Art Blog - Tales from the Art Side

I had been waiting my entire career for the chance to teach a painting class and it wasn't until last year that I was finally presented the opportunity. The same was true for a colleague of mine, Cindy, who had been waiting for her chance even longer than me. Needless to say we went into the assignment with a great deal of enthusiasm and anticipation about how we would teach the course. I've seen painting classes taught before that were very prescriptive in the projects that were required of the students. Each student, for example, might be expected to paint a still life, followed by a landscape, and then a self portrait. There is nothing inherently wrong with teaching a class in this manner; in fact, a majority of the classes I teach myself follow a curriculum of assigned projects… Continue reading… 13 comments

It is my opinion that self reflection is perhaps one of the most important attributes of a successful teacher. This characteristic is essential because it bears so heavily on the overall quality of education an instructor provides. Whether successful or not, I believe the culmination of every project should lead to some degree of reflective thinking on the part of the educator. These introspective inquiries should be motivated by a sincere desire to further improve the instruction, application, and outcomes involved in the lesson. And I find, more often than not, that the one factor requiring modification or revision is the method in which I am presenting the project… Continue reading… 3 comments

I've previously written about the enviable enthusiasm of children and the contagious excitement evident both in their art, and their art making. I believe there is another important lesson embedded in that subject, and it's one that I'm reminded of nearly every single day in my vocation. The scope of this lesson extends beyond my professional boundaries of teaching kids art and often convicts me in my personal life as well. Its significance is also deeply rooted in my firm belief that all educators, regardless age or subject area, must remain candidly self-reflective about everything we do in our role as teachers… Continue reading… 3 comments

He who can, does; he who cannot, teaches. George Bernard Shaw is credited with this line from his 1903 play Man and Superman, although it is unknown whether this was actually the opinion of Shaw, or merely a line of dialogue for one of his many characters. Either way, it is a platitude that still finds its way into our modern conversations with a great degree of regularity. And while there is no definitive way to determine how many believe this sentiment, the fact that it shows no sign of fading into obscurity after a century of use says a great deal. Misconceptions like this one are so unfortunate because not only are they fueled by ignorance, but they perpetuate it as well… Continue reading… 7 comments

There is a tangible energy in an art room; a palatable excitement that at times I have to force myself to slow down and savor. You can sense it when the students are really enthused about an assignment and they're eagerly immersing themselves in their work. I float around the room encouraging creativity, nudging inspiration, and playfully joking with the kids. Amidst the flurry of noise and activity there are days I must simply stop and smile as I take a moment to remind myself that teaching kids art was my dream, and I'm living it. I've known I wanted to be a high school art teacher ever since I, myself, was a high school art student. Under the tutelage of some exemplary instructors I heard my future vocation beckoning me… Continue reading… 12 comments