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Meet Duane Freeman of Phoenix Country Day School

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Duane Freeman.

Duane, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
My story is like any other middle school counselor story. I moved from Cincinnati, Ohio to Chicago, Illinois to do comedy and go to college for a theater degree. I worked at Second City with some amazing, talented and funny people, assistant directed two shows there and started teaching improv to adults. I was performing in a sketch group, improvising around town and did a two-man musical comedy show. I did not make much money doing any of that and my landlord said “I’m proud of you” but I would still need to leave if I didn’t pay the bills, so I picked up some substitute teaching jobs at a school in Lincoln Park. The kids destroyed me the first couple classes and I even remember at one point where one kid said “this activity is stupid” and I said, “You’re stupid.”

It was a low point in my teaching, but I was 20 years old and to be honest that kid was being stupid. I can say that because I am still in touch with that student and we laugh about it still. After being at the school for awhile and learning not to call the kids stupid, I became a trusted person who was somewhat adult that they could confide in or talk to about things they were thinking about or heavier situations at home. I realized quickly that I needed to get more schooling to actually be helpful to these kids who were talking about some significant situations that needed interventions and support. I got my masters degree in school counseling and was eventually hired at that same school as the middle school counselor.

I was still performing at night and auditioning during the day and my boss said, “I’m proud of you” but you will be fired if you keep showing up tired and leaving for auditions. I still had a love of performing and comedy and found a way to use that in counseling and at the school. I did a faculty/student show every year that had everything from a Frozen rollerblading number to a Vampire Weekend/Taylor Swift mashup to a Librarian/Beastie Boys Sabotage remake about returning books. I also used the rules of improv to teach community building skills and used comedy to lower defensiveness around trickier topics like race, social class, sexual orientation, gender, politics, and power dynamics in our society. After being at the school for 16 years and having three children we decided to move to Arizona to be around family.

I also found a school here in Phoenix where I can have a whole class focused on the social-emotional well being of students where we can do proactive and preventative programming. I also have autonomy to incorporate improv, drama, and comedy into my lesson plans. There are still times that the students tell me my activities are stupid but for the most part, I do not call them stupid back and my boss says “I’m proud of you” for not calling the kids stupid but thinks it weird that I have to ask that question in the first place. Bottom line, my story is the same as all school counselors and I’m sure you’ve read this before.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The road hasn’t always been smooth. I would say the hardest part was the internal journey to becoming a counselor because growing up I always wanted to be an actor and I’m no longer trying to be an actor. I have friends who I stay in touch with that act/write/direct and it is hard to hear their stories and not feel a little sad.

I still write on the side and I have an acting agent in Phoenix but it is just a small thing I do on the side. I love what I do and find ways to incorporate comedy and still laugh a lot but I do miss those creative outlets.

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Phoenix Country Day School – what should we know?
Since 1961, Phoenix Country Day School is the valley’s premier independent school for students in grades Pre-K through Grade 12. Through small classes led by expert teachers, PCDS is known for supporting its students through their personal and academic growth, through high school to top colleges and universities, and beyond. In short, PCDS is a school where students are active, engaged, and leading both in and out of the classroom, where it is cool to be smart, and everyone is supported and valued for their individual differences.

What I personally love best about PCDS is the fact that I teach a class that is purely focused on the social-emotional education of students. This class explores who they are and how they perceive the world while working on self-awareness, self-care, and self-compassion. The class is a proactive and preventative class that supports personal growth, helps explore individual values, makes space to celebrate difference and builds interpersonal skills. The school requires all students to take this class and it is taught every year from 5th grade through 9th grade.

Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
I would say my sense of humor and my interpersonal skills. I truly enjoy people and have had to work with students and families through some very tough situations. I build a trusting and authentic relationship with the student and family to form a strong team that is able to resolve difficult problems. I also think that my sense of humor is able to defuse uncomfortable situations and I can label or call out issues in a playful way.

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