Prescott the Educator
For my "day job" I am a high school teacher and dorm parent at a boarding school in suburban Philadelphia where I have the pleasure of teaching film, media production, and media literacy.
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I love sharing my love of storytelling and film with students and have the privileged position of supporting them as they discover and develop their own creative visions.
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Through media Literacy I help students understand how to navigate our media world. Teaching them to not only be conscious consumers of content but also to develop media production skills to be constructive contributors themselves.
Below are a few recent teaching highlights.
Film
I'm so proud of my film students. Here's a highlight of the past year's work with films ranging from action, German Expressionism, comedy, psychological drama, and ofcourse comedy.
Producing Peace: Civic Media Literacy & Production
I created this class with my co-teacher, Meredith, in our History department. Ever since my career as a filmmaker, I've been keenly aware of how much media shapes our beliefs and emotions. Slight changes in angles, or intentional use of music can dramatically change the impact media has on us.
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With this in mind, we created an interdisciplinary course that explores not just how to be media literate, but the role media has played throughout history. And of most importance, how students themselves can use media to contribute more positively to our society.
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For more about our beliefs on why media literacy is so essential to education, check out some of our recent publications!
Media Literacy Publications
Co-authored with my collegue Meredith Baldi
Our chapter "Challenging Conversations in Challenging Times—Respect, Rapport, and Relationships" uses our experience teaching media literacy to reflect on the value of cultivating uncertainty as a skill taught to students to development curiosity in an effort to engender empathy and compassion.
Our chapter, "Media Literacy as Civic Discourse: A Framework for Inquisitive “Listening” and Authentic “Speaking” in a Digital Space" explores the reality that our democracy relies on citizens being skilled in the art of civic discourse to facilitate responsible and engaged global citizenship.
An article from National Association of Independent Schools newsletter.
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My primary goal as an educator is to help students develop a stronger sense of self and purpose, to use media to amplify their own voices, and as Joseph Campbell says learn to "follow their bliss".
Film for Social Change
Film is a hugely powerful medium for social change. I love helping students see how the stories they tell can lift up and advocate for more justice in this world. I've had the pleasure in recent years to shepherd students in their work on the RFK Speak Truth to Power video contest. This year, they took home the grand prize for a particularly timely film about the Afghan refugee crisis.
