When I started graduate school, I was searching for new experiences. Having mastered the straight play, I wanted to plug my passion for stage management into a new outlet. When I stage managed Sexual Selection, I stepped into the world of non-traditional theatre. With the trust of the two directors, I became an integral member of the collaborative team, developing a strong emotional connection to the work. That production was a transformative experience and I discovered a love for working in highly collaborative environments, allowing me to broaden the scope of my involvement as a stage manager. Over the course of my studies, I had the opportunity to work on dance and an international project. I deepened my understanding of the importance of communication, embracing the language of choreographers and connecting with dancers who did not speak English. I opened myself to new ways of creating theatre and expanded my collaborative vocabulary. With this new approach, I returned to the straight play for my thesis production. The skills I developed in my non-traditional theatre experiences translated into my work on Hedda Gabler. The strong role I assumed helped me to truly evolve my voice as a stage manager. I positioned myself at the center of the collaboration and was embraced by the company as a steady force throughout the process. My journey through diverse methods of performance has led me to find myself and discover the joy of being an integral collaborator in the performance process

This article examines American high school students’ (N=439) self-worth protection behaviors, maladaptive coping mechanisms, and academic performance under a contract grading system, which has been understudied in contemporary secondary classrooms. The quantitative analysis revealed that under the contract grading system, 97% (n=421) earned a passing grade (i.e., A, B, or C) on the assessment and 90% (n=390) fulfilled the contract by reaching mastery (A) or proficiency (B). Compared to the previous year, students with prior experience were 19% more likely to earn an A and 16% more likely to earn a B under the grading contract despite increased workload demands. The qualitative analysis of 40 semi-structured interviews revealed that performance improved as a result of the contract’s clarity of purpose, which limited task avoidance and facilitated task-oriented effort toward a desirable goal. Students enrolled in regular courses experienced the most significant grade improvement due to clear expectations that helped them place their effort on the right tasks. The findings of this study lead to a call to action for teachers to implement contract grading in high school classrooms to clarify work expectations, improve task-oriented effort, and help students set and achieve high goals.