A serious discussion with students on the current state of the world and the future for which we might be heading revealed some fascinating designs of transportation and homes for the year 2050. Seen here is just one example of such made 3D – a work in progress.
Here is an article from the New York Times further discussing the NH law I brought up in my previous post.
When Parents Can Opt Out of School Curriculum
New Hampshire recently passed a new law that allows parents to opt their child out of a class if they do not approve of a particular lesson being taught. As a public school teacher of Evangelical parents I can only imagine the discord that can be created from this! But — I’m curious as to how others feel and would greatly appreciate feedback. I heard of the development through NPR this afternoon and it is further explained, here on the radio station’s website.
I posted the following response on the Callie Crossley Show facebook page with other educators and parents.
I am a public school art teacher in Boston and I also teach at a private institution that is less censored than the average elementary, middle, or high school. I myself grew up with Evangelical parents who wished to have me home schooled, but I rebelled and demanded I be placed in public school. My parents, by the way, live and vote in New Hampshire.
As an artist I am against censorship of any kind, but as an educator I understand the need for regulations in public schools. That being said, I agree parents can and should teach their children whatever they wish at home, but should be less interfering in the classroom. I’m not saying uninvolved, not at all. But parents should embrace the idea that we are a society of free thinkers and that everyone is entitled to opinions or theories of their own. It’s one of the many great things about this country.
Also, here in Boston the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) is a severe concern to teachers and principals. I’m sure NH has its own test like it that measures the performance of ALL students based on curriculum framework learning standards of the state. If a parent wishes a teacher to allow a student to abstain from one lesson or another, who’s to say that would not upset their chances for their highest possible score on the exam? The impact of this could bring the curve down for the entire class, grade, or even school. Sound ridiculous? Well, I can’t argue with you, but it’s true.
My bigger concern is that the child would be missing out on something that is the building block for something else further down his/her educational career. I like the idea of the parent being a part of the process, but I wish there was greater trust in the teacher to provide all of the necessary tools for the student.
Another great resource for friends, coworkers, and parents! Enjoy!
United South End Settlements’ Children’s Art Centre: Resource of the Month: Creativity Matters E-Book: At the Children’s Art Centre, a firm belief in the power and importance of creativity to children’s cognitive, social, and emotional well-be…
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| Versace Autumn/Winter 2012 |
Last year I fully explored my love of comic books with students to show to them how the medium is absolutely Art related and opens many doors of the world. I’ll admit, there was some hestitance from the female population of classes, but nearly as much as I anticipated. Thankfully, my fandom of Wonder Woman helped build a bridge and throughout the year, both boys and girls were producing incredible graphic novels with thought out stories and incredibly detailed work (focusing on foreground, middle and background, pen & ink, etc).
It’s a new year and to build on a popular theme in many of my lessons, fashion, I intend to do much of the same, though reversed, as I had with comics. Let me explain. Girls, ages seven to eighteen, immediately seem drawn to clothes — the majority anyway. Well, I want boys, seven to eighteen, to understand that they too can express themselves through their form of dress. Alright, so maybe it won’t be as important to them as it is to girls, duly noted, but I do want them to experiment and have fun with the idea. In the coming months I will be broadening design and color lessons to utilize a more fashion athstetic. The inspiration comes from an article I read online in British Vogue. If I teach my students anything beyond the Art fundementals, I want to broaden their perception of their day to day life in a fun way. Keep an eye on this space for results of students’ work as it’s produced.
This is an article from the NY Times that speaks to all teachers (and parents for the matter) asking, how do we teach Civil Rights to our kids?
This is an idea of how I prepare for a semester of art classes at the Worcester Art Museum. A lot of things are missing in this early stage, like how I’ll tie each class with the Massachusetts Visual Art Curriculum and how much unspecific time I want to give each project. Even though it’s not yet written down, I already have such ideas/plans in my head that evolved as I planned. If you look close and use your imagination, you can see how each lesson is a progression of the last and loosely tied to each. For me, it all starts with a theme or final project that I want students to achieve, with each class a step towards that end direction. A lot goes into preparing a semester, not all of it is listed here — I have to keep some surprises alive!
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| Portraits, Landscapes, & Sculptures / Explore Your World |
Mike Vosburg was one of my favorite comic book artists of my dad’s original Marvel and DC Comics collection from the Seventies and Eighties. I happened across his blog and was immediately inspired by his love of an illustration artist I had never heard of. Vosburg has moved on from comic books into TV, film, and even music videos and is another real life example of where comic books can take you. I’ll be using Mike Vosburg as suggestion of research for my older students, as well as Al Parker, featured in the link below.
vozwords: Al Parker (1906-1985): The invention of the camera shattered art in the western world. For several centuries one of the primary goals of the artist was to reprodu…
“If you aren’t surrounded by creative people, it’s easy to fall into really boring repetitive pockets of energy and blandness.” – Nomi Ruiz, singer, songwriter, & performer
SWart Studio 