No Mountain High Enough...

Learning to teach is like climbing a mountain only to find there's an even higher mountain beyond it. I have a LOVE/HATE relationship with being a teaching artist. My love starts with my love of schools.

I LOVE school.

I love being in schools. I love hallways, bulletin board displays, the sounds of chairs scarping the floors, pencil taping, kids scurrying to and from the bathroom, the hush and then the clamor as kids fall out of class to the yard. The bright colors, the hodge podgeness, the order and the chaos.

I love kids. They're nuts. They're funny and surprising and amazing.

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE teachers. Seriously? Who works harder for less? Teachers, they keep getting pummeled by our ignorant society. Still they show up at 7:15am to cut paper, grade tests, meet parents before they go to work, sweep the rugs  (it's not in the janitor's contract, or there is no janitor) fed the gecko, lizard, fish, tadpoles, feed the early kid, the homeless kid, do hair for the neglected girls, and wash the faces of the dirty children. And don't forget they actually teach tiny crazy people to read, write, add and subtract and more. AND they teach manners, caring, social, environmental and school yard justice. They sing, dance, drum and generally make fools of themselves so other people's  video addicted, attention limited, entitled, lost, lazy, rude, sad, sweet, spoiled, precious children can become engaged active citizens.

I love school.

I love the unsung heroes of every school. The front office ladies and men who hold down the fort, provide tissue (often paid for by them since, you know, tissue is a luxury and all), give band aids, advice, and tardy slips. They know who is fake crying to get out of class and who is really ill or sad. They are mean and strict in the best grandmother, great auntie or uncle kinda way. They know all the parents and who is in after care, who has a doctor or dentist appointment. They know who waits outside alone after school because mom is always late. They know which forms teachers have to fill out, they order your supplies and make sure they get to you on time, running the ins and outs of dry erase markers, No.#2 pencils and paper clips like a mafia syndicate (Oops, you didn't get that box of paper? Guess you shouldn't be so rude when you ask! Fuggeta 'boutit!)

I love school.

I love the crazy structure. Recess at 10:40 - 10:55. Whaaat?! Few other work environments run off the clock like that. I recently taught a group of teachers. When I said lunch at noon. There was a collective cry of Noooooo! That was too late. They wanted to eat at 11:35. We compromised with 11:45. bells ring at the oddest times  Nothing begins or stops on the hour or half hour. Always 55, 35, 25. Why? BECAUSE schools have to operate with illogical precision, no minute wasted.

There's sooo much more to love and yet and still I also hate schools, I hate teaching art, I'm over it! As I type that I'm already thinking about how I will rearrange my room, the systems I hope to put in place.

Art makes Creative, Happy, Brave Kids

Art makes creative, happy, brave kids!

Our centers experiment was a success.  Choice Based Art is here to stay! As a first attempt my students and I learned a lot. I look forward to fall and many improvements in the system. The kids did great work and more importantly they challenged themselves and they grew. When asked to give three words that describe the feeling of creating a treasured piece of art here are some of the words kids said:

Creative
Happy
Brave
Sad
Good
Amazing
Powerful
Radical
Great

 ACOE's Inventing Our Future Summer Institute.

More Teaching Artists needed! If you are out there in the "interwebs" reading this PLEASE fill out the Teaching Artist Questionnaire so we can continue to build a resource for each other. Read over past post to see what other Teaching Artists have to say about their art and teaching. get inspired, participate. The link is right u there on the right side...click it! Thanks!

How can I discover the World of Art, within me and all around me?

This is my throughline for teaching art. How can I discover the World of Art, within me and all around me? I want my students to think about this question everyday and figure out their own answers. I have come to believe you can't "teach art". Especially not to little kids, they already know art. Their ideas are so much better than mine. That is why I love the choice based classroom. 

I used to believe teaching the whole class a project was the only way to teach skills. Instead as each center opens I teach the skills needed to use and care for the material in that center. What the students make using the materials is up to them. In choice class the students figure out what they need to know. They take initiative and they ask for the skills, materials and techniques to make their projects work.  Within each project are challenges and questions that must be answered through the act of making. I facilitate students understanding of their work. 

I also try to apply the throughline to myself.  How can I discover the World of Art, within me and all around me? Can I give myself the freedom I allow/expect my students to have? How can I use what happens in the class in my own practice? 

