STAFF & FACULTY DIRECTORY PROFILE
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
Recommended reads:
All Scripts, Dead British Poets, Harry Potter, Dystopian Fiction
Hobbies or outside interests:
My family (includes my dog). Golf. Raider Nation. Live performances. I've been caught eating chocolate on several occasions.