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THEATER MEETS THE CLASSROOM \u201cOnce at college at MTSU, I got involved with the children\u2019s theater,\u201d he said. \u201cThen schools started to want me to do things with their classes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n That early involvement opened a door he hadn\u2019t expected. Soon, he was working with the Extended School Program, and eventually, he stepped into his first special education role at Black Fox Elementary, focusing on behavior management.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That experience would seem to change everything. While the class he worked with was eventually dissolved, McGee and the other educational assistants were kept on to support schoolwide behavior management. They worked closely with the guidance counselor through a program called PASS \u2014 Positive Action Student Support. It was here that McGee began to understand how naturally theater and behavioral education fit together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThat\u2019s what behavior management is \u2014 theater,\u201d he stated. \u201cI teach them how to act while they\u2019re at school. It\u2019s an important skill to learn.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n For McGee, the stage is more than performance. It\u2019s structure and timing. It\u2019s learning how to wait your turn, how to listen, how to express yourself, and how to be part of something bigger than yourself. These are the same skills his students, especially those with special needs, must master every day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After more than a decade in the Murfreesboro school system, McGee was given the opportunity to teach drama and performing arts at The Discovery School for Gifted and High-Achieving Kids. He loved the job, the students, and creative freedom. But something was missing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI just wanted to come home. I missed it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n McGee returned to Tullahoma, first working at Bel-Aire Elementary before moving to Robert E. Lee Elementary. Today, he splits his time between Robert E. Lee in the afternoons and West Middle School in the mornings, supporting the Special Education Program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n BRIDGING THE GAP THROUGH THEATER McGee said his favorite moments happen when his students perform.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI love it when they are able to perform,\u201d he explained. \u201cWith our special-ed students, we teach them with little scripts and songs. One of the hardest things for them to learn is patience, and so through performing, this teaches them to wait their turn. They realize that their turn is coming, and all they have to do is wait.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Patience, he said, becomes a skill they carry into everyday life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To further unite students and celebrate the arts, McGee directs a spring musical each year. Both regular and special education students participate, creating a performance that brings the entire school community together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt takes them all over the world, as they can meet different people through the script,\u201d he explained. \u201cWorking together is also a big thing. It\u2019s just fun, simple music and simple choreography, but the payoff helps build confidence and patience. Also, the parents just love it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n McGee added that the arts can have a profound effect on a student\u2019s life. He said that the earlier a child can be exposed to it, the better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI think it needs to start earlier in a child\u2019s life,\u201d he said. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t need to be work in the beginning, just something fun for them to gain exposure and experience with.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n He knows firsthand the benefits of discovering the arts as a student.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI wasn\u2019t in my first play until I was a junior in high school, and I just fell in love with it, and I\u2019ve been doing it there since,\u201d he said. \u201cI love performing on a stage and in front of an audience. I also love doing musicals; those are my favorite.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n LEAVING A LEGACY OF EMBRACING OTHERS \u201cI tell them, \u2018You can call yourself mine, as long as you want to,\u2019\u201d he explained. \u201cI\u2019ve got 50-year-old kids, though, who still reach out to me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n McGee hopes his students remember how deeply he cared for them and that they carry forward a willingness to understand and embrace people they may see as \u201cdifferent.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOne of the first things I tell the kindergartners is that \u2018I love kindergarteners because they taste like chicken,\u201d he laughed. \u201cAnd they laugh because they know that I\u2019m joking, but I do love them too. I do truly care about them. I also want to leave with the knowledge of not being afraid of someone different. I want them not to be afraid or ashamed of being different themselves. Our diversity is what makes us smart, strong, and beautiful.\u201d GN<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" FOR MICHAEL McGee, the path to becoming one of Tullahoma\u2019s most beloved special education educators didn\u2019t begin in a classroom. It began under stage lights. A native of Tullahoma, McGee grew up in a family full of performers, surrounded by song and dance. He, along with his siblings, was encouraged to be confident in expressing […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":24968,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-24963","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-feature"],"yoast_head":"\n
<\/strong>Upon attending college at Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU), McGee said things began to shift from a career in theater to working in education.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/goodnewsmags.com\/tullahoma\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/04\/2-4-1024x683.jpg\")
<\/strong>One of McGee\u2019s biggest challenges \u2014 and greatest rewards \u2014 has been connecting general education students with special education students. He believes that both groups benefit from being around each other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/goodnewsmags.com\/tullahoma\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/04\/4-4-1024x683.jpg\")
<\/strong>McGee said his favorite thing about the job is his students. He affectionately refers to his students as \u201chis,\u201d but only until 3 p.m., when he happily sends them home to their parents. Still, he hopes they always remember that his support doesn\u2019t end when the school day does.<\/p>\n\n\n\n