As of today, I am an art teacher for Camp Edventure More - an arts and science camp that I have worked for every summer for 3 years now. Previously I was a counselor but am thrilled to be in a real teaching position and have my own space to make and use - an actual art room!
I never felt like an achiever in art, could not stand my art teacher in elementary school and never pursued anything remotely artistic aside from photography. I found myself considering what went wrong and what it would take to help a camper - student - random kid - love art and really believe that they are an artist and succeed at being creative.
My solution? Well not complete yet but today with the younger kids we read a story called "Dot" and it's about a girl who 'can't do art' and her teacher tells her to just make a mark and sign it - so she makes a dot and signs it. Turns out they frame it and make a big deal about so she makes a bunch of different kinds of dots - and it's art and everyone loves it. Point being, anything you do and are creative with and excited about is art and it may be different than what I drew or the person next to you drew but let's get excited about it because YOU did it and YOU put work into it - so be proud!
What does that *really* look like? Pulling details, " Cool wings on that bug!" or "Check out those colors!" "Wow I love that habitat!" etc.... but does that really seem effective?
I really believe children are naturally creative and imaginative and just need places to effectively use those skills - fine tune them perhaps and appreciate the outcome. So the project begins - learning how to teach art, love art, and make kids into artists.
More thoughts to follow...
Along those same lines is the idea that art can be a form of worship - whoa wait I'm working at a secular camp so how does that work? Well I definitely cannot talk about it but it's worth my sanity to keep it in mind, what these kids perceive to be the world around them and how they interpret it, change it, and represent it is a glimpse of the fingerprint of God on each of us and our perception, imagination, and appreciation in the world we live in.
hmmm more food for thought.
PS the title? That's my 'call and response' for the classroom to pay attention and get quiet - kinda fun!
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