Been reading through this thread again... I start school in less than three weeks!
Would love more feedback from anyone out there with some insights!!
Nearly forgot to post in this thread but I'll post now!
Out of my 13 years of primary and secondary education, I would have to say that my Visual Arts teachers from Years 8/9 to 12 were the best ones I've had and here's why. I'll specifically talk about one teacher- I'll call her Susan in this thread. To add context, I've had Susan for Year 8 to 12 (my other teacher I had from Year 9 to 12) and she's the only teacher at my school I've had every year. Not even my homeroom teacher was consistent.
Susan wasn't just a teacher- she was a mentor, a friend and a leader. Not exactly a mother but more like an aunt- you guys aren't 100% related but she put in so much effort that she felt like she was your mother. She always had our backs in Visual Arts and even in our personal lives.
What made Susan stand out from the rest of my teachers- was her innate passion for art. It is so damn important for a teacher to be passionate about their subject/s because that will certainly brush onto the students and they will be more motivated to work harder and try their best. Susan just knew every bit and piece of her art knowledge. Even when she had presentations in class- most teachers would have a huge chunk of text on the screen. Susan didn't- she just had a picture of the artwork on screen and the information would just come out of her mouth. Just like that. No text reference. That's because she really knew her shit and had a clear passion for it. The way she articulated the information was so easy to understand and as mentioned- that's because she really knew her shit therefore making it easier for her to explain everything and was ready to answer any question from us.
personal anecdote break lol
I was planning to drop Visual Arts at the end of Year 8 (since in Year 9 VA was only available as an elective). My stubbornness refused to know why a post modern work had so much meaning. I thought it was complete bullshit. I loved the practical side of Visual Arts but hated the theoretical part. I wanted to like the theory part but just didn't know how. The day of when our Year 9 elective preferences were due at the end of the day, we had Visual Arts before lunch time. At this point in time, I had History Elective and French as my preferences. I really wanted to give art theory another chance because I knew how much it would suck if I just let go of art completely because I hated theory. I sat there in class and let my stubbornness leave my body and try to appreciate art theory. Susan talked about this post-modern artwork. I thought 'bloody bullshit'. But I let myself be open minded during that class. (For context look up the works of Jeanne Claude and Christo on google or something). Down below is an excerpt from my thank you letter to Susan the day of my graduation in 2017.
I enjoyed Year 8 prac but HATED theory. I remember selecting my electives for Year 9 and didn’t even think about continuing Visual Arts because that’s how much I loathed theory. I wasn’t as good as the other girls in my class and I literally couldn’t comprehend contemporary art at all. But then a miracle lesson happened. The works of Christo and Jeanne Claude blew my mind. At first when you first showed their works, I frankly thought they were shit. Like complete shit. Then you began describing the work. Fabric. Blanket. Cover. Then you began elaborating more. All the artists do is cover specific landscapes. And of course you gave the answer to the question I had in my head; why? The artists gives us an opportunity to view the world in a different way through art. And then I knew I had to continue Visual Arts in Year 9. This is the best decision I have ever made in my life.
And I agree- it was the best decision I have ever made. As soon as the class ended, I ran back to the student office and immediately changed my elective preference to Visual Arts. Her passionate for the arts has influenced me so much that it consistently became my best subject throughout high school. You might think- art is an easy subject. And to that I say- bloody bullshit. It's not. The fact that my decision to swap electives at the last minute was yes- spontaneous but in a good way. I now love art theory (to the point where I prefer it more than prac actually). I now even study a creative arts degree for my tertiary studies. I can't imagine doing some commerce or engineering degree- so to that I am forever grateful for that one art theory class back in Year 8 (2013) that's changed my life. Thank you Susan.
Another thing- there's a difference between a good teacher and a GREAT teacher. A good teacher would simply- mark your practice essays, stay after class for a bit to explain something further, taught really well. A teacher could stop there. But no- they can always move up one level and become a GREAT teacher. A great teacher is one who knows their students well enough to cater to their personal and academic needs. A great teacher is one who will approach you one on one rather than generalising the entire class. A great teacher is one who will treat you like a friend rather than a student apart of their job.
Susan took her time throughout the year to know our needs and personalised/customised some artists and art theory information that were beneficial to our art works (as part of our major work- ongoing artwork that we had to consistently work on throughout year 12). She knew the perfect artists and the perfect mediums for us to use. Susan would consistently make jokes and roast us to break that teacher/student boundary and turn it into a mentor/mentee and friend/friend relationship. I even remember we got sent an email from Susan and our art teacher, the day before our HSC arts exam. Most of my teachers for my other subjects sent out general 'good luck' emails. That was nice of them but it was just Susan and our other art teacher personalised our good luck email with advice specific for everyone. To add context, I will add below what they wrote down (I will put Student # instead of their names for the sake of my classmates privacy)
Student #1: Don't be late
Bea: Stop worrying
Student #2: Stop worrying
Student #3: check the time of your exam
Student #4: keep those adjectives flowing
Student #5: Don't use as many adjectives
Student #6: another few marks in that Section 2 and you'll cream it
Student #7: look closely at the question
Student #8: you've been improving so much, make this your best
Student #9: write BIGGER
Student #10: keep relating back to the question
Even though their individual advice for everyone in the class was short and sweet- but the fact that they gave us advice that catered specifically for each and everyone of us, shows that they really knew us.
It sucks that Susan has decided to leave my school this year because that would mean that the current Year 12 students and the years below would never experience her amazingness. I believe it's important for every student to experience what I had experience because teachers aren't just teachers- they're leaders and role models. What they say and teach can change someone's life. They have this ridiculous amount of power to influence the next generation of leaders and it's important to use that for the better.
TL;DR Have a clear passion and know your students personally (if possible!) and know that you are invested in their future. Don't just look at your job as a teacher as just a job. Look at it being the leader for this generation and inspiring the leaders of our future.
(apologies if there are any typos!)
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