"Arts education has been shown to help students develop basic, higher-order thinking, and affective skills needed for workplace success."
My passion is to empower and equip teachers with the creative tools to meaningfully engage their students. I have found as a lifelong student of theater arts that it is an effective and under-utilized way to connect life with learning and learning with life in the classroom.
My mission is to make acting classes and a theater-centered pedagogy apart of every teachers preparatory training and continuing education. Why? There's power in the discipline of theater that will creatively and skillfully serve teachers when managing their classrooms, providing instruction and most importantly connecting with students.
Whether curiosity, sincere interest, or the good ole' algorithm brought us together, I am glad you are here!
I am Altesa, a wife and boy mom x2 who happen to be a professionally trained actor and educator with a passion for bringing the arts and education together through hands-on training. I also have a heart for teachers, those who are in the classrooms day in and out. I believe that seed of respect for teachers was planted way back in my kindergarten heart under the care of Mrs. Smith. She, along with a few others, make up what I call my Teacher Hall of Fame, educators who didn’t just teach but who left lasting, soul-level impressions on me:
Mrs. Smith, my kindergarten teacher, whose warmth and attention laid the foundation for my lifelong admiration for teachers.
Mr. Giple, my fifth-grade teacher, a newcomer from Africa, rumored to have been a doctor in his home country, who nurtured my creativity by inviting a few of us to stay after school and decorate the classroom bulletin boards however we pleased.
Mrs. White, my AP English teacher, whose love for vocabulary and language sparked my own passion for words and storytelling.
Coach Paul, my no-nonsense but charismatic PE teacher and track coach. He made each of us feel seen, as though we were his favorite.
What made these teachers memorable was how they showed up, with presence, belief, and authenticity. That’s what makes a mark. And whether you see it or not in the moment, YOU are doing the same for your students, leaving impressions that will shape them for years to come.
This isn’t just a sentimental account, consider my experience a 25+ year case study in the lifelong impact of educators who show up with heart.
FOR THE EDUCATOR
Calling all advocates and proponents of theater arts-centered classroom management strategies and pedagogy.