Of all the subjects that I will have to teach Fine Arts was the one where I had the least confidence. While aspects of Fine Arts had been a part of my life, in varying degrees, for many years I had no idea how to approach the teaching of the subject area when the time came.
I learned, of course, that the act of teaching is only learned by the act of doing it.
By far and away the most important outcome of this course for me was the change in my disposition or attitude towards teaching art. I recognized that teaching art is about having the right approach about it so that my students will recognise the ability in my classroom to take risks and to express themselves, within limits, as they see fit. The first principle, infusing our classrooms with the spirit of fine arts, mentioned in each chapter we studied will forever resonate in my teaching of this area. Never underestimate the creative power of students, never stifle it, always welcome it in as many ways as you can, and students will derive the maximum benefits from this subject area.
As I was considering what I would say in this my last post, I thought of something I heard many years ago and I finally managed to track it down.
It goes like this:
John F Kennedy said "the life of the arts, far from being an interruption or a distraction in the life of a nation, is very close to the centre of a nation's purpose, and is the test of the quality of a nation's civilization." He also said "I look forward to a nation that will not be afraid of grace and beauty… a nation that will reward achievement in the arts as we reward achievement in business or statecraft… If art is to nourish the roots of our culture, society must set the artist free.
Q.E.D.
1 comment:
A lovely and powerful quote from an unlikely source...I may borrow it for my leadership classes: Charismatic leadres like JFK know the power of symbolic acts and unifying images.
I have now reviewed all of your posts - I found I could not afford the time to comment on each post for each student and so I will give an overview. You have about twenty varied posts in which you reflect on our class activities and your past activities and interests with humour, depth, and with plans for application in your own teaching. You seem to have had a sincere epiphany or "aha" moment that you identify as a change in disposition toward the arts. Certainly, your background could have given you a positive disposition to the arts already but I'm glad you feel more sure of yourself now. I agree that acknowledging how important and memorable the arts may become to our students is a first step toward skill development. And I am thinking of pedagogical skill as well as specific skills in each of the arts, for example, your knowledge of crepe paper "painting" techniques, and your approach to teaching a variety of techniques and then having students apply them using their own images or content. Thanks for sharing excellent resources such as the "artists 4 kids" site. I enjoyed the interactivity of your blog when you posted photos in reference to blog conversations with other students. Your comment on music for understanding oneself more than understanding concepts across the curriculum provided a richer understanding than anything derived from teaching grammar with singing! Thanks for a sincere effort - I intend to quote from your blog in the poster I am designing about blogging for arts education. Maybe I'll have it displayed before you leave for practicum.
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