12. Clay doesn’t
belong in the sinks. The same goes for pencils, paint brushes, paper clips
and whatever else happens to be small enough to fit down the drain.
11. We DO want your
junk, but I say that with a caveat. I once did a call out email to all
teachers for their junk, and the next morning sitting by my classroom door was a
grocery sack with an empty plastic water bottle, a frozen dinner tray and some
packing peanuts. Folks that’s not going to do much for me when I got a
classroom with thirty kids (I mean don’t’ get me wrong it gave me some ideas).
11. An art room
should not be silent. To some educators this is going to sound like I’m
saying the Earth is flat or Donald Trump would make a fine president. Sure a certain
amount of buzz may be noisy, but it also just might be . . . dare I say . . .
the sound of engagement. Don’t get me wrong I like quiet just as much as the next
teacher and silence is best during some activities, but humans are social animals,
and last I checked kids are humans, as well as animals. I will talk more on
this subject in an upcoming post.
10. Art is for
everyone. Look around you, our society is becoming more and more diverse.
The variety of cultures in schools should not be seen as an obstacle, but an opportunity
to be inclusive and to become better global citizens. Where do we learn about
culture? Well everywhere, but in school it’s mainly art and social studies.
9. We have paint on
every item of clothing we own and that’s way we like it to be.
8. We are pleased to
take on extra creative projects i.e. displays, bulletin boards, stage
designs, etc. We will most likely say yes, because it’s for the good of the
school. We just want you to understand that we also have a full load and we’re
not sitting on our hands doodling. Speaking of Doodling . . .
7. Doodling keeps
certain brains occupied. It doesn’t mean the student has checked out on the
lesson. Yes they’re probably bored. For me, doodling gives my hands something
to do and frees my ears to listen to what is being said so my brain can harness
the information. If I can’t doodle I’ll most likely begin squirming like I have
ants in my pants or fall asleep.
6. Art teachers are
actual teachers like with degrees and everything!
5. We’re doing a hell
of a lot more than finger painting Thanksgiving Turkeys. We are blasted all
day every day with visual stimuli. Advertising comes at us from everywhere
including our devices. We’re being marketed to constantly. But instead of increasing
opportunities for our students’ to access, understand and contribute their own
creative content, what do we do? We reduce it in favor of standardized testing and
that baffles me. Art is the last bastion for hands on creative learning in most
schools, which places a lot of pressure on the art teacher to feel like they
have to justify their role and their very subject.
4. Being different is
good. So you think you’re a misfit? You think you’re strange? Well strange
= different =unique = creative = good. Most of the great achievers throughout
history are also people that didn’t “fit in”.
3. There is no right
or wrong in art class as I say, only
good and better. Sure there are basics to know, but once you’ve got the
fundamentals down, i.e. the principles and elements, you’re free to explore your
own visual style. A good art teacher will make suggestions in an effort to inspire
and encourage their students to make their own intentional choices in the art making process without it becoming
the teacher’s work. I love the moment when a student did something that I would
not have done and can say to me confidently, “That’s exactly the way I wanted
it.”
2. You CAN draw. We
art teachers are just as annoyed with hearing the gripes as an English or Algebra
teacher would be. You just have a mental barrier to overcome. Either that or
you haven’t learned how to see. If you’re trying to draw a thing, don’t get
caught up in the detail right away. Break it down into its simplest shapes and
lines and build upon that. That’s called working general to specific. It comes naturally to some, others have to
learn it, but with practice you can be pretty decent at it. But don’t expect to
become the next Rembrandt.
1. It’s great to
create. Making something is as much a part of my day as brushing my teeth
or scooping up dog poop. I don’t want to think of the emptiness that would
ensue if that ability were suddenly taken away from me. I heard somewhere that
being an artist is not just a way of life, but an existence. I like to think my
existence is just as valid as any other person in any other profession. So let’s
not stifle that in our children. If we do that then we’re taking something
human away from them.
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