Faculty of Education Summer 2011
Photo Credit : Rae Holtsbaum
Retirements and Fond Farewells
Dr . Linda Lang ’ s career has been quite eclectic . She has been an elementary school teacher ( North Battleford and Saskatoon Public ), a curriculum developer for Saskatchewan Learning , a freelance writer for a national teacher ' s magazine ( Classroom published in the 1980 ' s by Scholastic ), an editor and publisher of a school drama and music magazine ( Mask ' n ; Melody : 1986-1988 ), an editorial assistant at a Saskatchewan book publisher ( Western Producer Prairie Books ), a TV script writer , a published children ' s playwright , an actor with Saskatoon Gateway Players , and a play director for Gateway Theatre for Children in Saskatoon . can Alliance for Theatre in Education dissertation award .
Linda ’ s career has included great variety ; yet , she identifies a unifying theme : “ The thread that runs through everything I ' ve done professionally is a passionate belief in the power of drama and theatre to infuse the hearts and minds of students with self-confidence and selfworth . I am — first and always — a teacher . I believe that the most important steps we can take to create a better world tomorrow should be in today ' s classrooms where we encourage and empower the next generation of children to believe in themselves and the power they have to make a difference .”
For many years , Dr . Lang was a sessional lecturer for the College of Education , University of Saskatchewan . From 1991 to 1994 she supervised interns . She also taught English to Vocational Agriculture students at the U of S for 2 years and spent a couple of years studying drama therapy in England and practising drama therapy in Saskatoon . From 1998 to 2011 , she taught in the Faculty of Education , University of Regina . In 2000 , she won the Norah Morgan Action Research Award ( an international award for practical research in drama education ) and was also a finalist for the Ameri-
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Linda enjoys the freedom that retirement is providing for her to follow her heart and her creative instincts in the field of drama and theatre in her work with children . She says , “ I ' m not done yet - just returning to ‘ the road less travelled ,’ again , since that seems to be where I feel the most at home .” continued on page 18