Creating Safety for Students

Western understandings of the ways that our current educational structures and systems – microcosms of imperialist white supremacist patriarchal capitalism – continue to limit access and space for students from diverse backgrounds to flourish. (As an example, see the Ontario Human Rights Commission’s Right to Read Inquiry Report, 2019). Awareness of the limitations of one’s own experience and a willingness to engage actively in learning about the characteristics and impacts of these oppressions is the first step for educators whose social position is reflected in dominant discourse.

Self-expression holds a significant role in the majority of Dramatic Arts and Dance activities. Additionally, drama and dance serve as a powerful educational tools to engage participants in exploring students' societal concerns, such as bullying, houselessness, racism, discrimination, and global issues stemming from current world events. Drama and dance offer space for students to engage with real-life scenarios in a secure environment. Some of that security comes from the distance afforded by Role. Consider The Safety of Role, a 2020 article by Jane Deluzio.

It falls upon the teacher to create an environment that fosters emotional and social safety for the students. When sensitive and personal subjects come up, the teacher should be ready to address them in a suitable manner. This safety may include inviting social workers to the classroom.

There are some very important points to note when working through life drama in the classroom:

• Creating a secure learning environment is the foundation for effective student engagement. Safety within the group is not automatic; it must be deliberately nurtured and sustained. It's imperative to allocate substantial time at the beginning of the group's learning journey to build a sense of community where students feel comfortable sharing their thoughts and emotions. The establishment of a cohesive group is pivotal, and trust-building activities are instrumental in fostering a collaborative, inclusive environment that is integral to the success of this learning approach. The teacher builds a trusting relationship through consistency, predictable responses to students’ behaviour, practices like Calling In and encouraging student voice and choice in expectations, goal setting, programming and assessment.
• In the early stages of group formation, explicit teaching about oversharing, circles of trust (PDF activity), and what is appropriate to disclose to the class is essential for student safety and well-being. Traumatized students and/or neurodivergent students are less likely to know where social boundaries exist and may not understand the social consequences of their oversharing.
• Participation should involve student agency. It's important to establish a classroom environment where students feel comfortable exploring issues, and this includes recognizing that not every student may be ready to engage with a specific topic. To promote respect and inclusivity, it's valuable to incorporate a "right to pass" approach, allowing students the choice to participate without feeling pressured. Set boundaries around the ‘right to pass’ so that students understand what it is for (mental wellness support) and what it is not for (avoiding risk taking for fear of making mistakes).
• Before beginning any work dealing with emotionally weighty work, explicit teaching around trauma responses and establishment of procedures for indicating distress and leaving the discussion, classroom space or classroom must be established.
• It's crucial for students to understand that expressing emotions and experiencing emotional responses aren't inherently negative. Individual reactions vary, and there's no one "correct" response.
• Connecting with themes being explored is essential, but this doesn't necessitate personal experience with the situations portrayed. Instead, students should be able to relate, extrapolate, or imagine these experiences, keeping appropriation of voice in mind.
• It is helpful to distinguish between ‘universals’ and ‘particulars’ when planning dramatic arts and theatre work. For example, it may not be appropriate to do a process drama with a class about a loss that they have personally experienced, but it may be possible to explore the universal theme of loss through an allegory or story that allows them to place emotional distance between themselves and the work. Consideration should also be made for the timing of dramatic work related to a theme that is connected to student trauma. Te Rito Toi offers leadership in teaching during crises and responding to those crises with trauma-informed care.
• Regularly build in opportunities to come up for joy, especially if the topics are heavy. Notice the emotional state of your students and pause the action when needed to give them a deep breath. Spread heavy or deep work over a longer period of time. Your goal is not to expose your students to more trauma in order to have the pay-out of catharsis at the end. Consider the dangers of method acting and apply this to your understanding of drama and theatre work.

Because drama content gives voice to alternative perspectives which may be uncomfortable for those whose identities are commonly reflected in dominant discourse, the teacher should use professional judgment in the selection of examples. The teacher should also plan carefully to support students in the growth of their understanding of alternative perspectives. Consider that the “Right to Comfort” is a characteristic of White Supremacist Culture and a privilege afforded to those with dominant identities within that culture.

Teachers need to consider the difference between appropriating voice and giving voice:

"'Voice appropriation' or 'cultural appropriation' can be described broadly as the practice by authors, painters, film makers, and other artists of depicting characters, themes, or 'voices' from cultures not their own, often with first person intimacy and the implied authority of someone on the 'inside'." (Bondy-Cusinato, 1996).

"The harm in appropriation comes when a culture is shrunk in possibility, reduced to a set of disembodied gestures — style without substance [...] In an ever more connected world, there is the risk that culture becomes, as the Korean-born German philosopher Byung-Chul Han writes in “Hyperculture” (2022), “cul-tour”: a sightseeing circuit." (Mishan, 2022).

The Canada Council for the Arts "considers that 'cultural appropriation' applies when cultural borrowings or adaptations from a minoritized culture reflect, reinforce or amplify inequalities, stereotypes and historically exploitative relationships that have direct negative consequences on equity-seeking communities in Canada." (from their website)

Consider the Ontario Council for the Arts video: Indigenous Arts Protocol.

When a teacher’s own social position and identity limits them from having the knowledge needed to give voice to certain issues, they should involve specialists. This process may involve inviting guest artists or practitioners. CODE and Prologue for the Performing Arts offer the following guidelines for partnerships: Best Practices Teachers and Artists Working Together.