{"id":382,"date":"2009-05-08T09:13:54","date_gmt":"2009-05-08T13:13:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.gloriacrist.com\/blog\/?p=382"},"modified":"2009-05-09T12:59:07","modified_gmt":"2009-05-09T16:59:07","slug":"in-the-drama","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gloriacrist.com\/blog\/2009\/05\/in-the-drama\/","title":{"rendered":"In the Drama………."},"content":{"rendered":"

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High school is not what is used to be.\u00a0 With a few exceptions.\u00a0 It is not the world I knew back in the 80’s-not that I would expect it to be- but all the same;\u00a0 I am grateful I am not currently in high school.<\/p>\n

I have been given the rare opportunity to\u00a0immerse myself back into the essence of high school life via the drama club.\u00a0 I took on the task of reinventing drama-as an added part of student life- just as it should be.\u00a0 The past 6 months have been a real eye opener.\u00a0 Here is what I have learned:<\/p>\n

1.\u00a0 Today’s student is stretched and stressed to unbelievable limits-without the emotional development to deal with it all. They do not get enough sleep, support or financial aide.\u00a0 It is all about the test and not about the education.\u00a0Today’s schools are having to provide services that used to fall to other\u00a0agencies that specifically handled “social services”. Schools are parenting, providing and protecting. AND yes, sports and band still rule.<\/p>\n

2. There are exceptions to this-but not many.<\/p>\n

3.\u00a0 Social networking systems are the diaries of today-only everyone is\u00a0privy to\u00a0personal thoughts and wishes.\u00a0\u00a0 Nothing is sacred-it all must be shared to prove a point, voice an opinion, be heard(with exclamation points), tear someone down and rip someones heart out in front of\u00a0thousands.\u00a0 It is immediate and unforgiving-and somehow seems less sincere-except for the personal attacks. Those are real.\u00a0 Real brutal.<\/p>\n

4. Somehow along the way-a sense of entitlement happened.\u00a0 Kids think they are entitled to\u00a0things without working for them.\u00a0 Yes, I know I sound like my mother-but it is true-and I can’t believe I am going to sound more like my father-but- really, I am forever grateful I had to work\u00a0for everything.\u00a0 \u00a0I don’t remember this being the rule when I was in high school.\u00a0 It really was about working towards something-and then getting it-or not.\u00a0\u00a0And back then, there\u00a0was no one else to\u00a0blame-or sue-\u00a0if we did not.<\/p>\n

5.\u00a0 I don’t give a shit what any evangelical propagandaspeak says.\u00a0 You can not preach abstinence.\u00a0It does not work.\u00a0Kids are having sex and a lot of it.\u00a0 Preach safe sex.\u00a0 Preach same sex.\u00a0 Preach one love.\u00a0 Preach being smart.\u00a0 In the moment smart.<\/p>\n

6. There are exceptions to this- but not many.<\/p>\n

7.\u00a0 The stereotypes remain:\u00a0 the jocks, the potheads, the geeks,super achievers, the cliques, the loners and the mean girls.\u00a0Mean girls:\u00a0I never liked them and still don’t. Back then it was Sandy Johnson.\u00a0 She was an absolute horror- she and her posse of she devils.\u00a0Sandy did not need a\u00a0social network\u00a0system or super fast texting device\u00a0to get her ill gained point across.\u00a0 She had\u00a0girls that did it for her.\u00a0 She would toss her blond hair back behind her\u00a0right shoulder and\u00a0watch her ordered havoc take place. Everyone was fair game-but\u00a0her specialty was going for those already down.\u00a0\u00a0Sandy had a\u00a0verbal one two punch reserved for hitting below the belt.\u00a0 And\u00a0as editor of the school newspaper-Sandy saw that certain written\u00a0verbal\u00a0attacks mysteriously made into the “Weekly Viking”.\u00a0\u00a0 I truly hated her.\u00a0\u00a0Today mean\u00a0girls have the advantage of technology and extremely poor impulse control.\u00a0They seem to have super powers now-that cut to the bone.\u00a0 They are more conniving, manipulative and destructive.\u00a0 If they only knew how pathetic they were-if they could see what they are doing is a comment on their own sadness-maybe they would leave others alone.\u00a0Maybe they would learn that in the grand scheme of things-what they are doing now will come back to haunt them-somewhere down the road.\u00a0 I never used to believe that when my mother would casually say this in passing-as I was suffering uncontrollably and not able to understand how someone could be so cruel. But it is true.\u00a0 I have lived long enough to see it.\u00a0 Maybe- these girls\u00a0would choose to do things differently and use their words for a greater impact.\u00a0 Yeah, I know, underdeveloped\u00a0brains and all that.\u00a0 \u00a0I did not see it back when I was in high school and I wasted many tears.\u00a0Now I see the\u00a0behavior in girls\u00a0as early as elementary school….alpha brats in the making.\u00a0 Not caring who they hurt along the way.\u00a0<\/p>\n

8. Drama and the process of theater-or the making of theater in a given amount of time-\u00a0can cure many ills-but not all.\u00a0 It can add layers to a young soul in the making-but it can not solve all the problems.\u00a0 It can, for even an instance ,have a profound effect on how someone feels about who they are-and where they want to be- provide another option- another choice.\u00a0 But drama can not make it all better.\u00a0 Somehow I thought it would.\u00a0 I was wrong. There are kids who are golden and shining in spite of.\u00a0 Kids who never knew they could- and did- and forever will know they did.\u00a0 This will serve them well.\u00a0 There are kids who could care less. Parents who care and those who care less too.\u00a0 Sometimes my heart is overjoyed with what I see happening right in front of me-sometimes it breaks in two.\u00a0 Theater won’t be the savior it was for me.\u00a0But I won’t give up. I’ll raise the bar.<\/p>\n

9. All the worlds a stage.\u00a0 Really.<\/p>\n

10. I would not trade this experience for anything*<\/p>\n

*There are exceptions to this-but not many.<\/p>\n

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