In-service, Day 1, Poor Judd is Dead

8:30 A.M. Ethyl and Imogene?

Who in the world are these people?

Student Council paid these two to come in and talk to the staff? Full costumes, makeup, props, scripted comic whatever. Actually, I'm thinking it is improvisational in places, 'cause I just saw them fumble the hand off. Imogene's mike keeps going out and in.

"Imogene" looks and sounds like a history teacher from Freeport I taught summer school with ten years ago. She told me in the faculty lounge at lunch one time that people "like me," alluding to my long hair, would give opinions "like that." I don't even remember the subject or opinion, but the comment stuck in my memory. You remember how people treat you long after you forget what you've talked about. Suddenly this last year this nemesis from the past was one of the teachers who shared my classroom. As we reacquainted ourselves, she made a point to complement me on what I had "done with the program." I got the sense she was trying to make up for her past comments.

These performers may be giving us an attempt at comedy rather than trying to give us some kind of message. I've just noticed they are doing many lines, comic lines, without connecting physical reactions. Actually, that's Imogene who is so frozen. Turns out, she was a Theatre teacher. Another reason I should not try to act in community productions.

I'm thinking that maybe they are trying to send us a message using negative examples. The first skit is in the chairs in the center, and then they go to the tables on the side. Full prop set-up. However, they need to be elevated so everyone can see them. Too big an audience for a floor level performance.

"Imogene" also looks and sounds like one of our counselors that later was in our lunch party. She said then several people thought she was the performer at first. This was not really a compliment, I don't think, but the faculty person didn't seem to pick up on that.

Okay I guess the intent is to make us laugh and brighten our spirits. The APs have time to fill during campus workshops and so there is pressure to fill the slots, regardless. There is no comprehensive plan and no needs assessment by the teachers, so the APs choose what is at hand. I guess motivation is a better choice than others they could have made.

I remember developing and presenting workshops for Region 10 during the years I worked there. We would take interest inventories from staff in the region and then I would get data and prepare in-service presentations on the identified needs, but there was a lot of discretion in the selection. Even with extensive needs assessments, I'm not sure the exact people who identified the needs ever were delivered the workshops they identified.

The performers are now calling some of our faculty members to the stage and giving "awards." I wonder if these are set ups or improvisational? The first two teachers are hamming it up and I can see the performers struggling to keep the segment going in the planned direction. No set-ups here. The teachers are being too cute, so the performers are having a tough time keeping up the premise. Now they have one of the APs up. She will play it straight. After the first two teachers, the performers dropped off the script long enough to say, "I don't want to call anyone else up here. This is the craziest school I've ever been to."

Now they are doing a back stage change (al la Greater Tuna, except not as fast).

It's 9:14 A.M., and they are scheduled to go until 9:30 A.M. so I think we only have a bit more to endure. I'm thinking there is an intended message after all, about the dedication and devotion of teachers who are not recognized for their work and achievements. They picked a mythical "Dorothy Watson," who dies in the course of the play, and talk about all the things she did for students. Then suddenly the characters are deciding to retire and going over the things they can do on teacher retirement money. Substitute teaching? Now they are back to all the things Dorothy Watson did for which she received no honor while living.

They are digging a deep hole of sadness here.

At 9:20, they haven't made the change. I wonder where the inspirational part is coming in.

Okay here it is, at 9:23. There are hundreds of people of people at the Dorothy Watson funeral. Everyone is recognizing her decades of devotion. Watson's students have gone on to do great things, etc. etc.

Except it is getting too sentimental, too cloying for me, and it is not motivational for me to think of recognition received only over a tombstone. Reminds me of the song from Oklahoma in which Curley tries to persuade Judd to commit suicide by telling him how much everyone will be sorry for how they treated him while he was alive.

At 9:25 one performer, Melissa by actual name, begins to make a personal testimonial about her thirty years of teaching. She talks while taking her wig off, falsies out. At 9:29 the other performer, Rhonda, comes out and makes her testimonial. She talks of the teachers who helped her grow up. Now she talks about her acting partner, her high school drama teacher.

We're into 9:31 and the other lady is making her final send off, the serious message---a baby bird metaphor. The set-up includes make-up mirrors. They are stripping make-up and making these final monologues/testimonials.

Ended at 9:41.

So it looks like Rhonda is going around doing these humorous performances with her former high school Theatre teacher, Melissa. Inspirational, motivational presentations to boost morale etc. etc. etc.

My morale is not boosted.

Poor Judd is dead.
A candle lights his head.
He's looking oh so pretty and serene,
And folks are feelin' sad,
Cause they use to treat him bad,
And now they know their friend is gone for good.

Ephemeral stuff, this, except for the bit about people remembering how you treat them longer than they remember what you've talked about.