Why did I choose to teach art education?
First of all l've learned that just as important as learning verbal communication skills is, understanding visual communication comprises just as much or possibly the majority of our lives. Being able to understand why you have the response you do to certain things you see is very important to understanding the world around you. From simple things like color to more advanced communication through visual metaphor, the viewer needs the tools to decipher what is being communicated. Studying visual elements and principals of art is a way to break down the message into understandable parts and art history gives us numerous examples of the way social and cultural messages have been given throughout human history. To be able to talk about what you're viewing is a skill that can be taught to the youngest of students and can be applied to so many different areas of study, beyond the art classroom. Many boardrooms, science labs and computer programmers draw out their ideas because it is the simplest, truest way to communicate them to others. Advertising is all around us. To be able to decipher the visual tools that companies use to associate their products with a certain feeling or lifestyle means that the student has more power over their decisions about whether to fall for the message or not!
The youngest students tend to create the purest art. While technique is not as important at a younger age, the experience with various mediums allow different parts of the brain to develop and make associations. Drawing with eye and hand coordination is very different than pounding and molding clay into a three dimensional form. Having experiences with things like printmaking and fiber arts is the best way to develop an appreciation in students for the art medium. Who will take over the role of educating and preserving art forms from our past history? Who will fund and run our museums and galleries? Someone who appreciates. We learn so much about us as a people from past generations through the fine and pragmatic arts, and this helps future generations make wiser decisions. We're seeing a return to cottage industry and the handmade. Handcrafts are starting to be practiced again and looked at as examples of "real" art. When the world has rapidly moved to technology, society is seeing a shift in value to things made with a human touch. Technology has also changed the art world. New amazing types of art are being created now that could not have been realized a decade ago. To give students the chance to learn how to think in four dimensions is best taught by the art educator who can help put form to ideas that are more powerful in visual form than the written word!
Art is one area where the answers can be unlimited. While parameters for lessons can be set, the best lessons allow students to come to a visual conclusion which is unique because of what they bring to it as an individual. The best art teachers recognize that there is an artist in all of us. It is up to the teacher to provide the direction, inspiration and the variety of mediums for the child to realize his own work. When students walk through my door, they are each considered artists and must see themselves as that. Depending on previous experiences, they must see that art is something that encompasses them in their every day life and is to be enjoyed and valued. That they are valued too. There is not one part of the day that doesn't have something in it that was designed by a graphic designer, industrial designer, architect, illustrator, fine artist, fabric designer, fashion designer, etc. Our world is full of other people's imaginations!!! As soon as students realize this, they see that art is one of our most important areas of study. Careers in science, math, technology, medicine... even perception that can be used in writing, depend on people's expertise in using conceptual thinking-- the kind that needs to "see" how things work. Art education can train the mind to come up with multiple solutions, brain-storming ideas and communicating them to others. Albert Einstein was a huge proponent of creative thinking. He recognized what value creativity and creative exercises mean for our world.
To bring it down to a simple level, while painting my dining room, I had many colors to choose from and within those choices of yellow, I had cool yellows, warm yellows and tints of each. I could decipher which yellow would compliment the wood on the floor and the other objects in the room. People make choices in the towns they live that determine how things look and how the urban development will go. This is all done by creative cognitive thinking. Imagine if more people were given the intellectual knowledge to understand color and shape and form, how wonderfully designed our environments would be!
It gives me and my friends great satisfaction to create as a hobby too. It is natural for people to want to make things. You may have a career that seems to have nothing to do with art. What do you do in your free time? Do you sit mindlessly watching tv (bombarded with visual images and being subconsciously pursuaded to buy the latest gadget or told you're not good-looking enough or popular enough if you don't spend money on whatever it is they are selling?!!). Wouldn't it be wonderful if more people were taught the skills to create? Wouldn't it be better if kids were excited about silk-screening t-shirts with their own images than playing the latest Wii game? Wouldn't it be great if our art museums were full of all kinds of people visiting, and our history was carried on generation after generation by a society who values the arts and how it reflects our values and beliefs?
