We all think we know about puppets because of fond memories of our childhood when we were first exposed to puppets in one show or another.  If you lived in New York City or its environs there was a rich assortment of companies that would bring their shows into schools. There were permanent theaters in the basement of apartment buildings (this is where I saw Bil Baird’s Puppets in action), or rarely in someone’s garage. Most puppeteers were like me, individual itinerants – lugging the whole show around in or on top of a car.  But, I have digressed.

Before I built my first traveling puppet theater that I could carry around to “gigs” on top of my car, I used the puppets extensively in the classroom to illustrate historical events.  One of the most popular ones was the duel between Alexander Hamilton (who died bravely and dramatically) and Aaron Burr.  But livening up classes in history was my game and I used almost anything to keep the interest alive and participation at a peak so I left them thinking and asking for more.

Once in Robert Treat Junior high school I had a group of “good” kids who were interested in my puppets and I created a few for the show they wanted to put on for Christmas.  I think it was about the boy who wanted to give a gift but he didn’t think it was good enough.  The class responded beautifully and were devastated when I told them I would not be on the stage to help, but in the back of the theater and they were on their own.  It worked!  They were good and the audience appreciated the show.  I made the puppets: creating the show with students was teaching.

I led a club that was not particularly puppet oriented, but it was of the bright kids in Central High School.  I had them trying to make a globe out of chicken wire covered with paper mache.  It held their interest but, like bright students, talk was more to their liking and they lost interest in the globe as it sort of settled under its own weight and we never did get a map of the world to the point where it would show the whole school what an ingenious group we were.  Not all projects have to be successful but, the work on them can be fun and involvement was the theme in teaching – at least in my classes. I brought my traveling show to school on one of the ‘teacher as performer’ days.  I didn’t use a curtain to hide me and the entire school followed my hammy acting out the different parts.  It worked.

Experiences like these were brought to my education classes at Monmouth where, like the faculties of Robert Treat and Central, my approach was not appreciated. Most teachers get stuck in the role as lecturer. I got complaints from them, but appreciation by the kids. I think the other teachers were jealous.