When Karen L. Erickson ’70, M.S. ’77, received a scholarship to Illinois State, it came with the stipulation she teach for at least three years after graduation. Although teaching wasn’t her first passion, she soon found herself making an impact in the world of education.
Appears InErickson’s passion was theatre, and she brought that passion into her classroom by integrating creative drama into lesson plans and establishing a high school theatre program. After seven years of teaching, she returned to Illinois State to pursue a master’s degree in theatre.
“One of my dreams as a graduate student was … I got this notion that I wanted to go out and change education for every student in the United States,” Erickson said.
When she returned to teaching, Erickson resumed her practice of integrating drama into her classroom—this time with new ideas from her master’s studies. She remained connected to the theatre, collaborating with Tennessee Williams at Chicago’s Goodman Theatre, and serving as an artistic/producing director at Trinity Square Ensemble Theatre.
Erickson’s overlapping careers led to her writing standards and assessments for the Illinois Arts Council and Urban Gateways. Those roles allowed her to travel the state showing educators ways to incorporate drama into their classrooms. During one of those presentations, Erickson caught the eye of an administrator from the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. She was recruited to serve as a national workshop leader for the national cultural center.
“It was because of the melding of my two careers that this opportunity came into my life,” Erickson said.
As Erickson trained educators around the country, it became clear she needed to put her words into print. She published nine curriculum books. Erickson later launched the website OneStopDRAMAShop.com so her lessons could live on in a digital format.
Today, Erickson continues efforts to make the website a one-stop destination for educators wanting to bring drama and the arts into their lessons.
More than a half century after becoming a teacher, Erickson’s impact on the world of education lives on.
