Helping Teachers Remember Their Why!

Are you losing your passion for teaching? Have you forgotten why you even became a teacher? You long to reach each student in your classroom, but in a time where teachers are criticized while continuing to take on more responsibilities, we start to feel more and more defeated. Add the stress from our personal lives, toxic work environments, oh, and an ongoing global pandemic, and no wonder teachers are putting everyone’s needs above their own and dealing with burnout. Let Kristie introduce you to a new realm called:

The Imaginary Elsewhere…a safe place to be yourself,

Where memories are made and confidence gained,

Your purpose and self worth are discovered,

A family is born, You’ll find your voice…

With a little bit of magic…ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE!

It’s time to rediscover YOUR why!

Kristie L. Farr

Kristie L. Farr has been a Theatre teacher at Indian River High School since 1998. Since starting there, she has developed a sequenced program in Theatre, directs 3 productions per year and coordinates the Thespian Troupe and Honor Society. Some of her favorite directing credits include: Kodachrome, 26 Pebbles, Who Will Carry the Word, The Yellow Boat, Bocón, Once on this Island, Arsenic and Old Lace, And a Child Shall Lead, The Women of Lockerbie, Almost Maine, The Laramie Project and The Diary of Anne Frank. Several of her productions have received Awards of Excellence in Directing from the Theatre Association of New York State and Awards of Excellence for Outstanding Production at the Michael J. Harms Theatre Festival. She has enjoyed teaming with Third Eye Theatre to provide a variety of ASL interpreted productions for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing in her community.

Kristie has been an adjunct instructor in the Theatre and Dance Department at SUNY Potsdam for the last 11 years specializing in Theatre Education Methods courses as well as Play Analysis and Theatre History courses. In addition, she has taught for NYSUT focusing on CTE courses in Curriculum, Instruction, Assessment and Classroom Management. She earned her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees at SUNY Potsdam and holds the following teaching certifications: Theatre Certification (K-12) Professional Performing Arts –Drama (9-12) Permanent, Speech/Drama Certification (K-12) Permanent.

For over 30 years, Kristie has been the New York State Theatre Education Association (NYSTEA) Curriculum Chair working with Theatre standards revision, curriculum development, assessment and certification. She is currently the Chair of the Arts Content Advisory Panel and the Theatre Chair for the IAAP Committee at the NYS Education Department. She has been part of EdTA’s Lesson Plan Project (2020) Model Curriculum Project (2018, 2019) and Theatre Teacher Evaluation Workbook committee. Her Theatre program was recognized as the Educational Theatre Association’s Outstanding School in 2007. In 2012 she was awarded the National Reba R. Robertson Award for Outstanding Theatre Teacher and won the 2017 NYSTEA Rod Marriott Lifetime Achievement Award. She was thrilled to have been a part of the American High School Theatre Festival in Edinburgh, Scotland in 2013. Most recently, she was selected as a Theatre Teacher Leader for the CAN PLC. She looks forward to the important work they will be doing over the next 5 years.

Committees:

Theatre Teacher leader - Connected Arts Network

Selected for the EdTA Lesson Plan Project (2020)
Selected for the EdTA National Model Curriculum Project (2018, 2019)
Committee Chair for the Arts Content Advisory Panel: The New York State Education Department (2017 to present)
Theater Chair for the New York State Arts Standards Revision committee: The New York State Education Department

Curriculum Chair and Board Secretary: The New York State Theatre Education Association
Theater Teacher Evaluation Workbook Team: The Educational Theatre Association
Subject Matter Expert for Theatre Content Specialty Test: NYS Teacher Certification
Committee Chair for the Revision of the Theatre Resource Guide: The New York State Education Department/NYSTEA

Committee Member, Item Reviewer, Scorer for the ASSETS Theatre Arts Assessment, The New York State Education Department
Content Advisory Committee for the Theatre Content Specialty Exam including Item Review, Marker Response Review, Passing Score Review, NES

The Book:

Why are so many teachers losing their passion for teaching?

How have so many of them forgotten why they even became teachers?

