Julian Ramos has a passion for sharing his love for dramatic art with the next generation, according to an article in EdSource. It’s key to engaging students in language, he believes, leading to self-discovery and the ability to find the right words. Puppetry, poetry and pantomime are just some of the ways he taps into students’ creativity.
“These kids are storytellers and giving them the opportunity to work on and tell those stories is fuel enough to keep wanting to provide that outlet,” he says.
“Reading has become a chore for a lot of students,” says Ramos, a former English teacher who now specializes in dramatic literature at Pershing Elementary, a TK-6 school in Madera Unified, just northwest of Fresno in the San Joaquin Valley. “I’m currently struggling with how I can use my time wisely, productively and efficiently, as a drama class, but also to reinforce and enhance their literacy skills.”
Ramos sees drama as a way to fuel literacy. He hopes to parlay his students’ excitement about storytelling into a love of language.
“How can I use drama to familiarize them with language, with words, with communication?” he says, given that they are growing up in a texting culture that often eschews words and leans on emojis so hard that it’s ‘basically like hieroglyphics.’ Drama helps students to understand what motivates characters, and how those motivations can be expressed through written language.”
“It is important to expose children to the arts because they all have a voice and a story to tell and, without encouragement, many of those voices and stories go silent or become stifled,” says Ramos. “Many of those voices are made to believe what they have to say does not matter.”
The arts are a nicety and not a core element of education, runs one school of thought. But many educators point to its ability to increase focus and concentration in the classroom, helping students better understand all subjects, from reading and writing to math. Students can also learn conflict resolution and social-emotional learning.
Ramos enjoys watching young students let go of their fears, including social anxiety, and with their peers “create something beautiful.” They grow their creativity and their confidence day by day, he says.
EdSource