Lastly, I think that there is a trend in parenting today of non-parenting. Both parents are working and that leaves less time for shared activities, as simple as talking and taking time to communicate with each other. Art gives children of all ages another outlet to express themselves and what they are thinking. Children find great joy in creating. They love to share their work after they have spent time thinking about what they will make and how it will be done and why. They love to show it to their parents because they understand that it is a part of them that has just been expressed. The art teacher should never work on a student's art but can help guide through questioning and responding. I have seen many children's spirits crushed when one line was added to their work by the teacher! I also wonder who in my class will one day become a professional artist. To be able to give them the encouragement and skills to continue onto that career is a real privilege. I was one of those students! Art education played an important part in my whole academic experience. While excelling in the other subjects, my experiences in art classes only enriched my intellect and gave me the background to pursue an art degree.
I don't think anyone should ever think that art education is not as important as any other subject. While it may not be considered that at this point in time within the educational system, it should always be approached as having great value to every student. It is exciting to teach, to learn and to share. I was as inspired by my students as they were by me!
First of all l've learned that just as important as learning verbal communication skills is, understanding visual communication comprises just as much or possibly the majority of our lives. Being able to understand why you have the response you do to certain things you see is very important to understanding the world around you. From simple things like color to more advanced communication through visual metaphor, the viewer needs the tools to decipher what is being communicated. Studying visual elements and principals of art is a way to break down the message into understandable parts and art history gives us numerous examples of the way social and cultural messages have been given throughout human history. To be able to talk about what you're viewing is a skill that can be taught to the youngest of students and can be applied to so many different areas of study, beyond the art classroom. Many boardrooms, science labs and computer programmers draw out their ideas because it is the simplest, truest way to communicate them to others. Advertising is all around us. To be able to decipher the visual tools that companies use to associate their products with a certain feeling or lifestyle means that the student has more power over their decisions about whether to fall for the message or not!
The youngest students tend to create the purest art. While technique is not as important at a younger age, the experience with various mediums allow different parts of the brain to develop and make associations. Drawing with eye and hand coordination is very different than pounding and molding clay into a three dimensional form. Having experiences with things like printmaking and fiber arts is the best way to develop an appreciation in students for the art medium. Who will take over the role of educating and preserving art forms from our past history? Who will fund and run our museums and galleries? Someone who appreciates. We learn so much about us as a people from past generations through the fine and pragmatic arts, and this helps future generations make wiser decisions. We're seeing a return to cottage industry and the handmade. Handcrafts are starting to be practiced again and looked at as examples of "real" art. When the world has rapidly moved to technology, society is seeing a shift in value to things made with a human touch. Technology has also changed the art world. New amazing types of art are being created now that could not have been realized a decade ago. To give students the chance to learn how to think in four dimensions is best taught by the art educator who can help put form to ideas that are more powerful in visual form than the written word!
Art is one area where the answers can be unlimited. While parameters for lessons can be set, the best lessons allow students to come to a visual conclusion which is unique because of what they bring to it as an individual. The best art teachers recognize that there is an artist in all of us. It is up to the teacher to provide the direction, inspiration and the variety of mediums for the child to realize his own work. When students walk through my door, they are each considered artists and must see themselves as that. Depending on previous experiences, they must see that art is something that encompasses them in their every day life and is to be enjoyed and valued. That they are valued too. There is not one part of the day that doesn't have something in it that was designed by a graphic designer, industrial designer, architect, illustrator, fine artist, fabric designer, fashion designer, etc. Our world is full of other people's imaginations!!! As soon as students realize this, they see that art is one of our most important areas of study. Careers in science, math, technology, medicine... even perception that can be used in writing, depend on people's expertise in using conceptual thinking-- the kind that needs to "see" how things work. Art education can train the mind to come up with multiple solutions, brain-storming ideas and communicating them to others. Albert Einstein was a huge proponent of creative thinking. He recognized what value creativity and creative exercises mean for our world.
To bring it down to a simple level, while painting my dining room, I had many colors to choose from and within those choices of yellow, I had cool yellows, warm yellows and tints of each. I could decipher which yellow would compliment the wood on the floor and the other objects in the room. People make choices in the towns they live that determine how things look and how the urban development will go. This is all done by creative cognitive thinking. Imagine if more people were given the intellectual knowledge to understand color and shape and form, how wonderfully designed our environments would be!
