Letters From Teachers:

• Acting to learn, learning to act
• Born to teach
• Passing on a positive impact
• Why do I teach
• Learning together
• Loving the subject and the students
• Leading through our commitments
• Small victories keep me coming back
• Hands-on interaction draws me to teaching
• Awsome students inspire me
• Myriad reasons draw me to teach
• Taking pride in teaching
• Rediscovering the world through students' eyes
• Students' self-confidence is greatest gift
• Making a difference

Autumn Browne:

Acting to learn, learning to act

When I started my student teaching at a high school, I thought I had made the most expensive mistake of my life. I really didn't like going to work for six months! But while going through a divorce I needed some kind of income, so began to substitute while I figured out what I was going to do. I got a long-term job at South Junior High in Anaheim, and realized that this was where I was supposed to be. I loved the middle school students, and was lucky to get a job at Brookhurst Junior High School teaching drama, where I have been for the past 10 years.

I feel I am really making a difference in the lives of these young people by teaching communication skills, and building self-confidence through theater. With 220 students in the program, we produce eight-10 shows each year, giving students the opportunity to let their imaginations soar!

While I love being in the classroom, I also act or direct in at least two professional productions in the community each year. By performing myself, and doing what I am asking my students to do in the classroom, I grow as an educator. The stimulation I receive working with other professionals is amplified when I return to the classroom with new knowledge and ideas.

Autumn Browne
www.autumnbrowne.com

Born to teach »