The Performing Arts is a valued part of each child’s education at Gaynor, but one teacher doesn’t just leave the acting to the stage. Blue Cluster Head Teacher Brendan Stackhouse started his career in directing and choreography before finding his way to Gaynor, and he loves incorporating his strengths from those fields into his English lessons.
We sat down with Brendan for the latest installment of our “Five Questions With…” series to learn more about how he moved from the world of theater to education, and how he is still able to fulfill his passion for the arts while being in the classroom.
What did you do before becoming a teacher?
I originally went to school for Arts Administration, so I technically have a business degree. I worked in a few Broadway general management offices before switching to the freelance directing/choreography world. I would go all over and direct and choreograph plays and musicals for theatre companies, schools, and youth programs.
How did you find yourself at Gaynor?
It’s the weirdest backwards series of successive doors, but I was directing a production of Company that I happened to cast Abby Shuppy in. I didn’t know her before that, but she’s a very talented performer, and I loved her vibe! At that same time, there was a vacancy on the Gaynor musical team, so she asked me if I would join her and work on the show. I absolutely fell in love with the students in the musical and the overall culture of the school: everyone seemed so happy, and the mission of the school resonated with me as my mother is a career special education teacher. I applied for an assistant teacher job, and they took a chance on me that I am eternally grateful for. Now, six years later, I’m a head teacher having the time of my life. I call Abby my “fairy godmother,” because she brought me in and still champions and mentors me. The mentorship and collaboration that exists in the theatrical world is pretty much the same as it is here, which is just amazing.
Why teach English?
In my mind, English and theatre pretty much go hand in hand, and then add in the need, especially with our population of students, for visual representation of literature, and it’s a no brainer for me. It plays to my strengths. Why just read The Giver, when we can use our role play skills coupled with the author’s language to experience it dramatically? The opportunities to infuse theatre and text and movement with literature makes the day so wonderfully exciting, and has also allowed me to see genuine progress and breakthroughs in my students.
How are you able to fulfill your passion for the arts?
I’m very fortunate that a lot of the work I was doing before I switched to teaching has been flexible and accommodating to my teaching schedule. Right now, I’m attached to and working on developing a few brand-new musicals, so those writing teams have been very gracious and work around my job. Ultimately, I get to be choosier about the theatre projects I sign onto outside of school, because they’re not my main source of income. I also have my English classes and the school musical, which are both ways to keep my passion going during the school day.
Do you have a favorite student story?
I had a student in my homeroom my first year as a head teacher who had some pretty significant reading struggles that manifested in a lot of other areas of his life, but he had a brilliantly creative mind for engineering, art, and design. We did Mary Poppins as the school musical that year and were struggling on how to make a lot of the scenic and magic elements happen. In the interest of using the Design Cycle, I pitched these problems to my homeroom class, and this student completely ran with it. By the end of that week, he set up a meeting with the musical directors to explain what he needed to execute his vision and then divided my classroom into teams to make it happen. He truly came alive throughout that process and for me, it was an eye opening lesson in really getting a holistic view of a child. I know it’s incredibly cliche, but you never know what lies below the surface of a kid or what makes them “tick,” especially in an environment like Gaynor where the neurodiversity piece plays such a huge role in our overall community.
Bonus Questions
What gets you out of bed in the morning?
My alarm. (I’m kidding!) The fact that I can work with my wonderful students and colleagues in such an incredibly collaborative way is really an honor and privilege that gets me up in the morning.
What do you like to do when you aren’t at Gaynor?
I really love to cook and try new recipes. If I wasn’t teaching or doing theatre, I’d probably consider being one of those fancy private chefs for parties and events.
What’s something people wouldn’t know/ expect about you?
I played football for 10 years (And wasn’t terrible?). I also LOVE the Peanuts comic strip. I think it’s the greatest work of art ever created.