Designing Drama

Jeana Whitaker has taught for more than 20 years. After earning her Bachelor's Degree in 1991, she went on to teach a variety of classes, coach state champion Speech and Debate teams and direct award-winning theatrical productions. She has developed unique theatre programs for public and private schools, theatre organizations and juvenile corrections institutions. In addition, Jeana has written original curriculum, scope and sequence and curriculum maps for multiple schools. Continuing to follow her love of performing arts, Ms. Whitaker worked in professional theatre, television and film, including work for HBO, Granada Films, ESPN, Entertainment Tonight, Rocky Mountain Theatre and Arizona Theatre Company. Additionally, she created and ran an award-winning community theatre company in Phoenix and she earned her Master's Degree in Theatre Education from Prescott College in 2001. In her spare time, Ms. Whitaker can be found writing screenplays and novels and traveling whenever possible.

I like to create an environment that makes students feel safe and respected; then they feel free to try new things, explore and create. Middle and High School students are often self-conscious about others judging them and need to learn to be confident and stand on their own, so they can pave their unique journey. Drama helps this do this and the confidence and skills cross over into all other academic subjects.

Arizona Thespians Teacher of the Year (2015), Arizoni Award winner, Irene Ryan nominee, New Teacher of the year (1991).

I hold an MA in Theatre Education from Prescott College and a BS in Secondary Education from Columbus State University.

For more information, please visit my website: www.jeanawhitaker.com