January 13, 2015
To the world Out There...
My name is Sarah Lee (Luthy) Butterfield. Legally, my name is still Luthy even though I was married to my wonderful husband last March. I found out that changing your name is a lot of paperwork, and I am working on getting that done soon! But for now I just live in this awkward space where sometimes I forget my name completely...
My story goes like this... I went to a very small, very conservative high school in Sugar City, Idaho. When I was a freshman, we were all required to take Speech, and it just so happened that the Speech teacher and the Drama teacher was the same person. I loved Speech and found that I had a natural talent for it, so my teacher recommended I try entering the district drama competition the following fall. So I did. And all throughout high school I continued participating in Speech and Drama competitions, even competing (and winning 1st place as an ensemble) at the Shakespeare Festival in Cedar City. I did technical jobs like assistant directing and stage managing and my senior year I was in Julius Caesar and a farce (a type of comedy) called Accident, West Virginia, where I got to be a crazy hippie. These experiences were so much fun and I loved being involved, but at the time that's all they were to me. When I started school here at USU, I actually wanted to major in Biology. But after about a half a semester, I realized that I LOVED theatre, and that I BELONGED there. I knew I didn't want to be an actor, so the idea of being a teacher just fell into place. Now it is truly my passion, and I LOVE it.
Upon graduating I will be K-12 certified, and although I would like to teach high school, I have recently discovered a passion in children's theatre and working with younger kids. I recently assistant directed a TYA (Theatre for Young Audience) production called Still Life with Iris. That play got me so interested in TYA, that I have even begun working on a research project with my professor on writing for TYA.
I define literacy as so much more than being able to read and write. Its about knowledge, putting the power behind your knowledge and true understanding and comprehension. Theatre definitely involves literacy. Although many people have the misconception that theatre is just a bunch of plays and fun and an "easy class", there are a lot of elements that involve literacy and using texts. From scripts to theatre history to philosophy, theatre is just like any other subject, where comprehension and application is a must. I really hope to incorporate literacy into my teaching, especially to drive away the false ideas that people have about theatre being an "easy subject".
But for now...
"Do you mind? Let's talk about it later. Right now I'd rather be left alone. With my dreams."
-The Cherry Orchard, Anton Chekhov
Hi Sarah...Do you know Tori Benson? I just love her. I think she starred in "Still Life with Iris" too, right?
ReplyDeleteOne thing I love about theatre is that it really introduces you to broad worlds beyond your own. It forces people to have empathy for others by literally walking in their shoes. I actually think theatre is one of the best tools for critical literacy, in the sense that it can encourage students to think about an issue from somebody else's perspective. So even if you came from a small town in Idaho, you can still see the world from the eyes of a prince in Denmark, or an African American family in South Side Chicago, and more.
That's great that you had such an inspirational teacher....you can BE that teacher for others someday.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading your posting and I look forward to hearing more of your ideas throughout the rest of the semester!
Sarah,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed learning about theater from your blog post and I am excited to continue to learn from you. I also agree with Amy that you can learn so much from another person's perspective through theater. I believe that to be true even from the spectator's position.
I am excited to learn from you and apply your knowledge to my content area!
Nikki Capener