"Kick and thrash at the shark."

One of my absolute favorite books is the US Army Survival Manual. It's a reprint of the Department of the Army's field manual about surviving the most unsurvivable of conditions.

Though there isn't a chapter on how to survive teaching high school drama, there are fascinating chapters on water procurement, wildlife for food, firebuilding, signaling, weather forecasting, even poisonous snakes. This is a must-have beach read, let me tell you.

Essentially, this book is the book of how to be prepared for the unexpected. They could have titled it, What to Expect When You Least Expect It. (But then, that would be an amazingly cool title...and I think the military prefers straightforward to clever.)

As we learn about respect this year, you will hear me talk about the fact that students, teachers, actors, designers must always come prepared; ready to work, ready to engage, good to go.

How do you prepare for a drama class? Prepare your body, first: don't show up hungry, be dressed for action, have a pencil in your hand and socks under your shoes. You must also prepare your mind: be ready to think, ask questions, consider and debate. Students who prepare their bodies and mind for class will excel. They will be ready for anything.

Which is good...because in this drama class, you should expect anything.