This post is from my other blog C. Moore Art http://cmooreartblog.blogspot.com proof that my teaching practice and my art practice are getting more blurred everyday. You can learn more about Choice Based Art here Teaching for Artistic Behavior TAB

Sparks are flying with Choice Based Art

I've changed my classroom into choice based or centers. I have used the resources on Teaching for Artistic Behavior. It has been a great change.

The mind is not a vessel to be filled but a fire to be ignited. - Plutarch

I have no photos to show yet. But I will get some up here soon. I hope to have more guest Teaching Artists post soon as well. 

Big Ideas Fest's Improbable Beautiful

In December I was lucky enough to attend the Big Ideas Fest (BiF) in Half Moon Bay (http://www.bigideasfest.org/about-big-ideas-fest-2013). BiF is a conference like none other combining design thinking and improv in the service of innovation for education. This was my fourth time at the conference and one of the most interesting and productive experiences yet.

The thing about Big idea Fest is there's a lot. I mean a LOT! Rapid fire speakers, key notes, action collabs, Road Trip Nation, and 'smores. This means there's quite a bit to digest and for me it takes a while to distill it all down. In fact I'm going to talk about the key note speaker from last year, George Lakoff, because I am still processing all of the information garnered from his talk. Lakoff according to Wikipedia is an American cognitive linguist, best known for his thesis that lives of individuals are significantly influenced by the central metaphors they use to explain complex phenomena. He currently teaches at UC Berkeley.

George Lakoff tells us metaphors are at the heart of language and communication. Metaphors are a way of being more precise. At the Big Ideas Fest last year he used love as an example. How do we speak about love? We use metaphors (these usually contain image schema of motion). I'm falling in love, this relationship is a dead end, I'm so over him, things are going smoothly, etc.. Since hearing his talk I've been thinking a lot about metaphors and how important they are. We basically can't communicate our true feelings without metaphors. Metaphors help us be precise with language. The issues that are central to our heart , love, loss, joy, pain they need metaphor to be talked about with precision. 

As teaching artists we are well versed in metaphors. What I am interested in is how we show teachers, parents and administrators that Art is about communicating through metaphor and is therefor about communicating with precision? We teach students to express what they feel, think, believe, dream and hope. They are able to express often complex ideas and emotions through a symbol system. This is important work. Art (and I am including poetry, music, dance and drama) is at the core of clear and precise human communication. How do you use metaphor in your work and your classes?

I've been pondering the meaning of metaphors for a year now. George Lakoff was only one of the amazing speakers I've heard at ISKME's Big Ideas Fest. The presenters from the 2013 conference were equally amazing. For 2014 I plan to ponder the meaning of social objects and new ways of interacting in museums and beyond. To find out more check out their website and follow them on Twitter.

Happy New Year!

Sam Vance's Improbable Beautiful

Artist Clown, by Sam Vance

1. How long have you been a teaching artist?

I started teaching right out of my undergraduate program back in 1996.  I had the fortune to already be involved with a growing acting studio in Seattle where my wife was teaching.  

2. What discipline(s) do you teach?

 Theatre predominantly but I have also taught visual art and music.  

3. Describe the setting(s) in which you teach.

I am adjunct theatre faculty at Northwest University where I teach Intro to Theatre, Improvisation and Principles of Acting.  I am also a regular instructor at Taproot Theatre Company where I have taught classes, workshops and summer camps.  In my last job as Director of Education at Teatro ZinZanni, I taught juggling and circus skills to PE classes all over the Pacific Northwest.  

4. Who shaped your initial thinking about teaching art?

It's not something I ever really thought about.  It seemed to be a natural extension of my art practice and it has always been a factor when it comes to piecing together a living.  

5. Describe the relationship between your personal art practice and your art teaching?

It used to be purely financial.  But I have come to enjoy teaching and have been able to make connections to my own practice.  The most noticeable shift has been personal confidence when standing up in front of people, speaking, acting, improvising or directing.  I used to be very shy and nervous in front of people.  

6. How do you sustain your art while teaching?

 The important aspect for me is to keep building a body of work while teaching.  That is the thing that keeps me relevant and viable as a teaching artist.  