It gives me and my friends great satisfaction to create as a hobby too. It is natural for people to want to make things. You may have a career that seems to have nothing to do with art. What do you do in your free time? Do you sit mindlessly watching tv (bombarded with visual images and being subconsciously pursuaded to buy the latest gadget or told you're not good-looking enough or popular enough if you don't spend money on whatever it is they are selling?!!). Wouldn't it be wonderful if more people were taught the skills to create? Wouldn't it be better if kids were excited about silk-screening t-shirts with their own images than playing the latest Wii game? Wouldn't it be great if our art museums were full of all kinds of people visiting, and our history was carried on generation after generation by a society who values the arts and how it reflects our values and beliefs?
Lastly, I think that there is a trend in parenting today of non-parenting. Both parents are working and that leaves less time for shared activities, as simple as talking and taking time to communicate with each other. Art gives children of all ages another outlet to express themselves and what they are thinking. Children find great joy in creating. They love to share their work after they have spent time thinking about what they will make and how it will be done and why. They love to show it to their parents because they understand that it is a part of them that has just been expressed. The art teacher should never work on a student's art but can help guide through questioning and responding. I have seen many children's spirits crushed when one line was added to their work by the teacher! I also wonder who in my class will one day become a professional artist. To be able to give them the encouragement and skills to continue onto that career is a real privilege. I was one of those students! Art education played an important part in my whole academic experience. While excelling in the other subjects, my experiences in art classes only enriched my intellect and gave me the background to pursue an art degree.
I don't think anyone should ever think that art education is not as important as any other subject. While it may not be considered that at this point in time within the educational system, it should always be approached as having great value to every student. It is exciting to teach, to learn and to share. I was as inspired by my students as they were by me!
12 comments:
WONDERFUL POST. I'm surprised no one has come across this post, but most of all, i'm shocked that nobody has commented. It's truly an inspiring post. bravo.
A very deep and meaningful post Bethany, I very much believe that art is so important in so many ways, more in fact than we realize.
I think your students are very fortunate indeed to have you as their teacher.
Hi Beth
It is so true - I love that you have put so much thought into this and that it makes it clearer for me why art/creativity is so important! Perhaps you should send it to the UK government who seems to think that the only important things you can teach children to do are read, write and count!!
Just what I need to hear. You're inspiring me to keep pursuing teaching art.
Great post, Beth! I hope it helped your friend, but I'm sure it also helped you to put your thoughts down on such an important, passionate topic in your life. Very inspiring!
You all are too nice!!! I didn't think anyone would read this :) It means a lot to me to see all of you sharing your love of creating with the world! And Heather... you just keep doing what you're doing! We need more people who love to teach art!!
your latest post was obviously from the heart and i agreed with every word - its so lovely to express your own self in art, whatever form it takes.
x
A great post Beth. I grew up in an artistic family and I suppose I always assumed everyone has an appreciation for art and crafts. This is obviously not the case, in fact quite the reverse.
I totally agree that children should learn about art and to explore their own creativity in their own way.
xxx
I have began to read your post yesterday and I have finished it today. Your post is so interesting Bethany. My father and mother used to paint, my great-grandfather was a painter. Art is the leitmotive of my life and I try my best to passe my love of art on to my daughter :)))
Have a lovely creative day :)))
This is very insightful. Art is necessary in all walks of life. It helps give the creativity to think out of the box and be successful. Thanks for making this technical mind think more about this. It reiterated how much art really is ALL around us!
This was a delightful read. I wholeheartedly agree with the importance of this subjuct in schools! Thank you for such a wonderfully thoughtful and well-written piece.
~Emily
Such a wonderful {& long =) } post. How lucky are your kids *at school & home* You can express yourself very well..in many ways. also~ Such lovely goodies you received!!
I am about to teach 2nd grade {I taught 1st} & I love doing art projects & incorporating them into my math & LA lessons. But so much time is devoted to the TEST at the end of the year & mass amounts of paperwork that I feel each year I have more pre/post tests to give & documentation of such & less time for exploration. My former school did not have an art class but my new school does..with a great big room full of supplies. =) I also hope my new school & county will have some different {i.e. better}views
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