Reflection Time

I started teaching in 1994, the same year my first daughter Kasey was born. At that time I was overwhelmed, like most 1st year teachers are. I was trying to find my niche in an ever changing world  of educational philosophy. I haven't met a teacher who doesn't have the best intentions for their students. At that time, I tried to learn something from every teacher I met. I observed many teachers, and learned many things. Some good, Some great, and some not-so-good. Looking back, I think its one of the main activities that molded me into what kind of teacher I am today.

It's like a giant mystery when you start teaching. You are given charge of 30, or in my case, 500 students and I was supposed to "teach" them about art. I tried and was successful. At least I thought I was. But around year 4 or 5, I wasn't at all happy with the trajectory I was headed. My students were learning everything I taught them,  I had won a few teaching awards but wasn't very engaged doing what I was doing. Every once in a while a student would show me something they made at home and I was always blown away at the passion that came across in their work. Something that lacked in their artwork from school.

Then, I stumbled across TAB (Teaching for Artistic Behavior). As the Talking Heads ask "How did I get here? Was it chance?  I don't think so. Like I said, I was always observing teachers and talking to them. When I found this article, I was intrigued and needed more information. So I reached out and did just that. It was, completely different than anything I had observed in my few years of teaching. These art teachers flipped the status quo and it was amazing.

Teaching is like a sock in that there are many different types, styles and fabrics. You can wear all the socks and they will work just like the others. But there is always a pair that just feels better. TAB is that pair of socks. When I get online and read about teachers who are interested in TAB, I wonder if its the right fit. TAB is different in that it believes that the child is the artist, the art room is their studio and to figure out What do artists' do? It's so simple in concept yet so intricate in its practice.

I've been doing this for the last 15 years and it hasn't gotten any easier. I've noticed over that time, that people are noticing what we do. Back when I started, there were a handful of teachers, mostly in the northeast part of the country, teaching in this way. After I brought it east and started sharing the concept with my colleague Clyde Gaw, it started to grow. Im not taking credit for the growth. But I think the draw of it is the real benefits to kids and teachers had a "smack my head" moment. So from a small number of teachers, maybe 12, to a huge explosion of interest is definately telling. Teachers are watching, and teachers and administrators like what they see. With all the focus on STEAM and the maker movement, people realize that what children need is the "fun" part of learning that has been systematically removed through narrowed curriculum and high-stakes testing. I hope the trend continues as teachers speak up about what does real learning look like.

I look forward to the time when all classrooms can be run like a TAB classroom. It's real teaching, teaching from the heart.Freeing the children to explore and play while learning and creating. It's authentic as it gets and it feels good to be a part of it.