Building a Community

I will build a community by establishing early on with my students that issues surrounding gangs, social or economic status, cliques, etc. are simply will not be a part of the art room. I will make sure that my students understand that when they walk through that door, any negative attitudes towards one another and each others choice in life style, friends, dress, and any other form of choice or just how a person lives, learns, etc. will not be attacked. Community will be built by completing projects that emphasize each individuals life and their self expression. I think that when students see eachothers work, it will leave them with a different impression of one another. I always found that I learned the most about my peers through critiques of their work. It is in this environment that the artist is encouraged to talk about thoughts, experiences, etc. that inspired them to create art. When you see an individual in this way, on a whole new level, it encourages you to open up your mind to possibilities. My art teacher in high school conducted our classroom in a way that encouraged community and I can't remember a time when I really felt left out or out of a group in the art room. There were not cliques, opinions on dress or any of these stress producing issues that you encounter in high school, because we understood that these we not to enter into the classroom unless we were going to use them for our personal creative purposes. I made friends from all different groups in the art room throughout my years in high school, and we didn't necessarily run in the same groups. I think that if you encourage your students to be open minded, accepting and respectful, and establish rules, the rest will take care of itself.