The power of drama to overcome crisis

In this report, I explore how process drama helps me, as a teacher, to overcome challenges arising from the sense of disconnection. Two challenging situations I address are the crisis in my teaching career caused by being disconnected with students, and the COVID-19 pandemic, the social crisis that aggravated the disconnection. Reflecting on my open class conducted under unfavourable conditions for incorporating drama into class, that is, a classroom with high school seniors and tightened social distancing rules, I investigate how bringing drama into my classroom offered chances for interaction and bonding between the students and me; how my fellow teachers who are new to drama perceived the benefits of using teacher-in-role. After describing the changes in both students and myself brought about by the open class, I analyse what caused the changes in students, based on the nature of drama, and myself, from an existential perspective. Drawing on my experience, I conclude with the hope that drama can help other teachers, who are experiencing difficulties similar to the ones I went through, overcome their moments of crisis.