-Title quoted by poet, Ryunosuke Satoro
It feels good to be back together again. If I could describe my middle school art classes this trimester in one word it would be joy! It seems as if nothing can hold back the pure enthusiasm of my 6th, 7th, and 8th graders who are so excited to be taking art as one of their electives this year.
We've been strengthening the culture of class community these first weeks with Social-Emotional-Learning activities. I emphasize a team mindset for my students in their table groups where we build each other up, share ideas, and help out others in the classroom community.
Above: 6th graders asking classmates questions in the people scavenger hunt!
Students get comfortable here in the first few days by practicing routines with setting up their workspace as soon as they come to class, reviewing the daily agenda, working together during studio time in the courtyard or inside the classroom, and helping their group with the clean up process at the end of class. The art room functions as a communal space where students communicate and collaborate with their seat partners.
The first few days of the trimester, my middle school students designed their class name tags. This a great way to get kids art-making right away and expressing their personalities through their drawings. Each class has a designated counter top in the room where their art supply bags and 3D projects are stored so that they are easily accessible for my students to pick up when they get to class. Students chose their spot by taping their name tag onto the counter so they always know where their supply bag is every day and can be accountable for their art projects.
I planned for the first unit in each middle school class to be a hands-on clay project. We began with reclaiming clay from dried scraps to be rehydrated and wedged for future projects.
Currently, the 6th graders are creating two pinch pot spheres designed with facial features and 3D details...
My 7th grade art students are transforming double pinch pots into pumpkins and jack-o-lanterns...
The 8th grade art class is carving custom ceramic stamps to create texture on their container project...
It's exciting to see the students get motivated about art and building something out of nothing with their bare hands in clay! Art is about so much more than the end product because kids are simultaneously learning about creativity, problem solving, how to think, and how to become better people.
The art room is a safe place for students to experiment and understand that it's okay to take a risk when trying something new because we will work together to come up with a better solution. This mindset improves their internal self talk and grows the community of the art classroom where it is okay to make mistakes because we encourage each other and grow outwardly to show the community what we're doing and how we are always in the process of improvement.
I want my students to leave high school with the idea of being an artful human.
This idea begins in the 6th grade where we bring creativity, problem solving skills, resilience, and all these beautiful things that come from art and put that lens in front of us as we view the world and interact with it. Whether it’s in a job, or in whatever you’re doing, you can be an artful human and put a creative edge to it. Individual artistic achievement and collaborative learning in the art classroom goes hand in hand to make this happen. Let's keep spreading the joy with each other in art class so that we are a powerful force of creativity!
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