My foray as stated, started shortly after completing my BA. I had moved up to a little village just outside of Cambridge and for lack of other opportunity, was working in the local petrol station that was the social centre for the village youth. Night after night they would try and persuade me to sell them cigarettes, give them tabs for sweets and generally bully passing trade. I got to know them as individual characters that were bored and desperate for alternative entertainment in the evenings. Surprisingly, they sought leadership. Like me, some of the older ones had rejected education, citing problems with non-understanding teachers and lack of practical opportunities as key causes of their withdrawal. So I gave them opportunity. We would meet up outside of work hours and create pieces of art together, through sculpture, paint and graffiti. We would work together on the same pieces, discussing what should go where, in which material, taking it in turns to do the work. We found homes for the work… sometimes keeping it ourselves, other times giving it to family members or friends. Their enthusiasm was infectious and youth workers got involved. Three of the lads re-entered education and people started telling me that I should do more of the same… that I was good at it!
Youth work didn’t suit me. To much form filling and needless health and safety checks. So I applied to Homerton and to my surprise they offered me a place…
…and here I am…
So again finally; why do I teach Art?
I teach Art because at school it failed to inspire me or show me a useful purpose. It consisted of a set of set exercises with fixed outcomes, and for me Art is far more than that. I will hold back for now the story of why I returned to education myself aged 27, but I will say that Art offered me the opportunity to change my life – irrevocably and completely – and my gratitude to that group of petrol station lads that inspired me to try this is hopefully repaid in the lessons that I teach today. I want to encourage my pupils to think for and believe in themselves; to understand that art can be an alternative form of expression that communicates ideas and understanding in a way that allows them to get their hopes, aspirations, frustrations and anger out in a positive and informative way. I want them to realize solutions in a practical way that has purpose and use, alongside work for confidence boosting displays. I want to give my pupils an escape from the everyday pressures and stresses of their lives and education. The art room should be a fun, relaxed environment with creativity flowing continuously out of its doors.
