A Round of A-Clause

New AICE English Language teacher, Christina Gray, describes her journey from participating in theatrical arts to discovering her passion for literature.

By Abigail Ricketts.

 

During her first year teaching at Dreyfoos, Gray learned to navigate and find her place as a teacher. Gray hadn’t worked at an art school before, though she was a teacher for twenty-five years before starting at Dreyfoos. 

 

In the unfamiliar environment of an arts school, Gray described how it can be challenging to assimilate. “It's been amazing, exhausting, terrifying, and wonderful, all in one big, giant ball of mixed feelings,” Gray said. 

 

 Gray acknowledged this, along with the fear of whether her teaching style is strong enough for her students.

 

“There's definitely that worry in the back of my mind, ‘Am I good enough? Am I hacking it? Are my students unhappy because they got the new teacher compared to the two other teachers who have been here and have proven themselves?” 

 

From the adjustments and the difficulties, Gray explained that Dreyfoos students have softened the situational change, especially with the demographic of an art school. She explained how “residing in a school with people who had to work hard to get into it has a greater acceptance and appreciation of things.”   

 

Gray teaches AICE language to the sophomore class; her curriculum consists of teaching the literary devices embedded within the end-of-year Cambridge assessment in May. Nonetheless, she has experience in the fine arts as she has been a part of theatrical plays throughout high school and college at FAU, Palm Beach State, and the Lake Worth Playhouse.  

 “In high school, I took every theater class that they had to offer,” Gray said. “I performed in college and in community theater into adulthood. I've always had a love of theater in particular.”

 

Gray didn’t have the intention of choosing between her love for the theater and her passion for literature. She described how both being on stage and excelling in reading and writing have complemented each other throughout the years. 

 

“I was an English major, and I've always loved to read literary stories,” Gray said. “I think the thing that spoke to me about theater was the idea of being able to take those written words and make them come alive.” 

 

Being involved in theatre and language arts has led Gray to notice their similarities. They’re not as different as most think, as they both relate to the aspect of human emotion. 

 

“The love of the craft of literature, poetry, plays, novels, creative writing, playwriting, and acting all come from the same place. You're looking at how an artist, a creator, is trying to examine their own humanity,” Gray said. 

 

Both subjects have an equal resonating effect within Gray’s life, and as a result, she has brought the two elements not only to the school, but her students. One of her students, theatre sophomore Tyler Hiers, explained how Gray has tied theatre into AICE language.

 

“I do theater, and I think the connection between theater and English class affects how she teaches it,” Hiers said. “Theater has a lot to do with language and people. I think literature brings people together. It's important to have an artistic view on things because it helps you see more than just what meets the eye.” 

 

From starting at a brand new school to incorporating the arts into her teaching style, Gray's presence might be foreign to Dreyfoos. But her lasting impact on people in the span of her two-decade career is still prevalent to those on campus. 

 

TV production teacher Joseph Raicovich stated that he had worked with Gray in the past when they were both at Atlantic High School, and Raicovich was just beginning his 11th year of teaching.   

 

“I was starting off as a teacher in the district,” Raicovich said. “While we were connecting because we both taught English, I was also just going through the growing pains of being a new teacher. … She was always supportive, friendly, and super down to Earth about everything.” 

 

Raicovich recalled that, even back then, Gray consistently aided students. “She was a go-to English teacher for admin to give kids extra help, extra support, put together writing boot camps, and things like that.” 

 

Though this is her first arts school, Gray conveyed how language and different art forms illustrate the same developing image of a growing community. 

 

“We're here to learn how to use the language the same way we use other art forms to express,” Gray said. “(If) you're a dancer, you use your body. (If) You're a painter, or you're a performer on stage, you're utilizing all of those things for expression in artistic ways. That moves society, helps us grow, helps us think, and helps us see and understand one another. That's really what is at the heart of language arts.”