Tanner Munson

Ashley Trotnic
Joplin High School
9th 12th Graders
Theatre Tech

Table of Contents
Journal Summaries
Lesson Plans
Work Samples
Classroom Environment
Final Essay
Letter to Future Cadets
Teacher Evaluation

Tanner Munson
Kristi McGowen
Cadet Teaching E105
19 September 2014

In Theatre Tech, the students are creating costumes for

the Renaissance Festival in Kansas City. Most of the students
in the class are actively participating, though there is a
group of four in the back that are consistently blowing off
Ms. Trotnics instructions. She had warned them repeatedly
about how many points this project is worth and how much it
will impact their grade if they blow it off, yet they continue to
be a distraction in the class and neglect their project. So I
took it upon myself to work with them directly.
I had a small breakthrough with a freshmen girl, Lauren.
She confessed to neglecting her project and continued to tell
me how she felt overwhelmed about the work she had ahead
of her. I broke down the basics of the project for her from
beginning to end. I walked her through cutting out the
pattern for the costume, cutting the fabric and then how to

work a sewing machine. I hope that she has some sort of an

impact on her friends before they become out of hand.

Tanner Munson
Kristi McGowen
Cadet Teaching E105
26 September 2014

When Im not monitoring the classroom and helping

students with their projects, I help out Ms. Trotnic with
various theatre related tasks. As the head of publicity for the
theatre department it is my job to call around and secure
dates with the newspaper, morning news stations and
promote the show in any way possible. This requires strong
interpersonal skills and an acute knowledge of what one is
promoting.
Today I called around to different news stations in an
attempt to get on a morning news stations. I also contacted
the newspaper and managed to get a reporter, Emily
Younker, to cover The Crucible as well as the unfinished
performing arts center. While this may seem unrelated to my

cadet teaching experience, it is a piece of my daily routine

that I do in class.

Tanner Munson
Kristi McGowen
Cadet Teaching E105
1 October 2014

The end of the quarter is approaching quickly and the

Renaissance Festival is approaching even quicker. The
students are beginning to sew their costume pieces together
and theyre starting to realize they dont have any time to
spare. Theyve been given adequate time to finish these
costumes and some of them are finally acknowledging the
fact that time is running out.
The girl I mentioned in an earlier entry, Lauren, is
clearly the only one to take anything seriously. She has been
working very hard to catch up with the rest of the class after
her slacking. As for her other three friends, they are once

again slacking off on their costumes. They cut their fabric,

but do so in away that isnt acceptable for a costume. Ms.
Trotnic is constantly monitoring their work to ensure at least
something gets finished, but only so much can be done
without doing it for them. I remind them often that its their
grade and sitting around waiting to fail will be worse for
them in the long run. Though whether take my advice or not
is another question.
Tanner Munson
Kristi McGowen
Cadet Teaching E105
27 October 2014

Last Saturday, the 25th, we attended the Renaissance

Festival in Kansas City. The kids had finished their costumes
and seemed to have a great time and experience the reward
that comes from hard work and perseverance. Though now
that the costume unit is finished, its time for me to teach
my lesson over being a publicist manager.
Today I began the unit by introducing several Broadway
posters, including: Cinderella, West Side Story, and Wicked.

The job of the publicist is not only to publicize the show, but
also to create the poster, t-shirt, and program. I showed
them examples of all three and intend on having them
publicize a show in class. I showed them examples of shirts
that I had created for the shows, as well as posters and
programs. They seemed to be fairly receptive to lesson and
maybe even enjoyed. Though I hope that they approach the
assignment with the same enthusiasm.

Tanner Munson
Kristi McGowen
Cadet Teaching E105
7 November 2014

Today is the day that they turn in their publicity

assignment. We are having an in-class competition to see
who created the best poster and t-shirt. I had them read the
show, Hansel and Gretel and they based their deigns off of
that show. The class provided some impressive examples of

work. I was extremely proud of the students work and

affirmed my want to teach secondary education.
The best part of the day was the pride they exuded
when their work was showed on the Smart Board during
voting. It was a great feeling to see the students take pride
in something that I take pride in myself. Which is what I think
teaching is all about.
The worst part of the day would have to be the four
troublemakers. They were talking through pretty much the
whole day and were even separated at one point. They
seem to be bent on being a distraction for the whole class.
Though whenever disciplinary action is threatened they
seem to shape up, so I guess they have some amount of
common sense.

Lesson Plan 1

Class

Theatre Tech

Lesson
The Technological Role of a Publicist

Attention Grabber
Broadway posters, JHS theatre posters/t-shirts

Lecture Information
How to use Photoshop to create a poster, how to create a tshirt online

Activity
Read the script: Hansel and Gretel, create a poster, create a
t-shirt with a cast list on the back

Lesson Plan 2
Class

Theatre Tech

Lesson
The Practical Role of a Publicist

Attention Grabber
Various performances of Broadway shows on USA Today,
Broadway at Bryant Park and 54 Below.

Lecture Information
How to be professional over the phone, set up interviews,
contact news and radio.

Activity
Call business in area to request a Crucible Poster be hanged
in their office space.

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This semester I was a Cadet Teacher for the JHS Theatre

Tech class taught by Ashely Trotinc. My experience was
overall an extremely positive one. There were days, of
course, that werent always very exciting or fun. The

students seemed very receptive to anything I would say to

them and managed to build a relationship with me. They
were almost all academically motivated though tended be a
bit lazy. There were few behavioral problems, except for the
group of four. Though towards the end of the semester they
were whipped into shape. Lauren, the student mentioned in
my journal entries, ended up being a very hard worker and
even thanked me for intervening with her at the beginning of
the year.
The teacher I taught with was Ashley Trotnic. Through
this experience I built a stronger relationship with her and
she affirmed my want to teach. She always handled things in
a professional approach and was always dressed as such.
She used a mixture of humor and structure to keep the class
in line and it worked effectively. The atmosphere was always
friendly and was viewed as a safe place to work and enjoy
the class. I am very grateful to have worked with such a
professional individual.
The school I taught for was Joplin High School. In a
state-of-the-art school everything is very pristine and nice,

which is a welcome transition compared to the split

campuses. The school has a variety of special programs,
such as Franklin Technology Center and Personalized
Learning Experiences. Overall my experience at the high
school was a highly positive one.
The best experience I had as a teacher was when I saw
the pride that my students took in their work. To see the
effort that was placed in the work was a beautiful thing and
it was clear that teaching is something Im truly passionate
about.
The worst experience I had as a teacher was the lack of
attention I received from a few students. It didnt occur to
me that someone would simply blow off the project and
when I approached them about it, they simply told me they
didnt care.

Dear Future Cadets,

You are in for a fun and challenging semester. You will

encounter students who are as passionate about the subject
youre teaching as you are. Its a rewarding feeling to
connect with students over a similar interest and its also
difficult to understand students who dont.
Some advice that I have for you is to be patient.
Patience is a virtue that not everyone is blessed with and
can be difficult to maintain. Though patience with students
who arent has hard of workers will pay off when you break
through with them.
Take inspiration from your students. Theyre more wiling
to learn if its something that they share an interest in. With
my students, I found a script that seemed to peak their
interests and I think it provided a higher standard for the
work that they produced.
Whatever you do, dont give up on those students who
dont respond right away. With patience, a positive attitude,

and a willingness to help them, you will have a breakthrough

with them and it will be an extremely rewarding feeling.
Good luck and have a great semester!

Sincerely, Tanner Munson