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(Note: This student was in my "Acting/Technology/Reality" course at New York University.For obvious reasons, I am leaving student contact information off the Web.)
I knew Terri was a cool chick from the moment she walked into the classroom!
She speaks to us on the level she wants to be spoken to, and she has such
a charismatic way of communicating and teaching. There has never been a moment
when I haven't seen her passion and fire alive for teaching because she is
so intent on helping us, what is in our best interest.
She also truly cares about us as individuals and not just another student.
For example, our first assignment was a student questionnaire with nearly
thirty questions about our interests and our life at NYU. She didn't just
want to know the basics (name, e-mail address, etc.), but she carefully planned
out an entire two pages of very thought provoking questions, like "Describe
a piece of writing you've done that you are proud of. Tell me why it pleased
you--was it difficult to research, or from the heart, or done on a tight deadline,
or what?"
The amount of time and energy she puts into this class is amazing, absolutely
unreal. She has a web site devoted entirely to the class where we go for assignments,
announcements, and even links to the sites where our assigned and suggested
readings can be found. We also have a class e-mail list that has turned out
to be one of my favorite aspects of the class. It really gives the students
who aren't as vocal as others a chance to speak their mind without being intimidated.
Thanks to this e-mail list, we have become more social with others in the
class, sparking debates on heated issues or even throwing out a recommendation
for a good movie we caught over the weekend. It's also a great way for Terri
to communicate with us because she constantly throws out issues to think about,
information on assignments, and guidance when we feel lost and have a million
questions- I know she would answer every single one!
She approaches teaching in a way that doesn't complicate the issue at hand,
but relates it to our interests so we can understand. To understand the "spectacles
of society," our big topic this semester, we each had to share one of
our guiltiest media pleasures; it was also a way to have fun in getting to
know each other. We also keep a journal that is just for us, a way to reflect
on topics we discuss in class and how they affect our life in the theatre
or as a "normal person" as Terri would say. Mine has actually helped
me in breakthroughs with my writing because I have never consistently kept
a personal journal, but now that I've started, it is a way for me to expand
on my thoughts for the day or just vent about life.
She gave us the option of turning the journals in, and I didn't mind sharing, so I turned it in. The way she gave me recognition and praised my journal in class meant so much to me. At my will, she asked me to post some entries on the mailing list, and of course I was honored to do so. She made me feel good about myself and my work and gave me this boost of confidence in my writing skills, which is so often nonexistent. I enjoy writing in her class because of the way she challenges our minds to work, allowing us to think big and tackle an issue that we feel strongly about.
We also got to do this awesome "culture jamming" assignment on "interrupting
the spectacle of modern media." Basically, we were supposed to develop
a blueprint on how we would interrupt one media spectacle, in order take a
personal stand and speak out on an issue that mattered to us. To warm us up
for the paper, we spent one class writing about the presidential campaign
and how we could intercept it in some way. The sky was the limit! Nothing
was holding us back, no laws or rules, just what our imaginations could conjure
up in order to make a positive change in the world today.
I know Terri wants us to get everything and more out of this class. I think
she hopes for us to find our own passions with the issues brought up in class,
especially the way she lets us write, so open and free. We get to decide the
particular topic of the midterm paper, and it has to be something we investigate
with a burning question driving us to the investigation. She wanted us each
to have at least fifteen to twenty minutes to talk to her individually about
our topic and where it's going. Graciously, she gave up several of her afternoons
to claim a table at the local Starbucks for our meetings, and the personal
attention and guidance she gave helped tremendously. Basically, she told me
it is perfectly acceptable to write about what you love because that's how
you find your own voice in writing. She continuously helps us with research.
The other day she e-mailed me the title of a book she thought would be helpful
in my paper, but she not only does it for me. Everyday there are e-mail suggestions
for someone else’s paper.
Terri is such an amazing teacher, and I don't feel my words do the description
and praise of her work justice. I feel like I have taken a new piece of life
away with me from this class, not only in the scholarly studies of philosophers
and theatre developers we discuss, but a discovery of my capabilities and
skills as a writer. She inspires me to take action because every small step
of the way helps in the big picture. Her warm and bursting personality invites
me in; I want to learn and listen every time she speaks because I see the
passion she has to teach us, teach me.