I talked through my art practice with my Year 10 students today and waffled on for much longer than i thought – i was completely in the zone! It was very refreshing though to speak freely to an audience about it not only as an artist but as a teacher. I tried to put my work into the context of their learning, so they could relate to it more directly and gain more from it. It was a bit difficult to judge though as i haven’t known them that long and i’m still adapting to their environment.
Let’s see what the coming weeks bring!
I was pleasantly suprised by one student today, who was able to show me how to make paper ‘rods.’ I’ve been fascinated with them since i saw them last week, they are so sturdy and strong and are basically a sheet of newspaper rolled up tightly and sellotaped. I still can’t get my head round how basic they are to make and yet they are so functional. They’re using them to make a construction of wings which will be able to be worn (a bit like batman’s). Fun stuff. Sometimes i feel like the student learning from them.
Another day. Had some interesting bursts of improvisation from some students during one lesson. One chap had done a rough drawing in coloured pencil, though rather than improve on certain areas he scanned it in and began drawing lines and filling in sections of it with blocks of colour on photoshop – brilliant! The creativity of some of these youngsters knows no bounds.. It just shows that the teacher doesn’t know everything, and we should all be open to learning new skills, no matter who its from.
I’m looking forward to showing some classes my art practice next week. I’m hoping they might get some inspiration into a direction for their drawing project. It will be a nice payback for the student mentioned above, lets see if he can learn something from me too…
Its sunday afternoon, the birds are tweeting outside, the snow has almost completely disappeared and there’s a cool refreshing breeze creeping through my window to keep me focused while i prepare for my first full day in my new school tomorrow.
Most of the paperwork is done (thankfully!) so it gives me some time to reflect on my art practice. Its been a rocky road the last few months, attempting to juggle the new infusion of teaching with my ever dominant artistic lifestyle. The most dramatic change has been the timetable. I have hardly any time left after being in school all day, so thats a bit of a shocker! Though i have learnt its all about balance – if my time is managed right and things are done when they need to be, then i still have time to do other things.
Since my teaching career began, i’ve begun to view the world quite differently. As i spend SO MUCH time in school now, i’m always inspired by the youthful minds of those that i teach. Fresh perspectives, delightful insights and a naivety which cannot be bought are some of the characteristics i’ve experienced from my classes. This has all fed into my practice, along with the sudden need to expand on my skills and knowledge so as to assist with the learning expererience of that which i preach. Near the end of last year i made a decisive move – to spend 2010 experimenting within my practice, trying out new medias and approaches and enjoy the process, not worrying about the end product. So far i’ve been tearing up socks and old rags (great stress relief!) and making large fabric balls and nets which are sat in pools of dye, along with trying my hand at an abstract pixel animation using ‘paint.’ Since this open-ended approach began, i’ve taken exactly the same approach to my teaching philosophy. Its really opened up my eyes to let the children explore and create, evaluating and directing along the way, but ultimately not worry about the end result but enjoy the journey. This has become a crucial approach in all factors of my life, as there really isn’t the time to do any one thing for too long – its much healthier to keep things active and varied as it keep the old mind cogs ticking and keeps me on my toes!
