Sunday, January 23, 2011

Blog # 2

I believe that being an artist helps teachers because we are more creative! Creativity gives teachers more options to fix problems, motivate students, and find ways to stretch budgets. Looking at things in a different way than everyone else can enable a teacher find original solutions to old problems.

Creating art has awarded me with several life skills that carry over well into teaching. Patience, analysis of situations, and problem solving are all benefits that have grown through me as I have progressed as an artist. I believe that these skills would benefit any teacher.

I would like to continue working as an artist in front of my students in the future. I believe that this will lead them technically by giving demos and showing them how to use tools and methods. Working directly in front of students also builds respect and trust. One of the first things I do when I sign up for a class is checkout the work of the professor or TA that is going to teach the class if it is available locally or on the internet. If I don't like their work, or believe that their aesthetics will benefit me, I might not take that class. I think that students should realize that their teachers are talented and hard working. Seeing good work can motivate and inspire.

In my assignments I might require my students to incorporate their values, heritage, or likes/dislikes in there work. An artist statement from each student could give insight into what these personal symbols mean in the artwork that they would produce. I want to give students the knowledge they need to effectively express themselves while fulfilling their vision of what the piece should look like.

5 comments:

  1. I never even thought to check out the work of professors and TAs online! I have had classes were I never once saw a work of art the teacher created. I remember thinking to myself "Do they really know what they are talking about? Should I trust them?". Because of this, I feel that think it is a great idea to work in the classroom, in front of students. Not only will they start to respect you more, but they also might learn a few things from observing.

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  2. Neither have I! That's such a smart idea and I'm definitely going to check out my TAs next semester. I like knowing what kind of art my professors/TAs make, because I think it gives a bit of insight into the personality of the artist. It tells his/her students something about their likes, dislikes, skills, interests, etc. It's even more beneficial to actually witness a teacher in action-- watching the hard work and creativity put into making their art. I think it teaches students a lot about what it means to be an artist!

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  3. I like your ideas about creatively stretching a limited budget. It is easy to forget that some schools have limited budgets for art supplies. In college, we are spoiled with available supplies. Luckily, as artists we have a propensity to hoard found objects, or at least I do. We can make nothing into something. Creatively solving problems applies to so many areas of life that we take for granted.

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  4. I have to say that I am a hoader of random items myself. Luckily, I do actually find myself using these items down the road, although sometimes it does take years!

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  5. I do a background research on all of my professors/TAs before I sign up for their classes. Seeing the work of an art educator gives you the insight of their background and skill, but more importantly confidence in what they’re teaching you. I’m always very skeptical of artist educators who don’t share their work, because it never seems like an issue of modesty. I want my students to be confident in my confidence, and students have to judge you to some extent to trust you as their educator. I’m still very unsure how I’ll share my own artwork with my students, but I don’t think that it’s possible to even avoid it happening. High school students are way too tech savvy to not find info about their teachers online, which may be a good prelude to teaching students about having an online presence as an artist.

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