Marcus H.

Martial arts, creative writing, tabletop games, collaborative storytelling, handmade crafts

Boston

• Capoeira mixes gymnastics, music, language, history, culture, and art (making instruments from scratch) all into the martial aspect.
• Crafting stories nessciates a multi-disciplinary mindset. Authors and gamemasters (facilitators for DnD) call the application of that mindset worldbuilding.
• I am big on multistep craft projects that require the right tool for the right job along with experimentation.

With 17 years of working with young people who derive from various ages and social contexts in non traditional, education programs, I treat learning as if it's a trip to a museum; acquiring knowledge shouldn't come at the cost of fun. Thus, creativity in my eyes matters a whole lot. I put emphasis on it. Examples of content I keep stored in my head: making ice cream from scratch, creating escape rooms for various areas, dozens and dozens of group games/imaginary play activities, constructing massive fictional worlds out of recycled material months after teaching the knowledge needed to begin this process, recreating exhibits from the science museum, and much more. If I can teach myself something interesting and translate it into kid language, chances are I will implement it. But art, physical education, and storytelling are the pillars I build upon to create an engaging learning experience. They constitute my strengths that I incorporate other subjects into. Marcus' courses at Togetherhood cater towards each strength. One specific course has occupied his free time since he was in highschool; 2009 marks when he begun the Afro-Brazlian martial art Capoeira. His master asked him if he wanted to help out with a kid's class. This commitment allowed him to experience teaching at an early age around Boston and its surrounding cities. Arapelidos (nicknames) are common for Capoeiristas to receive. Marcus is known as Bodinho within the Capoeira community. Unlike most other martial arts, Capoeiristas describe Capoeira as playing a game. Thus, the community normalizes playful learning. Marcus owes a great deal of his teaching style to Capoeira.