The ceramic containers on my desk don't just hold paperclips but they hold memories. I’m fighting to keep ceramics in school so the students can take their vessels and fill them with their own experiences, memories and paperclips.
The glazes will add a layer of permanence & safety to their pottery.
The ceramics students are 9th through 12th grade public school magnet students from all over Southern California.
They are as diverse ethnically and economically as they are academically and creatively. They are hard working and so excited when they are hand building in clay.
So many of the students at our school are high achievers and go on to higher education. Test data proves that students who are exposed to the arts do better in their other subjects. Art connects to history and even math resulting in a creative tangible object.
The visual arts are in danger! I feel we can justify the continued support of visual arts education just by looking at the student’s work. They have such creative ability that it would be a shame to eliminate or limit their access to three dimensional artwork in the form of ceramics just because of budget cuts.
My Project
In ceramics, students learn a series of skills that are cumulative. They start with simple forms and techniques that develop over the course of the year becoming more and more creative as they go. The student work is bisque fired and then (with the help of your donations) glaze fired to completion. That last step not only adds another dimension to their work but allows them to further express themselves with their color and design choices. It makes their work sturdy and permanent.
Learning the various creative steps ensure the growth and development of every student by using appreciation and exploration of three dimensional artistic media, problem solving skills, collaboration and cooperation, research, visual literacy and critical thinking along with dexterous skills.
I am requesting 35 bottles of glaze to allow my students to complete their clay creations.
All I can say is with every new experience a student is exposed to there is just that much more excitement and motivation they have to continue learning.
Form and function are integrated into our lives on a daily basis so why not continue to use ceramics in public school as an appropriate environment for creating both.
Art gives kids the chance to be free and creative; if we can give them a unique tactile experience then they are so much more enriched. I want to give that to my students.
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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. Woods and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.