We can all agree that teaching in a pandemic has presented challenges, pushed our creative boundaries, and reframed how we connect with students. As my District returned to face to face instruction in January, I started brainstorming how I can support the emotional, creative, and learning needs of my students while maintaining a safe and clean art room. In addition to working in a global pandemic this year, I made the choice to transition to a new school. Let’s compound the elements, shall wel. Having worked with my previous school for three years, I knew the students and the creative aptitude of teaching online and face to face. But thinking about a new school, new students, new parents, a new art room, a new administrative team all layered with “new” being a school built in 1963! This added to my anxiety of how to best maximize learning. During the summer and fall of 2020, I was able to sort and organize the art room while teaching fully online. Move my classroom, which was graciously boxed and stored in a friend’s basement, while getting a clear assessment of what supplies and tools existed in the space. This was important to see what needed to be purchased and what needed to be tossed. As art teachers, we all have a small pinch of hoarder. We acquire free leftovers of scrapbook paper, cotton balls, and marker caps, thinking “I will use this for a project, one day.” But no one teaches you in schools that “one day” is far and few between. Items get misplaced, thrown in plastic bags, and then allowed to grow mold for years to come. I am a firm believer in a clean and clear space is better for creative energy. Check out my before and after shots of the art room: Through local school funds and Donors Choose, I was able to purchase items like paper cutters, technology equipment, and supportive textbooks to be the best online teacher. My students and I were able to connect over Zoom. I felt like I was the producer of the Sarah Erickson Art Show. Collecting fun interactive YouTube clips, sharing directed drawing lessons, listening to silly songs while dancing, and smiling online. I enjoyed learning about students’ likes and dislikes with daily check-ins, challenging their visual perception with nonverbal puzzles and games allowing us to build a foundation of trust. Visual arts are a risky subject. Many approach creativity as they are either born with or without it. But like many things in life, it is a spectrum of talents in the creative arts, and I was starting at ground zero with my students. Being isolated for nearly 10 months in my home revealed how much I missed collaboration. We had our weekly staff meetings, monthly art teacher meetings, and of course daily interactions with students, but the shared learning and joy from working collaboratively in and through art was missing in my life. My dog was a great collaborator and I would have endearing conversations with him, but he didn’t give me creative feedback like an artist. As January quickly approached, I wanted to collaborate! I began to search the Pinterest bookmarks for interactive projects between teachers and students. The results were nonexistent. I wanted to create projects with a shared safe production between artists. How could I share my creative talents to encourage and support the growing talents of my students? I devised three scaffold projects to develop artistry, confidence, and trust with my new community of learners. First, we collaborated on a paper mural for the art room. I measured the space, sketched the words, assigned spaces, and then allowed students to explore lines with paint and sharpies. Upon completing the two-day line exploration, I headed to the laminator and then pieced the paper back together. This project was completed by our Kindergarten and 2nd Grade students. Check out the images below: Being mindful that cleanliness was important. No cross-contamination of supplies. Handwashing before and after class. Additionally, I use a fogging machine at the end of each day. I feel like a true Ghost Buster. The pressure of clean spaces, students’ safety, all while trying to be creative, and create a nurturing and calm environment, trust me it has been a struggle. Germs have dominated our life, so my first graders sought to explain organic shapes found within the human body. To collaborate with my small group of students, I thought I would lend my creative skills with some colorful portraits. They created the frame using sharpies and colored pencils, while I developed a line drawing and restricted my supplies to ones I could only find in my classroom. I think the colorful creations will be a memory both my students and I will treasure from the pandemic teaching experience. My last challenge was connecting with a group of students, who were on their way out the doors to Middle school. If you have ever replaced a beloved teacher, building trust with the upper grades and this group of students proved no different. They were challenging me to flex my cooperation muscle. Having attended the NAEA Virtual Conference in March, I was inspired by an artist/teacher team that worked in an all-boys school in New York. They worked on temporary art installations with maximum visual impact for a low cost. From using giant stickers to exploring masking tape, my brain started spinning with possibilities with my own students. I asked them to take a post-it note and write words that describe themselves, the school, and art. After the brainstorming session, each student was encouraged to add two words of their choice to the tape mural. It was proudly displayed outside their classrooms and provided a great connection for the entire school. Collaboration is an essential process to life and I am loving the relationships I am building with my new school and new students.
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September 2021
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