I teach at a community charter school in an urban area of Cleveland, Ohio. The students here are hungry to learn new things in art class from art history to art techniques. They immensely enjoy using art materials. Some use art supplies rarely or never at home. I love to bring new experiences and engage my students in art.
What I want most for my students is to develop a deep appreciation or better yet, love of art.
I display art often to create a sense of pride in the students' work. My students love to paint which can warp paper projects. To ensure that the art work is presentable I flatten the paper with stacks of books that are usually on my shelf for the students to read if they get done early with their projects. The books take a while to flatten all of the students' work, so my students are left being unable to access most of the books in my room. A paper presser would be very useful for our classroom, helping both students' work to look professional and leaving our books to be accessible on the shelves to further explore their creativity.
My Project
This paper press will help students' art work look professional & teach them about workmanship. I often organize events like art nights or art shows to display student work. I also display work in the hallways and in the art classroom. The paper press will teach them to take pride in their creation and in themselves. With a paper press, we can also make paper in the classroom and learn about the history of paper-making. We could create our own books which would foster their literacy skills. Most importantly, the students will be able to explore their creativity with the art books that should be on the shelf for them to choose from if they get done with a project early instead of only being used to flatten paper.
More than half of students from low‑income households
Data about students' economic need comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education. Learn more
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