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Thursday, March 22, 2012

If you can't say anything nice...

I just have a small gripe. A note to non-art teachers who happen upon young artists at work: PLEASE think about what you say with regards to a student's art work. Your sarcastic and supposedly funny remark that the child's self-portrait makes him look like an alien or your theatrical, "What's THAT?!", as you feign horror is NOT funny at all. It is, in fact, hurtful and damaging to the confidence that I'm trying to build in my students. Seriously. THINK. After all, you teach these kids, too, and you konw how fragile their self-confidence is. While the student may laugh with you, because he likes you and doesn't want you to know you've upset him, I'm the one spending the rest of the class period convincing the student to take the drawing back out of his desk and talking him through its strengths, because the work he was proud of until 5 minutes ago is now a source of shame and isn't good enough. You just set me back an entire school year of trying to help my students take risks and gain confidence in their work and break free of the need to make their art fit the preconceived expectations of people like you. Thanks a lot. The next time you feel compelled to comment on my students' work, remember what you learned in Kindergarten: BE NICE. And if you truly are so unimaginative that you can't find something positive to offer, just stay quiet.
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6 comments:

  1. AnonymousMarch 23, 2012 at 11:35 AM

    Ugh! I hear you! I just don't get it! What about teachers who insist on "grading" the students' completed artwork? Artwork that was created in MY classroom, not theirs!

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  2. RebeccaMarch 23, 2012 at 12:56 PM

    Oh my goodness! I haven't had that happen, but it would infuriate me. How do they grade it?? And why do they think they need to??

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  3. AnonymousMarch 23, 2012 at 2:52 PM

    There's only two teachers that have done this; they'd give the project a check, check plus, or check minus. !!! I discussed it with them, told them how the art I teach is process driven, rather than product driven. But they were "concerned" about the level of craftsmanship and quality they were seeing.

    Result: those teachers choose to do art with their students themselves; I don't get to see them for art.

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    Replies
    1. RebeccaMarch 23, 2012 at 5:02 PM

      Wow. I'd take that very personally. Then again, at least you no longer have to deal with these control freaks. Do the teachers who've done this have any background in art?

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  4. woodenspadeMarch 23, 2012 at 2:54 PM

    That is TRULY frustrating! Why on earth would an educator do that?

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    Replies
    1. RebeccaMarch 23, 2012 at 5:00 PM

      It seems like it's always middle school (and sometimes upper elementary) teachers who are just accustomed to fooling around with their students, and they just don't stop to think about what they're saying and how the child will take it. Beyond that, I have no idea. Can you imagine walking into a math class, seeing a student working out an equation, and laughing while saying, "How'd you reach THAT answer?!" Grrr.

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