TEACHING
Why I am Passionate
Learning is driven by curiosity; it is the thing that keeps us interested in the world. Curiosity invokes us to find the thing that makes us tick and keeps us jumping out of bed in the morning. My curiosity has led me to theatre. The theatre might seem like a weird place to make a difference in the world, but I’d disagree. It is the place where humanity gets revealed, a community for everyone and it reminds us to be constantly striving and to live. I bring theatre to my students, fostering curiosity in the learning environment in the hope that we can change the world.
How I Teach
Life is not just about knowing, it’s about living. A student’s knowledge cannot simply exist on paper, the ability to practically apply knowledge is essential. Once my students know how to define terminology, I encourage them to immediately put it to use. I provide them with tools so they can be the creator. Once they possess knowledge and basic skill, I guide them towards refining their craft. I want to teach my students how to learn, so they are better prepared to live. I want them to figure out what they want to do, how they can actually do it, and how to appreciate that achievement once they have reached it.
Strengths as an Educator
My strength lies in my ability to create an active classroom and provide artistic feedback. Factual knowledge could be learned from a book, video or online tutorial. What I offer is in depth feedback, a creative mind, and willingness to see them for where they are. I provide suggestions on what they do not, cannot, or will not see yet. I appraise their progress and adjust my feedback accordingly so they might see for themselves who they are and be excited for future possibilities.
I think something that really sets me apart is my love of play. I believe it is possible to work with the spirit of play, with purpose. If you can play with purpose you will learn more, you will learn it faster, and you will retain it longer. It is the magic of the imagination and the creative state. Once a student learns how to utilize the creative state, amazing discoveries are possible. We play in my class, but students work hard, and they will want to come back for more.
TEACHING TESTIMONIALS
"You’re what the theatre program needs. You are what brought us together. I will miss you and wish you the best. I know you’ll do great things. You’ve made my Mount experience what it is. You kept me there. You’ve kept me going. and you gave me confidence."
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"He made class fun and helped students feel comfortable coming out of their shells. He was also a fair grader and we were well aware of his expectations before completing an assignemnt."
"Rich helps foster an interactive class environment by making the traditional classroom setting informal. He has acted more like a guide than an intimidating course instructor and this has helped me gain confidence and put my best efforts into this course."
"Rich was a great teacher! He is passionate and serious about his discipline and truly believes and strives to relate it to every individual and aspect of life. He is willing to accept and discuss criticism in a very professional manner."
"Rich is a great instructor because he explicitly states what we should retain from each lesson, speaks clearly, and gets the class involved by warming up and doing the recitation activities. He is very approachable and respectful to all students."
"Rich has shown up every day with a smile on his face. One of the best things about him was that he was able to be professional about being our teacher all while being a friend to everyone in the class as well. He got to know everyone on a personal level (as much as possible for what the class allows). For his knowledge in the class, it was great being able to see him in one of the performances we had to see this semester, as he stood out as an example of what we were striving to be like while we were up on stage for all of the scenes we did in class throughout the semester. He will definitely be one of the teachers I remember and will miss not having in later semesters."
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"He is amazing! I love him! Purdue has to be proud of having such good and awesome teacher...in my eyes he is incredibly amazing and a wonderful person who cares about his students and helps them in every situation."