From stigma to stellar
I wish I was more artsy, and I confess — I envy people who are. I wish I could tickle the ivories or paint a Colorado mountain, but all I can do is toot on a clarinet, strum three cords on the guitar, and color inside the lines of a coloring book. So, when I see someone take a lump of clay and mold it into a cool pot or take a blank canvas and paint a gorgeous landscape, I certainly bow to their talents and freely admit my inabilities.
And to imagine teaching artistic creation to others is beyond my comprehension. For the life of me, I cannot comprehend how art teachers can teach art, especially to people like me, who haven’t much to work with. So, hats off to fine arts educators. Think of the headaches elementary band directors have after a full day of clarinet squeaks, out-of-rhythm snares, and off-pitch trombones. Or middle school chorus instructors trying to pull vocals out of the shy girls who want to hide on the back row. Or high school art teachers who are asked to teach the apathetic students placed in their art class because nothing else fit into their schedule.
Indeed, my hats go off to these teachers.
But what an awesome opportunity these specialized teachers have to impact students. To draw imagination and creativity out of the minds of youngsters is indeed a special gift. A fine arts teacher has an unparalleled opportunity to see hidden talents and then cultivate an artist, and that, my friend, is something to admire.
A teacher who inspires me is Cami Batts from Double Churches Elementary. At an early age, she was told she had a handwriting disability and her fine motor skills would forever be underdeveloped. Like a scarlet letter, the prognosis became a stigma that squelched her spirit…until she walked into the art room of her elementary school. There, she found her identity, and from that art room, she forged a new path. Her drawings became more beneficial to improving her fine motor skills than any occupational therapy. Soon, the mediocre student began to relate most academic concepts back to art, causing her grades to soar. Later, in high school, her emerging confidence and her budding talent began to be displayed in her unique clothing and hair color. Finally, the stigma of her youth was painted over with broad strokes of self-efficacy.
It was her grade school experience in art class that solidified Ms. Batts’s decision to become a visual arts teacher. And what a tremendous one she is. Ms. Batts knows the value a paint brush can have for the child who longs to break free from the bondage of isolation or exclusion. According to Ms. Batts, art and music offer levels of critical thinking one simply can’t get in some of the core academic classes. So, she combines the two: thinking skills and life skills. She teaches her students to forge their identities through directing and molding their creative imaginations.
And her efforts have been validated…by a third grader. A young student recently expressed her love for Ms. Batts’s class, saying how excited she felt to create and feel accepted and how she appreciated the importance Ms. Batts places on not being afraid to be different or unique.
So teaching art isn’t really a challenge for Ms. Batts. It’s a thrill, a potentially path-changing thrill, and I, for one, would love her to show me how to put on canvas what’s swirling around in this head of mind. To Ms. Batts and all our fine arts teachers, we appreciate what you do for our kids.
Sheryl Green is a secondary educator in Columbus. To correspond with Sheryl, please email her at sherylgreen14@yahoo.com