Noemi Lara is an Illinois State University graduate with a major in English education and a minor in theater. She now has her first teaching job covering for Paula Levin while on maternity leave. She has learned how to combine her love of teaching with her love of theater.
This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.
Q: How has your experience at BHS been so far?
NL: I have had the most wonderful first weeks at BHS. I really appreciate how welcoming the staff has been. I’m in a unique position, because I’m in both the English and the Fine Arts Department, and in both of those departments, there have been people who have been really supportive, both veteran teachers, but there’s also other new teachers and we’ve been really bonding. So that’s something I’ve appreciated. And the students are awesome.
Q: Going into college were you always planning on becoming a teacher?
NL: Yeah. I started off as English, and then after my freshman year, I took on the theater minor. First, it was only because I wanted to take theater classes because it’s something I love, and then I realized this is something I could do as a career. So that was an awesome realization, where I was thinking ahead on how I could apply this passion of mine into my career.
Q: What has been your favorite part of teaching so far?
NL: My favorite part of teaching has been getting to know students, which I hope doesn’t sound cliché, but every school is so different, every class is so different, and it’s hard to know what to expect. I think the first couple of weeks a priority of mine was to get to know the students, because that’s going to reflect on how I teach and what kind of activities we do. I really take that into consideration for each of my classes. I think something that keeps me motivated when I’m feeling tired and is leaning into you guys and your humor and your personalities, and that just makes my day better.
Q: What’s been the most difficult part of teaching?
NL: I think the workload. I’m tired all the time, and I don’t like being a tired person. I try to be as energetic as possible, and sometimes physically, it’s just impossible to fake it. And I think you guys are very obviously aware of when I’m trying to fake my energy. So the last thing I want to do is feel like it’s not genuine. But sometimes I’m just so tired. But it’s a good thing, right? At the end of the day, I’m glad, and I’m grateful I have something that makes me so tired because I’m putting so much of my positive energy into teaching. I think it’s just finding ways to recharge, so the next day, I can bring that same energy into the next lesson.
Q: What’s been your experience in theater?
NL: I really fell in love with Disney musicals when I was really young. I remember when I was in second grade, I watched “Beauty and the Beast: for a field trip, and I was, as a little kid, crying in the theater because I thought it was so beautiful. I always knew I wanted to get involved if I ever had the chance. In middle school I started doing musicals. In high school I took my drama classes. Other than my freshman year, I did like every single show at my high school, and we did eight or nine shows a season. My intended path was to kind of try to find a way to include theater into my career, but I really started shifting towards teaching. It was really nice in college when I blended those two together and figured out I could do both.
Q: Is there anything that caused that shift towards teaching?
NL: I had always wanted to be a teacher. It wasn’t like a second choice. And I feel like sometimes when I describe it, it sounds like that. I was really inspired by my teachers growing up. I was really inspired by my drama teacher, who was also my English teacher. So it’s been a really full circle moment for me, because he was one of my huge inspirations.
Q: How has your transition into the theater department been?
NL: I’m trying to take these first couple of weeks to really observe the program, get to know the students and the staff, because as I shift into a more director role with Cinderella, I want to make sure I’m keeping the integrity of the program and what you are all familiar and comfortable with, while also adding my own personal flair to it. I think it’s important while I’m covering for the maternity leave, that I’m creating a sense of continuity from the years before, while also giving the students and the staff space to try new things.
Q: Do you have a goal for directing?
NL: My goal is every single student involved in the show, no matter what the capacity is, feels that they contributed to a safe and inspiring production. And I hope people who come see the show leave with the clear message that anything really is possible and we have the power to take charge of our own destiny. I hope we have fun and that performers and audience members feel like it’s a transformative experience.
Q: What do you want your students to take away from their theater experience?
NL: Theater bleeds into other aspects of life, even those they’re not aware of. Depending on whatever route they choose to take after high school, I think the things we work on in class can find a place to help them moving forward. The skills we work on aren’t just applicable to theater. I think they are going to make my students more empathetic, passionate, kinder, more fun, adventurous people. I know not everyone’s going to pursue the arts, but it’s something we can put in our back pocket and use as a tool for where we go next.