15 April 2007

Art Teacher - "Endangered Species"

Arts in education in Northeast Ohio. Inspirational. Unusual. I had to really search to find this reference as these programs seem to be the exception now, not the rule. In my own community, forcing standardized tests ranks in importance over providing arts programs. I recently tried to hunt down schools that have theatre arts, photography, fine art, dance or even music as curriculum. And when I did find a program, it certainly was not a well-rounded offering for children that includes a variety of creative arts. These programs are usually a once a week activity, an after school program, or offered by visiting volunteers once a year.

I'm an art teacher, so teaching art has been a lifestyle for me. I'm an artist, so creating art has been a lifestyle for me. I have found great joy and beauty in my life from teaching and from creating. To contemplate life without the arts for our children makes me sad, indeed. Take a look at this comparison of arts programs in 24 sites in California showing the current status, rather the sad lack of said programs. So many children being left behind.

"I am an endangered species," said Jeff Johnson, who teaches at Westside Academy in Milwaukee. "I am an art teacher." And this protest in Milwaukee in 2004 against cutting the art and music programs is not an isolated incident. The arts have been drastically cut in public schools as education funding has been reduced by the Federal Government. Alexis M. DeAngelis, in her research paper Curriculum Issues: Fine Arts Education, states "Recent studies prove that integrating the arts into education enhances a student's development and performance. Students learning through the arts are more able to think at a higher level, collaborate with their peers, and score higher on standardized tests." Creative Arts are more than that; they contribute to the overall academic success of students.

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Art Is A Force of Energy Moving Through You

Creativity was always important to me; I was a born artist. My mother remembers me drawing houses in perspective when I was four years old, and I have always made and sold puppets, paintings, fashion, jewelry, sculpture, altered art. Yes, even as a child. One day, after I got married, I realized that I wanted to teach because I deeply wanted to share the experience and delight of "being an artist." Just creating and selling art became "been there, done that," and I wanted to give something back. I wanted to contribute something good to the lives of others. I seemed to be vibrating at a higher frequency. When I was teaching, many students, and especially adults, came into their first class or for a "check it out" visit to the studio believing that they had no talent. "I can't even draw a straight line," I heard over and over. Thanks to a great teacher I once had, I knew that the only thing they needed was a learning gradient that was individualized. In other words, each student is an individual with a unique set of skills and understandings, and each has their own way of learning. The most important thing I had to offer was step-by-step, individualized instruction for each person that included a lot of demonstration. Isn't it easier to to do something after watching someone else do it first? The students were always encouraged to work on a project that only they were doing; no two people were asked to do the same thing, you know, like... "Now class, today we're all going to do such and such." It's an uncomfortable feeling to be submerged into a situation where a person sees how their own creation appears alongside all the others that are similar. What happens is everyone starts to compare theirs with the others. Not good for self esteem! My fondest memories of teaching art are of the students learning at their own pace, in their own gradient, and discovering that they could actually create something beautiful and unique. I invite anyone who has ever had a desire to create something, anyone who has dreamed of "being" an artist or of taking an art class, to become an adventurer and take a step outside your comfort zone right now. Give yourself the gift of art. What's important is to allow yourself to create, to express yourself. What's not important is how good or perfect your artwork is. Express yourself! Have fun! And don't worry about the outcome because there is no such thing as "doing something wrong" in art. Art is the manifestation of a force of energy moving through you. All you have to do is open yourself.