One of my class's favorite activities is teacher-in-role! I did one in the first lesson when we talked about Egyptian Gods and character traits and motivations. I was Ra, the Sun God in ancient Egypt. I didn't expect it to go so well because they were too smart. They knew it was Miss Esther acting it out. It was the conversations when I introduced Ra:
Miss Esther: Today I invited a friend from ancient Egypt to visit us.
Class: (turned their heads to the door and anticipated someone to walk in)
Miss Esther: When I put on the headband, I will become Ra, the Sun God.
Class: (laughed) It's you! Oh, no one is coming...
Miss Esther: (oh, no...epic fail)
I managed to be in role and talked to them as Ra. They asked Ra some interesting questions and they seemed to like him. At the end of the lesson, they asked if Ra would come back!
Fast forward to lesson 3, we had teacher-in-role again. I was Hephaestus, a Greek God. They asked if Hephaestus knew Ra because they sounded similar! This time, they embraced the idea of being in role with me. They asked creative questions and they tried to worship Hephaestus as the ancient Greeks did.
I love seeing the changes in this class. After only 3 classes, they are more open-minded and willing to try new things. They were shy and quiet in the first lesson. By the third lesson, they opened up more and took more risks. I can't wait to see them using their creativity to embrace new cultures and new art skills.
