Doug Poludniak brings Shakespeare to life at Stacey Jr-Sr High School

Douglas Poludniak's students are studying MacBeth in a way that truly makes the characters life-like. One student in the team "models" for a paper cutout, which then is tacked on the bulletin board to "become" one of the main characters. As the class reads and discusses the play, they are tasked with bringing in descriptive words that apply to each character. They add the words to the character and explain why they added them. At the end of the unit, each student will write a characterization of the person in the story using the words on the cutout.

"You have to keep kids active," Poludniak realizes. "You have to keep them moving in a way that leads to a final product that has value." Besides it's contagious. "These classes create excitement in the students, which, in turn, transfers excitement to younger students who can't wait to get into the class next year," he says.

What is his goal? "Mr. P" wants each student to become a productive citizen of the United States and be prepared to make a difference in the world. Through his unique teaching style, Mr. P is teaching these students to read and think critically about subject matter that many think is dull and out of fashion.

What do his students think? "He wants to make sure no one is left behind." "He makes everyone laugh and get through everything they're supposed to do." "English used to be hard for me. My writing was horrible. Now it's more fun and I can do a good job - writing is a lot easier."

After 20 years at Lackland ISD, Mr. P still says he has the perfect job. "This is the ultimate place to be."