Students in Julian Ramos’ drama class in Madera.
Credit: Courtesy of Julian Ramos
A few years ago, when Julian Ramos first started teaching drama, he was hoping to explore Greek tragedy with his sixth graders. Then he realized only three out of his 30 students were reading at grade level. So, Sophocles was off the table.
A practical soul, he pivoted to “The Country Mouse and the City Mouse,” a charming fable popular with his second graders. The sixth graders loved it too, but Ramos still worries about their reading skills.
“Reading has become a chore for a lot of students,” said Ramos, a former English teacher who now specializes in dramatic literature at Pershing Elementary, a TK-6 school in Madera Unified, just northwest of Fresno in the San Joaquin Valley. “I’m currently struggling with how I can use my time wisely, productively and efficiently, as a drama class, but also to reinforce and enhance…
