Just like in a story, art is more powerful when viewers feel they connect with the people and concepts within it. I have always been a natural storyteller, stories much like Art is woven throughout my own life, my childhood, and my journey to become an educator. The really crucial thing that I have noticed throughout the peer teaching ideas, the foundation of every idea so far is that they all have to do with personal stories. When I was in middle school and beginning high school my family worked for the independent living program or ILP program at the center for people with disabilities,  several times a week the program would host group outings to teach life skills, such as how to ride a bus and other skills that were designed to help the consumers navigate their lives outside of the classroom. However, within the classroom we had classes, these classes consisted of different lessons that taught motor skills, literacy, and numeracy to simulate not only the mind but the enjoyment of the class. This is where I did some of my first teachings, I would host read-aloud, where the consumers would bring in their favorite books, and then we would make art based on these stories. Sometimes it was just recreating art from the story, but most of the time it had to do with them because I noticed they enjoyed telling the world about who they were, and Art is an excellent medium to do such in. Remember those cookie-cutter projects that you had to do in school where everyone does a slightly different version of the exact same thing? I hated those. It always forced you to compare yourself to your peers, and there just wasn’t much room for self-expression. If one student was able to copy the teacher’s version better, did that really make them a good artist? I found out early on that all students get most excited about the projects where they really get to dig deep into their creativity and create something that is unique and special to them. Whereat the end of each project, everyone had something that was one of a kind. It was interesting to see how all the students would take different approaches to problem-solving and how they added their own style to their artwork. This was also helpful for me because I was learning more about their personalities and interests. It’s these types of projects that really spotlight what makes each student unique and special. When they feel unique and special, they really start to thrive. At the end of the project, it is okay to compare the work because you’re not looking at who is a better artist or who copied the teacher the best, but you’re really celebrating the differences in each student’s work. They get so excited about sharing their work and their stories with everyone, and they really start to open up. You see the pride on their faces, and you feel it in your heart. I also learned that not only do you have to work hard at how you will perform as a teacher, but you have to work hard at connecting with your students. Really listening to the things they want to share with you, even if you are busy with something or if you have no interest in reading all of the little house on the prairie books. Just like our students, no two art teachers are exactly alike and each teacher has their own style, approach, standards, and creative vision. Now I am more confident that all you have to do is be yourself, really listen to their stories, encourage them to be their best, and be genuinely interested in getting to know each one. But something I did not learn until now was how to be confident in my mistakes, and how to teach my students to make mistakes. My consumers would get frustrated, or make a mistake and I would try to support them as best I could, but I was unsure of this myself. Now though I know the best part of making mistakes is what you learn from them. They are an important part of the journey to becoming the best teacher you can be.

 

 

 I wish I had known what I know now, that Observing with the intent of creating can transform how a person perceives the world. So much of teaching art is teaching visual literacy, the literal act of reading meaning within visual input, whether that’s a still image, a film, a building, or a natural landscape. Watching them create, and teaching them what I now know is visual literacy taught me a lot about life, about how things can change, and how our stories not only shape us but looking at art and hearing others' stories, seeing them can shape us too. That is what I have learned these past few weeks, how much I have grown and changed not only based on these past experiences of teaching shed under a new light, and my new lens of teaching but also how much I am currently being shaped by my present experiences and my peers' stories and experiences, which have shaped my own visual literacy and in turn how I plan to teach those skills. While many find the value of arts education to be the way in which it impacts student learning, I feel the learning of art is itself a worthwhile endeavor. A culture without art isn’t possible. Art is at the very core of our identity as humans. I feel that the greatest gift we can give students -- and humanity -- is an understanding, appreciation, and ability to create art.

 

This week I added layers of flow paint to the corner of my piece, I did this to represent both structures and also an idea of change. My own story and my student's stories can change and grow and bend based on our learning, how we create, and how we develop. The gold color is the color of success, achievement, and triumph Black when used in opposition with white, is a symbol of the eternal struggle between day and night, a juxtaposition between opposing forces/ I feel as though this is a representation of components of learning. A struggle of ideas and with creating, learning, and growing, but also the success and accomplishments that you learn along the way. 

 

I think this experience has opened me up to be more flexible, in the sense that I know how much I can learn from my students and how much that has changed my own perceptions of creating, learning, and teaching. I think that visual literacy skills go hand in hand with our personal stories, which is a connection I have not thought of until now and is something that I really want to focus on within my own classroom.  I’m so lucky to have been given this wonderful opportunity to share something I’m passionate about with my students, and we get to do fun things together every day. I’m sure that I will continue to make mistakes and there will probably be plenty of lessons to be learned. All I know for sure is that I am looking forward to it.