Masks of the World
© James Barker
© James Barker
As I embark on my first semester of teaching—or in this case, my clinical teaching hours—I have had many concerns, considerations, and the realization I have much to learn about how to manage a classroom, especially one with a diverse student population. The activities in this unit have brought light to many of the topics that are relevant to the school I have chosen to teach at. The school is a K-12 international school located in the Philippines boasting a wonderfully diverse student population. Luckily for me, an advantage I can take with me into my clinical teaching practice is that I was once a student at that very school.
The buzz words like diversity, multi-cultural, multi-ethnic, racial, melting-pot are words that not only am I familiar with but I words that are in the blood within my veins. Coming from a multiracial background—myself being a mix of Spanish, Filipino, Dutch, and American—I identify with both Eastern and Western cultures. Growing up in the Philippines and attending British and international schools set the groundwork for a certain kind of upbringing. On forms, I often go straight to the bottom to check off the “Other” category if it is available. Often, I feel more of a citizen of the world than a citizen of a singular culture or nation. I recognize the importance of being able to not only understand other cultures but to fully appreciate the beauty that I can access a wide base of knowledge and experiences that those different cultures offer. Although, I know I am not alone with the struggle of personal and cultural identity.
I am grateful to be on the road to becoming an Art teacher. The Art classroom is a versatile, dynamic, and exciting space for students to truly explore who they are with almost endless possibilities. I will strive for a safe-zone that students of any race, religion, culture or otherwise, can explore who they are, where they are coming from, and where they want to go through Art. I will also strive to use language that opens up positive and constructive discussions as well as unlocking questions and personal commentary from students. The more personal information I get about my students will allow me to effectively teach them and help me find and expose connections to make Art relevant to them. The information will be crucial to finding ways to personalize their Art making experiences.
I believe that when I become a teacher, a strong and positive student-teacher relationship will have to begin with my internal self and what I externally project in the classroom and to the students. It is important that the students see that I am passionate about Art and that I will—in some form or another—have them enjoy the subject as well. If not enjoy the subject I hope that they find something within it that can enrich or expand their mind. Strong, fair, consistent leadership will be key to guiding the students. Right off the bat, when I introduce myself to the students I will make sure that I make the connections between my time as a student, through my career, to how I ended up (back) in their classroom. I will also let them know my interests outside of Art like sports, music, movies and hobbies. I think this is particularly important because there is a good chance that I may have things in common with the students that they will not know. I will relish in the time they tell me that they, too, have similar hobbies or interest. I will also build on the simple fact that I am an alumni of the school. The students should understand that I had once been through the experiences that they are going through now. I want the students to see who I am as a whole person or at least show them that I will not be one-dimensional in my teaching practice.
Through Art, students will be able to explore creating work rooted in their personal lives and experiences. Through viewing work and our class discussions, their peers will gain valuable exposure and insight to cultures other than their own. As a teacher, I will gently guide them through open discussion and constructive critiques which will allow for honest exchanges of opinions and ideas. Art and artists (as well as non-artists) can be very opinionated on what is good or bad Art and in the classroom students will have the opportunity to develop those crucial communication skills. In my own experience, these small yet frequent practices will enhance the student’s learning.
Having a classroom with students who know languages other than English would be of an enormous advantage. I would love to see students translate bits of language from visual Arts teach their classmates the meaning of the works literally, within the context of the culture, and beyond. I believe activities like this would be a great resource for myself and my students in creating dynamic discourse allowing us to experience listening, seeing, and appreciate cultures different from our own. I hope that small exercises similar to this develop deeper student-student relationships and understanding.
It goes without saying that I hope for a classroom that embodies the ideals of respect, understanding, and tolerance. In the Discussion Forum, I mentioned a story recalled from high school about a group of young men who created horrific images of a particular classmate to which they emblazoned statements of hatred, homophobia (the student wasn’t homosexual), and death threats. It is an important topic of discussion that students, especially my future students, should never use Photoshop—or any other photograph editing tool for that matter—for “evil.” Kindness, understanding, awareness, and responsibility are all aspects of daily life that are absolutely necessary to having healthy, positive relationships. In Activity 2, we had to suggest advice for teachers confronted with bullying, I learned teachers should act immediately to eradicate the chance of the bullying to happen. There might be warning signs from student behavior (from the bully or the victim) or even gossip in the hallways; either way, teachers, school staff, and students must cooperate to provide support and help.
What is wonderful about Art is that it can transcend boundaries but can also be a highly specific exploration of cultures, people (deeply personal or broad populations), experiences, and concepts. We can learn much about a country and the identity of its people by the work that artists produce. As a teacher, I will work to celebrate the cultures that are represented in the class and school by assigning students to explore their own cultures as well as that of their peers. Finding interesting artists on the internet or sharing images through social media is easy, interactive, and second-nature to the Digital Natives of this generation. I am looking forward to the students’ contributions to our discussions and how they can apply their 21st Century skills and multi-culturalism in conjunction with learning through Art.
Reference
Barker, J. (n.d.). Masks of the World [Digital image]. Retrieved May 26, 2016, from http://cargocollective.com/jamesillustration/of-the-World