Othello

Teacher Testimonials

“I wanted to be involved again (and hopefully again and again!) because I witnessed how the program changes the lives of our young people. I’ve incorporated a great deal of our work into my classroom teaching style. From confidence-building to collaborative skill building, the program helps students develop and refine their voices. They grow in confidence and maturity, and I enjoy having a front row seat to this change.”
–Teacher, Mather High School

“I participated in this program last year and its transformational power brought me back. This experience has whole-heartedly changed my point of view about reading Shakespeare. I feel so much better prepared to bring Shakespeare to my students, and it was honestly the only reason I was confident enough to direct our school’s first Shakespeare play last spring. It is a joy to follow this same journey as the students do and take part in a process where there is no “expert.” I love to take part in scenes with students from different schools and experience how easily they encourage and support each other.”
–Teacher, Multicultural Academy of Scholarship

“Five years after participating in the pilot year of CPS Shakespeare! I am back in a program that I consider one of the most important educational programs in history. The discussions we have regarding the text are a teacher’s dream. The students dig so deeply into the text and find such subtle, new ways of looking at certain lines. There is no aspect of my point of view regarding the reading of Shakespeare that has not been completely changed. There is no other way to connect so deeply to the characters. The text must be viewed with an eye sharper than any standardized test can measure.”
–Teacher, Al Raby School for Community & Environment

“My experience here has changed the way I teach everything, and Shakespeare. I know that I can teach the most difficult text, to any student, because that is what we do here. The value my students see in this project led them to start a robust after-school drama program with me. They demanded, and now take part in, a credited drama class as a part of their school day. CPS Shakespeare! reminds me of what is possible in my classroom, in my school, and in my students’ lives each day.”
–Teacher, Gage Park High School

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