Peppermint Creek produces documentary about Midwest schools

Peppermint Creek Theatre Co. closes its season with a video documentary, “Radical Acts of Education,” which has solid reasoning to justify the use of the word radical in its title. 

“Teaching is different from other professions that only require a degree in the field of the job,“ said Chad Swan-Badgero, the company’s artistic director. 

“Only teachers are demanded to serve not only as educators in their subject matter, but are also required to be janitors, counselors, daycare, parents, empathizers, disciplinarians, politically correct and without emotions of their own,” Swan Badgero said.  “I’d say that’s pretty radical.”

“And only teachers are expected to answer not only to their boss, but to parents, students, school boards, PTO’s, booster clubs and the community,” he said.  

“Radical Acts” provides a platform for those in the educational trenches to talk about the realities of their day-to day lives.  The free virtual documentary will be available on Peppermint Creek’s YouTube channel at 8 a.m. on Friday (May 28).

Peppermint Creek’s entire season was named “The Voices Project.” “Radical Acts” suits the theme. 

“All of the shows this season focused heavily on spotlighting the voices of as many diverse voices as possible,” Swan-Badgero said.  “Our shows were focused on text and voices rather than acting.”

DeWitt High School educator Jeff Croley and DeWitt student Ashley Garcia interviewed students from the school for the documentary. Lifelong educator and facilitator Jerry Jennings talked to parents and an administrator. 

Swan-Badgero spoke with teachers from across the Midwest. He is particularly qualified for the task. “I am a former educator, and at least half of the closest people to me in life are educators,” Swan-Badgero said. “I taught English and language arts at Williamston and Haslett high schools,” he said.  “That included almost every class in those departments English, debate, theater, creative writing and film.”

He was also a performing arts instructor at Lansing Community College until 2008. Swan-Badgero is the art education program manager at the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs. “My day job is also supporting arts education, so telling stories of teachers, students, and parents as it relates to education means a great deal to me,” he said.

“Radical Acts” asks educators, students and parents what they learned during a pandemic that changed schooling like never before. “It is important for the truth to be told about the state of education in Michigan and America from those who are living it,” Swan-Badgero said.

The 60-minute documentary is the last of four video productions for Peppermint Creek’s 2020-21 season — after the “Radical Acts” premiere, all will be available to stream. It was the hardest to create and the one Swan-Badgero was most invested in.  

“Scheduling interviews with teachers, who were already so maxed out and tired from one of the most demanding school years of their careers was really tricky and technically difficult,” he said. “I also found myself choked up and crying during almost all my interviews.”

“Education in America was already at a breaking point before the pandemic, so to see the ways the last year and a half have truly broken but also inspired so many students, teachers and parents was eye-opening,” Swan-Badgero said.

He is disturbed by the pandemic’s trend of skyrocketing enrollment in healthcare professions, while enrollment in education programs plummet. “My hope is that ‘Radical Acts’ can show people what superhuman heroes our educators are,” he said.

Swan-Badgero is also concerned about how American school systems have “watered down” education and de-emphasized the role of teachers. Teaching the truth of our history, recognizing diversity, support of autonomous teachers and robust arts classes are important to him.

“I believe to the core of my being that when we expose our students to the arts, it teaches them to think bigger, more creatively, and more compassionately about the world,” Swan-Badgero said. “Those are the skills we need for our young people to thrive and change the world for the better.”