For the 2010 - 2011 school year, there are only THREE art classes offered at the high school, now called: "Creative Arts". I will be teaching them as a 2-D / 3-D experience and will also be teaching all of the students at the middle school. Ellen has been reassigned to our elementary schools.
We're sad. We built a program up over the past seven years and within five months, watched it get reduced to a third of its size.
We'll see what the coming school year brings. Whatever it does bring, it's certain that it won't be better than what we already had.
During the twenty years I've been teaching the role of advocacy has changed. In the past I felt it was about informing the parents, community, administration and school board members about all of the important things happening in the art room. Advocating our art programs was work, but it was fun. Kinda like show-n-tell.
The role of arts advocacy in the 21st Century has become all that we used to do and then some. It has become political and in all honesty, not as much fun. With attacks on public education reaching epidemic proportions, our role as spokespeople for our programs and our profession is of crucial importance. We must be informed, professional, articulate and make our voices heard not only to the people we focused on in the past, but to our legislators and policy makers.
Click here to see a few of the ways I've advocated for the arts, education, and for kids and families. We can't make a difference if we don't try!
Collaborating with other teachers and students across the curriculum is a fun and enriching way to help kids learn, and it’s pretty fun for the teachers too! This year was the fourth year that I’ve worked with our 10th grade honors English teacher and his students on an exciting project called “My Personal War.” It’s amazing what young people can create when they are invited to look inside themselves. Our students are encouraged to see, identify and accept vulnerabilities without judgment.
Pat McCloskey, the English teacher, spends several months discussing the concept of personal war. For this thematic unit, his class reads and discusses three novels, The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien and A Separate Peace by John Knowles and The Road by Cormac McCarthy. All address the human conditions of struggle, grief and overcoming physical and mental obstacles, which may be real or perceived. The students are engaged in the topic from a variety of perspectives and Pat brings the experience to a climax by having each student write an essay about their own personal war.
The students’ essays are everything it sounds like they would be…they’re personal, some are intense, some are painful. The topics range from things that have happened to them, (death in the family, illness or abuse) to things that happen because of them (pressure to be the best, overachieving or being unable to prioritize) or things that they perceive as personal shortcomings (weight issues, shyness etc). Many of the students have experienced some sort of closure or resolve to their war, while others are still actively dealing with the issue, and will continue to do so long past the tender age of sixteen. For a few of the students, this essay may be the first healthy exploration into guided introspection that they have been asked to have.
Due to either a class swap or class coverage arranged by our amazing secretary, I enter his English class right after they hand in their papers to introduce what will be the double-whammy to the assignment – a collage. My role is to guide the students to visually articulate the topic of their essay using imagery instead of text. Basically, they must now say the same thing, but in a whole new language! Since many of these kids are non-art students, I show numerous examples of collage, talk about the process and give them pointers and websites to look at to assist their understanding. I also explain how to successfully juxtapose interesting pictures to create visual metaphor.
Four days after I introduce the lesson, I come back to his class for a general critique, where we discuss what’s working and why. I invite the students to come talk to me outside of class to discuss their collage, their process and progress. Many take me up on that offer, which allows me to personally meet students that I might not have ever encountered in one of my art classes. Two days after the in-class critique, the finished collages are due. It’s fast, furious and fantastic!
Mr. McCloskey hands me the students’ essays unread. I photocopy the collages and create what will become the cover sheet to each student’s essay. I print their name and title underneath their image and staple the cover sheet to the student’s written work. After all that, I get to read them! That’s right, the art teacher reads the English papers before the English teacher. The students give Pat permission for me to read their work, (a few decline). I enjoy the opportunity to read the writing that honors level students submit to their English teacher. It helps me know what I should expect from my own students when I require a writing assignment.
Mr. McCloskey spends hours writing back to each of his students, validating them and acknowledging that his or her voice has been heard. He grades the piece of writing as an English teacher, while simultaneously treating each individual like a courageous war hero. It’s one of his strengths and a true gift that he brings to his interactions with his students. I feel honored to be a part of it. I grade the collages based on the overall aesthetic success of the work and consider their effort. The students receive two grades for this cross-curricular experience - one from him and one from me.
Our collaboration began when I approached Pat after reading one of our shared student’s essays. I was so moved by the comments that he took the time to write to her, that I told him that I thought it would make a great collaborative project. It’s been that and so much more!
Every collaborative lesson that I am a part of teaches me how to be a better teacher. And it’s free! In our current world of scores, standards, testing and AYP, I feel like Pat and I are on the same page. We are two different teachers, teaching different disciplines, who together guide students through the art of being human.
Last night in Trenton, I received The Governor’s Award for Excellence in Art Education along with three other Visual Art Education colleagues from other counties in the state. There we are in a special photo shoot. (L-R: Me, Marge Mayers, Kim Defibaugh, Carrie Russoniello)
I was honored to be included in such esteemed company. There were also thirteen other educators of different disciplines and over eighty students who received awards last night.
It was a pleasant event that praised the education of the visual arts as well as music, theater, dance, poetry and spoken word. There were remarkable performances by students from all around the state who were being recognized for excellence....and excellent they were! As a teacher, I am frequently blown away by what my students create and was in awe of these young artists and performers. They gave me goose bumps.
With spring in the air and the earth in my hands, I’m reminded of the power of the human touch. We discard debris and remove the refuse, allowing the green growth to surface. Bringing with it, new levels of appreciation for our senses. Here's a photo of our garden.
This change of season in the garden state is my favorite time of year. Even with itchy eyes and all of the demands of art shows and deadlines, I’m invigorated by the exchange of energy and the growth of everything around (and inside) me.
As educators, we witness growth in our students everyday, as they learn new skills and develop the courage to push through the layers of their own perceived obstacles. With the human touch, they are able to grow in all directions, and so are we. The very best part of our job is that it’s like spring all year long!
Quality education will always be stronger than the dirt (or the piles of manure) that get in the way.
