Justine La Porte (Bruyere): DrEd Alumni

We corresponded with Justine Bruyere, a well known DrEd alum who is working in Nashville right now, and asked her to answer some questions about her DrEducation and how she uses it in her everyday life.

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Tell us a little about yourself? What did you do after graduation?!

After graduating, I went to the Faculty of Education at the University of Windsor in the J/I division. Then, I continued on in the MEd program under the guidance of Dr. Kara Smith. 3 years later, I complete my MEd in the theses stream. During this time I was teaching with the WECDSB.

Fast forward a few years, I began working as an adjunct at the University of Windsor in the Drama in Education department. It was the best position I have ever held, I could hardly believe I was being paid to spend time with DREDs! It felt wrong taking money because I enjoyed it so much! At the same time I began my PhD at the University of Toronto, OISE. In February of 2017, I successfully defended my work titled: Drama, a springboard for writing at the Kindergarten level.

Tell us a little bit about what you are currently doing!

I work at a private school in Nashville, TN by day and a liberal arts university by night. DRED is not widely practiced here, so it's been an interesting audience to break into.

What drew you to the DrEd program?

Dr. Tina Pugliese, the DRED spirit, and an approach to teaching that inspired me. I met Tina when I was in OAC (which is grade 13- students who wanted to attend University took OAC classes in order to be accepted). I knew when I met her that I needed to be a DRED.

How do you practice Drama in Education strategies in your practices?

Everyday, all day. Some teachers will tell you that it's too hard to 'do Dred' in the real world. I say that it's too hard not to 'do Dred' in the real world. DRED sets me apart. In a world filled with educators who approach tasks, assignments and problems using similar formulas, DRED is a fresh, energetic and engaging approach to captivating your students.

I am currently planning a inferencing unit using a puppet name Mama Jean. The students have not yet met Mama Jean. She is going to help them to think deeply about literature. I am also planning a a series of math videos using multimodal learning practices. I make cartoon character videos for every math class that I conduct. The students respond to the problem that the cartoon character has created. My March Math project uses a character names Sharon (a sea shell) who likes to "share" and "group" shells on the beach. These videos are a way of hooking the students into my lesson. The children write math journal entries to the characters in the videos. Finally, I am using DRED to help students in my class better relate to each other through Social Emotional Learning videos that we create. Students choose a topic, explore the topic through literature, conversation and websites, then they create a Public Service Announcement video for their classmates to see.

According to you, what benefits do you think a DrEd education gives to its graduates?

The edge. Ideas. Creativity. Grit.

According to you, what benefits do you think DrEd gives to those who attend workshops, lessons and classes with DrEds?

I have been encountering this question over and over again in the last few months. A few workshops and classes will we nice, but in truth DRED is an all-encompassing philosophy of education, not an À la Carte menu. The risk of workshops and short stints of learning is that some of the craft and the important nuances are lost. When people aim to learn more about DRED administrators and boards of education must also be on board. I am interested in talking about this further.

What were some of the values and beliefs that you solidified in DRED, and took with you throughout your career?

Hard work and determination. A combination of grit and creativity have carried me through my whole career. I am not particularly gifted intellectually or artistically. But I have learned, under Dr. Pugliese's guidance, that there are many forms of intelligence and many ways of knowing. Hence, DRED helped me to see how far I could go...it sees no boundaries or borders.

What advice do you have for all current DrEd students?

Find passion in thinking about your future. Try not to limit your ideas about what you can be, about what you can do. When you are presented with a problem, begin thinking about it, mull over it for as long as you need, get ideas out on paper and begin working with a team of creative thinkers. Every great thing I have done has been done using this process.

1) Thinking and reflecting- Alone

2) Writing down ideas- Alone

3) Thinking and reflecting with others

4) Planning with others

5) Acting according to the plan.

6) Thinking and reflecting with others.

Then, the cycle repeats.