New teachers often feel unprepared to meet the demands of the profession, and attrition rates indicate approximately half will leave within their first 5 years. To address this problem, this applied theater project utilized ethnodrama, integrating research and performance, to stage the stories of first-year teachers. Researchers interviewed 18 first-year teachers and an ensemble of performers then developed a series of monologues, dances, poems, songs, and scenes. These vignettes fit within three categories: (a) The Beginning; (b) The Students; and (c) The Profession. This script documents that performance.
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