Greetings! Hello! 

Welcome to this handy guide for arts teachers. I’m Aliza Sarian, a veteran of the New York City public school system. I’m the theatre arts specialist at The Salk School of Science, a screened middle school (or magnet school) developed with an emphasis on science and medicine through a partnership with New York University Medical Center. As half of the arts team at our science-focused school, I crave the time and space to consult with colleagues, learn from them, and be inspired by the work that they do. It is my hope that this site can provide that space for you, as well. 

As a starting point, I want to explore the Danielson Framework for Teaching as a tool for educators to develop best practices. Yes! Even (and especially) in the arts classroom. In New York City the Danielson Framework is the primary teacher evaluation tool, and maybe your district uses a variation of it, or maybe it uses Marzano or maybe it uses something else entirely. But through my work facilitating professional development for the NYC Department of Education, I’ve become surprisingly well-versed in the nuances of this teacher development tool that, at first, seems frustrating, overwhelming, and maybe even a little irrelevant. Because like any tool used to judge our worth and value as educators, we put our hackles up and hold up our teacher shields in defense. 

Regardless of how you might be officially evaluated on your practice, we’re all striving to do our best teaching for our students, and good teaching is hard. We need to hold each other up to high standards and support each other when it feels like we’ve taken on too much. But most of all, we need to push each other to keep growing. 

If there’s a support that you’re lacking, a challenge you’re working through, or a resource you need, please reach out. This is a place designed to serve you. Thank you for sharing this space in an effort to provide a community of passionate arts educators who wish to learn and grow with one another.