Meredith Barnidge

STAFF & FACULTY DIRECTORY PROFILE

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Meredith Barnidge

Job Title:

Drama Program Manager/ Drama Teacher

Department:

Visual and Performing Arts

Email:

Phone: (510) 577-9100

ext.

501

Started at O'Dowd:

2024

Degrees:

BA Literature and Language, emphasis: Script Writing, Webster University

Originally from:

St. Louis, MO

Why I Teach:

Funny: I wanted to open my own high school because I spent years underwhelmed in a typical high-achieving classroom environment. No one signed up for the imaginary "Barnidge high school". Shocking. I thought students should be more involved, actively creating something, leading and following each other, synthesizing the world around them and challenging their perceptions. It's not my job, it's my vocation.

Simple answer: I like it.

Most powerful teaching technique:

Respect

Why are the subjects you teach important?:

Expected answer: Participating in theatre and witnessing others tell the stories that bond us in our humanity is a true exercise in empathy.

My Answer: The subject I teach could be titled: How to Audition for an Acting Job and ANY OTHER JOB YOU EVER WANT Using the Skills You Learned in Performance Arts.
#PublicSpeakingCommunicationTeamworkConfidenceManagementProblemSolvingAdaptabilityListeningCriticalThinkingLeadershipTimeManagmentMotivationMakingOthersLookGoodInnovationFindYourVoiceExpressYourselfCreativityIndependence

Favorite quotes:

People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel. -Maya Angelou

Don't practice until you get it right, practice until you never get it wrong. -John Flanagan"

Favorite trivia:

Hamlet is Shakespeare's longest play

Recommended visual media:

Interrogation Raw, First 48, Deadliest Catch and any documentary about nature, people or history