7. What training in the arts and/or education have you had?

 I have an Applied Associate of Arts Degree in Music & Business (after a failed attempt to get a degree in commercial art) from the Art Institute of Seattle, a BA in Theatre from Seattle Pacific University and I am currently a degree candidate for an MFA in Interdisciplinary Arts at Goddard College.  I also studied classical painting from a private instructor in Spain.  

8. What are the biggest challenges you face as a teaching artist?

 Complacent or uninterested students- it's rare but it happens.  

9. What are the unexpected rewards of being a teaching artist?

 Drawing connections from the classroom to the studio in ways that feed my practice.  Usually that is some sort of improvisation or "a Ha!" moment that makes me think about something I'm working on.  

10. What advice do you have for other artists interested in teaching?

I think you have to really like people and want to relate to them in order to teach.  It's one thing to be a master of your subject but you have to possess the ability to break that information down into reasonable chunks, build on that info in order to give your students a sense of accomplishment immediately.  Teaching art should be fun for you and your students.  

*Please share one anecdote of a memorable Teaching Artist experience.

 I was working with world-class Russian juggler, Sergey Krutikov on a circus camp for kids.  At the beginning of the week we had a 10 year old student who flat refused to participate.  His reason was that he didn't want to learn to juggle because he didn't want to live on the streets, juggling for a living.  Sergey was great because he didn't pressure the kid.  He just kept introducing different items to the entire class- juggling balls, rings, cigar boxes, scarves... gently drawing him into the enthusiasm the rest of the camp was experiencing.  By the end of the week, that kid was juggling like  a crazy person.  He is now living on the streets.  

Please share any upcoming events or shows you are involved in so we can find out more about your personal art practice. Provide links to websites, event sites, etc.

I will be acting, singing (and doing a little clowning) in an upcoming show that my wife and I wrote.  Le Club Noel opens at Taproot Theatre Company in Seattle on November 29th and runs through December 28th.  Tickets and info can be found at:

http://taproottheatre.org/le-club-noel/

Dr. Jerry M. James' Improbable Beautiful

Beginner's Luck, Jerry M. James

1. How long have you been a teaching artist?  

I was a teaching artist at Lincoln Center Institute (LCI) for 15 years

2. What discipline(s) do you teach?

  Visual Art

3. Describe the setting(s) in which you teach: K-5, after school, university, community center, etc…

 All of the above

4. Who shaped your initial thinking about teaching art?

Fay Zetlin,  Maxine Greene, John Toth, Paulo Friere

5. Describe the relationship between your personal art practice and your art teaching?

When I was a teaching artist, I participated group shows with other TAS. Also had my own shows and projects.  I felt that in particular, teaching the Aesthetic Education model informed my philosophy of art and piqued my curiosity about all the arts. Leading sessions at museums opened my eyes to different genres, ultimately affecting my own work in positive ways

6. How do you sustain your art while teaching?

Maintaining a private studio and selling my work

7. What training in the arts and/or education have you had?

BFA and MFA in painting Ed.D, in art education

8. What are the biggest challenges you face as a teaching artist?

One challenge was switching approaches to suit different arts organizations.  Some were more skills based, others more aesthetic still others more arts integrated.  Since my work involved teaching in other states and countries managing my schedule was challenging at times.  Fortunately, as a full-time TA I had four weeks paid vacation time I used blocks of time to prepare for shows etc.

9. What are the unexpected rewards of being a teaching artist?

The joy evident as students learn, witnessing improved collaboration among school communities, planning with teachers and other stakeholders. The transformative effects of arts experiences on people of all ages, as reported in discussions and written  reflections.   As an administrator now, watching  the professionalization of the TA field unfold has been a pleasant surprise!

10. What advice do you have for other artists interested in teaching?

Learn how to facilitate learning, rather than only teaching what you know.  Many of your students will benefit more from working on big ideas with TAs than they will from learning a specific artistic skill.

Please share one anecdote of a memorable Teaching Artist experience.

I  usually time the components of workshops. Demos, if any, are short. I devote most time to arts making, which is interspersed with reflective activities of varying lengths, One of these, poetry writing, usually lasts five minutes.  In Mexico, however,  participants wrote poetry for 20 minutes and they could have kept going! It was my first direct experience of educators in another culture having a relationship with culture that was much different than mine. For them poetry was as natural as prose.

Please share any upcoming events or shows you are involved in so we can find out more about your personal art practice.

jerrymjames.com  caenyc.org