People Like Me!
I was thirteen when I read a script for ‘Hamlet’ by William Shakespeare for the first time. This memory marks the beginning of what I remember as the most transformative moment of my young adolescent life. […] I am twenty two years old today and there are few things in my life that have made me feel more confident in myself than tackling the language of Shakespeare with Annie through Oberlin Children’s Shakespeare Project.
The way Annie introduced us to Shakespeare felt easy. Each production was a new opportunity to understand myself a little bit better through a new story and a new character. The freedom to be silly, experiment and see how far I could commit to a scene was thrilling and I needed it. […] Annie fostered an environment that was kind and allowed for each of us to grow and become better at our craft. I valued that I had an adult that modeled what it looked like to confidently take up space. Annie was my role model and because she taught me how to take up space. Her vision has allowed me to walk into every room and know that I can take on whatever comes my way.
Daria Martz, former OCSP student
“Annie is the most creative, committed, and inspiring young educator I have worked with in my more than ten years of teaching Creative Writing pedagogy.
[…] It is in transforming children’s lives that Annie has already shown herself to be a genius. I have now watched as dozens of middle school students have been changed by their work with Annie.”
Lynn Powell, Director of Oberlin Writers in the Schools
“Annie Rasiel is the most outstanding young teacher I have ever known—and I am a retired Oberlin College English Professor who has worked professionally with dozens of high school English teachers over my forty-plus year career as an educator.”
Phyllis Gorfain, Founder and Artistic Director of Oberlin Drama at Grafton Prison