Chapter 24: “Art Education that is “For Something”

As future teachers it is important for us to realize that we will not get everything correct the first time and we may face obstacles in the classroom. Instead of these obstacles stopping us and wearing us down we should use these obstacles as learning experiences to help us become better teachers. As teachers we like to think that we know more than our students and that we have the best way to do every task, but in reality we do not. We need to learn from our students. create a classroom community where we are all learners, and have a classroom that allows our students to express themselves.

I consider myself lucky that I am becoming a teacher right now in the world because of all the resources that are available. There are so few limitations when it comes to integrating technology into the classroom, developing a service learning project, and using multigenerational learning in the classroom. When it comes to reflecting in the classroom we all need to promote this because it allows students to sort out their thoughts, think deeper, and to have their own opinion. But when I think of reflecting in art I automatically think about the traditional route, to journal in a notebook/sketchbook. In my last field experience I had my students journal in their sketchbooks about their project ideas and how they felt about drawing people, but it was not successful. I will be the first to admit it. The students were bored about writing it in their sketchbook and a lot of the students thought it was a joke. They knew their sketchbooks were private and that only the instructors would read them. Their responses were not sincere and were quickly written. Instead of journaling in a sketchbook I want my students to have a classroom blog. Sorta like what we have now. I want my students to have their own opinions and ideas, but have their post be seen by others in the class. This way the students will have more accountability. This way the students can interact with one another and everyone has a chance to have a voice.

For my social justice issues in the community I choose to talk about discrimination, hunger, poverty, equal education, and children rights. These are all common social justice topics that can happen in any community. I choose to do multiple topics because students are all different. Discrimination is a topic that has always interested me because when I was a student I related this term to only race not everything else that it can be about. Hunger and poverty are issues that are relevant in any community. Equal education and children rights are important because this allows all children to receive an education and also what rights students have.

Being a teacher makes us role models to all our students. I want my students to know how to advocate or show support for a cause they believe in. I do not believe that students necessarily have to be interested in the same social justices as I do, but my students should know how to advocate for what they believe in. In my classroom we will talk and learn about social justices. Students need to know how be involved in something that they are interested in. Students need to know that they can be the change in their community and that one simple step in the right direction may be all it takes. Students should learn how to create projects that have a meaning and how to use those projects to advocate for their social justice. Students will learn through projects, reflecting, and engaging in topics that they are interested in how to be the change in their community.