Drama vs. Reality

Friday I did something a little different in my drama class. Several of my students had left early, and I felt that we needed a break from acting. The class has a lot of seniors in it, and I felt that sometimes other things are more important than teaching from a textbook. I asked the students if any of them could tell me about a national or international news story, and most of them admitted to me that they didn't know about anything that was going on at the national and international levels.
I started the discussion by asking students to volunteer information about what they knew. It proved to be a great starting point because students realized that since their peers were knowledgeable about events, it was acceptable to be well-informed. When the students began to run out of topics, I discussed issues that I knew about with them. Although this is usually my most chaotic class, they sat perfectly still and were intrigued almost to the point of scaring me. I couldn't believe this was my class...and that they cared so much about issues such as the Supreme Court. It showed me that these students care just as much about current events as their counterparts at other schools. I believe the way the material was presented made all the difference. As students saw their peers discussing matters at hand, they realized that there is nothing wrong with being politically and socially conscious. It was a great experience, and I plan to do it again. I believe, now more than ever, that sometimes knowledge about the real world is more important than preplanned textbook terms and ideas.