Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Blog # 1: Remembering High School and Facing Fears
Art class and creative writing class saved me when I was in high school. My father's job moved my family around quite a bit when I was a kid/teenager. I was always on the lookout to make new friends considering I always had to leave my old ones behind. As a teenager, I thought it was the cruelest thing my parents could have done. Now, I thank them for supplying me with a myriad of life experiences and exposure to different cultures and ways of life. During my high school years, I lived in the art classroom. I had a wonderful art teacher who always supplied me with inspiration and never criticized my wild endeavors. For many students, the art classroom was a class where they could exercise their disruptive behaviors and seek out creative ways to misuse art materials. It irritated me as a student because I would constantly walk back to my workspace area and find puddles of paint left upon the counter tops and wads of clay miscellaneously thrown about. In high school I took art so seriously. It was such a vivid attribute to my life. I found it difficult to imagine how some individuals weren't really interested in it. It will be these kinds of students who will continually challenge my teaching abilities. No matter who you are, there is some way, some how that you can find something relevant in art or something worth expressing. I believe in art and I believe everyone needs exposure to art, whether they know it or not. This is what I am excited about. Helping students find something inside themselves that they didn't even know existed and showing them outlets to expand their capabilities to artistically express themselves. Introducing new perspectives and interpretations and hearing about their own perspectives and interpretations. That's exciting!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I too wory about keeping students focused on the work. At my high school art was considered an easy A. As a result many kids took the class without having an interest or desire to improve their skills. I think that a possible solution may be holding students to a higher standard in their work, as reflected by grading. This could send a signal to the students that you are serious abou their work and expect them to be as well.
ReplyDeleteI completely understand what you mean about how difficult moving was as a kid. I lived in 5 different states before finishing high school. I also agree that one is much more able to appreciate it, being as removed as we are from the situation. It made me much more capable of dealing with the transition to college, meeting new people, starting new jobs, etc. I finally view it as an advantage instead of a hindrance to my success.
ReplyDeleteI kind of see the art classroom as being what should be the best part of every students day. There aren't usually "correct" answers and it is usually pretty laid back. I don't expect blatent misuse of materials but that might be naive of me? I kind of see it like kids wanting to play video games, they don't want to do anything to keep them from being able to play next time.
ReplyDeleteI have known so many teachers who do put their art on hold while they are teaching. While I agree that you need to focus on your classroom I share your feeling that you are a part of your classroom and therefore you need to participate in it. I have definatly found that making examples for the students is a good excercise for you as an artist to step outside of your normal art making routine and do something new- thus expanding your artistic experience and relating to the students.
ReplyDelete