play, competition, drama club, speech team, whatever--and wants to be certain not to forget a thing. This text is certain to save you valuable time in a field that doesn't have any to spare.

Ms. Heathcotte has provided first year teachers with strategies for avoiding many of the problems teachers usually face that first frightening year. With the help of this book, new drama/speech teachers should feel much more confident about how to proceed in their very demanding special area. This book is almost like having a mentor guiding you through, offering time-saving hints and practical tips for making your first year successful. If you're looking for lesson plans, look elsewhere, but add this book to your shelf for practicalities such putting on a tournament and running an auditorium.

I found this book a complete practical guide to avoid the pitfalls of a new Drama Teacher's daily life. Each page is a discovery, each single advice makes perfect sense. The author shares, beyond her obvious passion for the theater, a wealth of realistic tips, and deals candidly with all the related issues to achieve a successful career, including financial issues, multiracial problems and personality conflicts. I learnt much about the treatment of a script, the running of an auditorium, equipment, the scheduling of rehearsals, even how to organize a tournament, down to the catering, as well as goal-setting. All is pressented in an easy to read format, with the light tone of those who learnt from their own mistakes and can now laugh about it. I sincerely thank the author for sharing such priceless wisdom.

Stuff I Should Have Known is a must to have on every teacher's resource bookshelf. It gives honest and realistic advice to help a demanding position run smoothly. The book is a priceless guide for new teachers and experienced to save time and frustration, so they can enjoy their chosen vocation.

I had hoped to really learn something from this book, but found myself skipping over large chunks of it because it was not substantial enough. This is a pleasant book which deals more with the politics of everyday life in a high school, and guides the brand new teacher through the hazards of being the new kid on the block. It hardly addresses the real meat of the speech and drama issues. Basically tells you how to kiss up to everyone and get them to forgive your mistakes. Was not a book I would recommend for folks who really want to get a speech and drama program off the ground - unless they are mostly concerned about not stepping on others' toes.