We are an industrial trade school located in the heart of the Rustbelt. Back in the 90's, we were the School of Last Resort in the city. Principals from the neighborhood high schools would send their most incorrigible teenagers to the vocational school where, hopefully, they might find something else to do with their hands besides fighting, stealing, or groping.
Well, it’s ten years and three principals later. Students must now pass a rigorous screening process to be admitted, and sign an academic and behavioral contract to stay enrolled. Vocational classes evolved into technical programs. The "shop rats" and "grease monkeys" were replaced with computer programmers and engineering students.
Vo-ed has become STEM. (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math)
I teach Visual Art to 11th and 12th graders. Most of my students have no desire to become artists, since they have already chosen a career track, so I approach the subject as visual problem solving, communication, critical thinking, aesthetics, and production; all skills that they will use in college and in the workforce.
The challenge I have as a fine arts teacher is getting funding for supplies and technology. Even though all students in our state must have a full fine arts credit to graduate, the arts are not not considered a part of the core curriculum, and do not have priority status in our school district when it comes to the distribution of computers and other technology. The equipment many teachers take for granted in other buildings, I must either purchase myself or hope to secure with grant money.
I would love to be able to create a power point presentation of images to share with my students, or explore the many educational websites that include multimedia programs on artists and their work. Currently, when I want to share digital images I bring out my laptop and have my students gather around behind me; an awkward situation with 25 students at a time. I don’t even attempt a slide show or a power point. An LCD projector would make such a difference.
A projector would enable me to access the work of contemporary artists. The large posters of the old masters have their place when we study Art History, but I want my students to also be able to look at what artists are creating today. Our Art History text books are 23 years old and have very little information on 20th century artists, let alone any who are currently alive and working.
Conceptual art - the art of ideas - is one facet of 21st century art I would like my students to explore. This is the art that makes you stop, scratch your head and say, “What is this?” And then you look a little harder, think a little deeper, ask different questions, until suddenly your brain wraps itself around the idea and says, “Ah Ha! I get it now! This is so cool!”
The applied critical thinking skills that are required by the viewer to understand conceptual artwork are the same skills that are essential to problem solving. The value of these lessons to prepare my students for college and success in technical fields is immeasurable. Your donation will help me bring my classes into the 21st century and open the doors to new ways of thinking.
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As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Ms. Matthews and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.