Educating in an era when too many teachers are criticized while continuing to take on more responsibilities is only one reason for the great Edu-Exit in recent months. Teachers long to reach each student in the classroom, but it's becoming all too easy to feel more and more defeated. Add the stress from personal lives, toxic work environments, kids who are addicted to technology, oh, and an ongoing global pandemic, and it’s no wonder teachers are putting everyone’s needs above their own while dealing with burnout. Some are still persevering; many have left.

For too many years, veteran educator Kristie Farr did not take care of herself. She put everybody else's needs and opinions (no matter how toxic) ahead of her own. Before she realized it, she started losing the passion she’d always had as a teacher–something she never thought would happen.

The problem? She had NO boundaries. She had no idea how to take care of herself because taking care of herself seemed selfish. It wasn’t long before she hit her iceberg: complete teacher burnout. Then one morning in October 2021, she found herself on the floor crying–not from sadness, but gratitude. She was holding all the letters from students she had saved for the last 30 years, and it was then that she began to heal. She had rediscovered her why!

It’s time for teachers everywhere to rediscover THEIR why! If there has been a time for this book, it is now.

In an informative and insightful interview, Kristie can speak to:

A global pandemic and teacher burnout.
Strategies for teacher self-care and rediscovering the joy in teaching.
Building connections and relationships with students.
Theatre as an effective tool for reaching teens about important issues.
Strategies for building collaboration and community in the classroom.
Taking risks and choosing theatrical material that will challenge educators, students and the community.
How challenging theatre teaches resilience, empathy and the value of research and putting personal identity into someone else’s story.
Ways to instill in students the importance of not becoming complacent in this world: how to show young people that they have a voice and CAN make a difference.

“This book is full of lessons on how to find the humanity in teaching theatre, at a time when both teaching and theatre are in massive upheaval. It has a teacher’s heart, and seeks to help you find the sparks of joy that remind you why you do what you do. It is honest and raw about the changes since the Covid-19 pandemic sent us all into isolation, and how hard it has been to rebuild the connections we once took for granted.” (Megan Kemple, Playwright, Artistic Director, Drama Therapist)

“You’ve written a book that can give young teachers a blueprint for how to create a strong, successful, fun, and inclusive theatre curriculum at their school. But more importantly, I think you have written something that can be an inspiration for all teachers on how to create a loving, empowered community of people who lift each other up.” (Sierra Hicks, Program Analyst)

“This work reflects its author perfectly: wildly brilliant and wholly approachable. You'll be taught and corrected while being totally loved.” (John Moran, Marketing and Sales Administrator for Getty Music)

Let Kristie Help You!

Workshops Available

Honoring Diversity in Your Classroom- a Conversation

Through guided discussion, participants will explore the question: "How can we empower teachers to create culturally responsive experiences and environments for our students of color while encouraging them to be their most authentic self? We will explore a variety of strategies that can be used in our classrooms. Strategies that give our students equitable and engaging experiences as well as giving every student a voice.
Creating Safety as Students Engage in Challenging Material

Explore different strategies to use when working with your students on difficult, challenging and dramatic material. Strategies and activities used by the presenter, while working with a variety of challenging plays (The Yellow Boat by David Saar, The Women of Lockerbie by Deborah Brevoort and The Laramie Project by the Tectonic Theatre Project will be described and practiced.
Theatrical Interpreting

Participants will explore skills necessary to work with ASL interpreters on the stage. There are four main forms of stage interpreting: Traditional Platform, Artistic Platform, Zoned and Shadowed. The pros and cons of each will be shared with emphasis placed on the most inclusive forms of shared audience experience styles: Zoned and Shadowed. These interpreting styles necessitate a special form of collaboration between the director, cast, crew and interpreters
Facing Burnout? It's Time to Re-ignite Your Why!

Teachers long to reach each student in the classroom, but it's becoming all too easy to feel more defeated. It’s no wonder teachers are dealing with burnout. For too many years, Kristie did not take care of herself; taking care of herself seemed selfish. She started losing the passion she had as a teacher–something she never thought would happen. It wasn’t long before she hit her iceberg: complete teacher burnout. Let Kristie share her steps to self-care and help you re-ignite your why!