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Studio Teacher & Welfare Worker
I serve as studio teacher and welfare worker on productions employing minors, with responsibility both for the continuity of a young performer's education and for the conditions under which that performer works.
The position carries two distinct obligations: the instruction of a student whose schooling must continue uninterrupted, and the protection of a child working within an adult environment. The credentials set out below were earned in service of each.
Certificate number 160311, issued by the State of California in August 2024, with current standing on the state permit list.
Membership in IATSE Local 884, the organization representing studio teachers throughout California.
A California Clear Teaching Credential, earned through California State University, Los Angeles in partnership with the Los Angeles Unified School District, together with CLAD authorization for the instruction of English learners.
A young performer remains enrolled in their own school for the duration of a production, and the coursework assigned by that school continues to fall due. The subjects listed below are those I am qualified to teach at grade level, so that assignments are completed on set and returned to the school in good order.
My training began in engineering, which continues to inform the way I approach mathematics and the sciences: a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from California State University, Long Beach, with a minor in Psychology.
The presence of a studio teacher is the condition under which a production may lawfully employ a minor in California. The purpose of the position is to ensure that the engagement proceeds in full compliance, and that the young performer's education is in no way diminished by it.
Instruction is drawn from the student's own curriculum and delivered within the hours that California reserves for schooling. Attendance and completed work are documented and provided to the school responsible for the student's record.
Responsibility extends to the hours worked, the rest and meal periods observed, and the conditions under which a minor is asked to perform. Should those conditions cease to be appropriate for a child, the studio teacher holds the authority to suspend the work, and the judgment to exercise that authority proportionately.
Work permits are secured and verified before a minor may be employed, and enrollment is confirmed with the school that holds the student's record. The documentation that follows is prepared to a standard that will withstand review by the production, by the school, and by the State.
Twenty-five years in California public education: in the classroom, in instructional coaching, in university teaching, and in school administration.
Based in Los Angeles, and available for single days, for multi-day productions, and for extended engagements. I travel for work throughout the United States and internationally. Se habla español.