Visual Arts — Grades K-12

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     Because of my dad’s job, I grew up in Iran, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Thailand, Indonesia, and the U.S. By the time I got used to a new school, friends, language, and food, it was time for us to move. Growing up as a third culture kid has been a privilege I will forever cherish. But I also had to pay the price of constantly questioning my identity, where I am from, where I belong, and who I am. This negotiation of identity was data in flux that rebooted the way I moved about in my immediate reality. Assimilation and code switching were in my blood. 

     So naturally, I became fascinated by ways a community can come together in harmony while retaining each unique identity of its members. That is why I was drawn to the New York State Initial Certification and to teaching at the NYC public school system spanning across ethnicities, socio-economic stratum, and neurodivergence. And student teaching at Queens Metropolitan High School was an eye-opening, real life experience. Located in the heart of Queens, a borough with the largest immigration population of 47% as foreign born, most of my students were second generation children of immigrants. There were students who immigrated just six months ago and couldn’t speak English. There were students with an Individualized Education Program who communicated through an assistive technology device. There were students anxious about bullying because of their sexual identity and those struggling with their mental health. There were students who created art daily and those whose last art class was in third grade. It was extremely difficult finding a way to teach art and creativity while addressing all of these differences. And I loved the challenge and each and every one of my students along the way. 

Art education is crucial to every student’s development because it teaches them the power of birthing something that is not before. Visual art in K-12 schools is not about teaching students to become professional artists. It is about embracing the joyful yet challenging lifelong pursuit of creating in service of self and others. No wonder why one of the most watched Ted Talks in history is Sir Ken Robinson’s “Do schools kill creativity?” The world is demanding an education reform especially with an emphasis on creativity to keep up with the fast paced technological turn of Chat GPT and artificial intelligence. 

But what is creativity?

How do we teach something so abstract?

The answer lies in how artists think and work. Creativity is incubated when an art classroom operates like an artist studio and a science lab with three major components: 

1. Artists as Self-led Leaders

Artists are self-led in creating their portfolio, a body of work, which develops over time. They gravitate towards what fascinates them, ask questions, and answer their own questions through trial and error. Artists act. They take initiatives and are leaders of their creative endeavors.

2. Transdisciplinary Experimentation

Artists experiment with mediums, techniques, and disciplines. They are fascinated with the what-ifs. What if you mix photography with poetry? What if you mix watercolor painting with coding and programming? What if you mix pottery with protons and electrons? What meanings are created and/or changed because of the mixture? 

3. Dialogic Pedagogy

Artists are in constant dialogue with other artists in critiques and reflections, driving inspiration from each other. Many times, artists create with their bodies first and the explanation comes after. But that doesn’t bypass the need to learn how to accurately and eloquently explain their work and process. Critical and higher-order thinking skills are required for artists to promote, brand, and communicate their work in the most optimal way to be seen, known, and appreciated.

Then, there is the long-debated question of how do you assess creativity?

How am I going to assess if my students are successfully learning how to be creative? 

Educators have to remember that an assessment is a direct description of a human being. Students are complex and multilayered with immense potential for growth. One letter grade or an artwork is not a holistic description and accurate measurement of a student’s growth. Creativity is a process and so is learning. One has to assess creativity like reading a novel from start to finish. In my class, there will be pre-assessments that will locate where students are at the beginning of the year in regards to skills and techniques. For summative assessments, each student will keep a year-long portfolio and have group critiques and self evaluations at the end of each learning sequence/project. For formative assessments, students will present their portfolio and if doable, showcase an exhibition to their guardians and peers.

On a final note, I want to equip my students with practical life skills to prepare them for the future such as how to use creativity and critical thinking skills to problem solve, navigate tensions created by contradicting views, flexibly pivot when met with barriers, visualize successes to failures, and produce solutions to challenges. I want my classroom to be a safe space where students’ curiosity is ignited to explore their fascination with the “what-ifs.” Where they realize their agency to construct their own narrative, or question narratives that might have been externally imposed on them with or without consent. Where they are free to laugh and play. Where they are not afraid to try and make mistakes. I am looking for a school community that is passionate about forging happy, healthy, creative, and fun-loving citizens. A school that doesn’t push students to choose between “A or B” but who supports “Both-And”.