DO YOU LIKE HAVING DRAMA IN YOUR life? Theater arts teachers thrive on it. They are committed to developing the next generation of actors - and the generation after that. Teaching theater arts is a special calling. It is for people who love movies, live theater, performing, and seeing the written words of talented writers brought to life by gifted actors. Cultivating the acting bug in wide-eyed youngsters hoping to see their names in lights one day falls to patient, talented teachers in elementary schools, middle schools, high schools, colleges, and private acting studios, throughout the United States and the world. Drama teachers give students a glimpse of what it is like to be an actor - insights many of these students never had before. As a theater arts educator, you lay the foundation for students to embark on a career in theater, movies, television, commercials, and voiceover work. You teach the basic mechanics of acting, and then help students discover their own technique - how to build a character, create a role, enhance their stage presence. Some of your students may want to take on acting as a full-time profession; others might want to learn about acting for the fun of it and enjoy it as a hobby; others might be fascinated by the backstage work involved in set design, costume design, and lighting. You might even meet students who want to learn about acting because they would like to go on to write plays and movie scripts. You have the opportunity to introduce young people to all these career options, encouraging them to push their limits and challenge their imaginations. Acting can build confidence and self-esteem, as it teaches discipline and commitment to a project. Drama classes bring together a variety of students with diverse talents and backgrounds. These students come with different interpretations of a play or a script, and a fresh take on a character. You harness this energy and have the chance to see a student blossom as a result of a spark of creativity that was ignited by the work done in your class. In your role as a drama teacher, you will also help preserve the distinguished history of acting. It will be part of your assignment to make sure students take the time to study acting's glorious past. The learning experience encompasses reading great plays, watching great performances, and studying how different actors played the same role. You will point out how each actor gave the part an individual flair, a nuance that no one else ever brought to that character before. From that past, you, as a drama teacher, help create the future of acting. This new Careers Ebook contains a wealth of unbiased information about an occupational field, based on the latest national surveys. Careers Ebooks cover attractive and unattractive sides, opportunities, education necessary, personal qualifications required, earnings, descriptions of different job specialties, first person accounts by those in the field, and how to get started; including practical advice on what to do now. There are live links to schools and colleges, associations, periodicals and other sources of reliable information.