AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT

Featuring Jay Jackson

Q: What inspired you to write Up to the Challenge?

I became interested in incorporating performance character concepts in my class, because that’s what I want to teach. When I teach a world history class, the content’s very important, but I also think performance character—commitment, courage, grit, those things— are all very important as well. I began striving to teach performance character in conjunction with content. Take comfort zones, for example. I have a diagram that illustrates comfort zones and then I have a discussion with the kids about why it might be important to get out of your comfort zones. If it’s a French Revolution unit, I’ll have them do an eight act interpretive dance of the French Revolution, where they work in a group and they come up with an interpretive dance they’re going to do in front of class. That’s teaching them content and also pushing them outside their comfort zone.

The principal at Irvington High School where I teach heard positive things about what I was doing and it grew from there. I wanted to write a research-based book on how to incorporate performance character into instruction to both help me learn more about best practice and then share that knowledge with others.

Q: When you integrate performance character with academics, does it tend to focus on physical movement?

No. Performance character applies to any challenge you’re facing. It started in sports psychology, but it also helps students take on challenges in relationships, at a job, or in school. For example, building courage as a performance character helps students who are fearful when taking an assessment or talking in front of class.

Q: How will this book help educators in their classrooms?

The book presents a seamless and simple way to bring these ideas into class. I share simple diagrams that a teacher can write right on their board along with example questions they can ask or come up with on their own.

In an integrity unit, I give the background on integrity and then introduce the diagram from the book. You’ve got honorable and dishonorable, success and failure. I illustrate combinations of these qualities and outcomes in four quadrants and then begin asking questions to kickstart ideas. I can add my opinion, but it’s just one voice in the discussion.

And then you can test them on how they would apply their thoughts on integrity in real life situations—like a relay race. Did anyone win by starting early or anything like that? How does that align with the discussion they just had on integrity? Have them reflect as a group or write in a journal.

This book is my way of helping a teacher introduce these concepts to a class seamlessly. It doesn’t take much time away from class and you see the impact on students long after. It’s time well spent.