Category Archives: teacher

What’s So Important About Art Class?

imagesDid you know that May 5th is National Teacher’s Day? That’s right, there is actually an official day designated to honor teachers and the impact they make on young lives. Since teachers have inestimable value but are all too often overlooked and taken for granted, it is wonderful to take a few minutes to think about their amazing contributions to society. Celebrate art teachers with us by learning about the ways art classes benefit children.

The Amazing Benefits of Art Class

Most students, regardless of age, race or gender, seem to have something in common: they LOVE art class. This is probably because art is an outlet that allows kids to express their feelings and connect with their peers on an emotional level. After a school day full of logic and reasoning, most kids find art class to be a welcome change. Art class offers benefits beyond mere emotional expression. Here are 3 awesome things that most kids will learn in art class:

  • Collaboration skills – While math and science are important subjects, they do not necessarily facilitate collaboration. However, when a child participates in an art project, he or she learns how to work with others and consider their opinions and ideas. When creating art, kids come to believe that their contributions have value. Art class truly has an amazing ability to increase a youngster’s self-confidence as well as his or her ability to cooperate with other students.
  • Accountability – Believe it or not, accountability can be most easily learned in an art class. Why? Because students often have to work alongside their peers to complete projects. When children engage in teamwork, they see firsthand how profoundly their level of dedication to a project affects others.

images-1Art teachers leave an indelible print on the hearts and minds of their students and are some of the most cherished individuals on the planet. They are beloved because they offer kids an incredible gift – the ability to create and enjoy art. There is no doubt that art is a valuable subject for children to learn about during their formative years. Why do you believe art in schools is important? How does art class positively impact your child? Share with us in the comments section below – we love hearing from you.

Read more Segmation blog posts about art and color:

How to Encourage Creativity in Children

What Does a Good Art Teacher Look Like?

Easter Egg Decorating Project Can Teach Kids About Color

Be an Artist in 2 minutes with Segmation SegPlay® PC (see more details here)

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Melinda Donelan’s Blog Keeps Art Room Open 24/7

What does a Good Art Teacher Look LikeSummer vacation is here and classrooms across America are empty. We only know of one art room that is open all year long. The doors to Miss French Fry’s art room never close because she has mirrored the creativity her students experience in school with a bright, constructive and amusing blog, http://missfrenchfrymakesart.blogspot.com/.

“Teaching art is my dream job,” says Melinda Donelan (a.k.a. Miss French Fry). “I like to use my blog as an outlet for sharing some of the fun things we work on in the art room.” And share she does. About twice a week, Donelan publishes posts that show projects her students are working on as well as classroom décor/organization tips. Sometimes she even gives her readers a sneak peek into her personal life by revealing what she is making for dinner and her wardrobe selections for the week.

What sets this art teacher’s blog apart is her fusion of creativity and organization. Every post focused on art education starts by introducing the project and the inspiration behind it. Maybe she traveled to a museum or was inspired by a famous painter from the past. She explains how she does this intentionally, “When I develop lessons, regardless of what the objective is, I like to ensure that the projects tie in with something else, whether it’s a cross curricular connection or a piece of literature.” After tying each project to a deeper purpose, she springboards into the details of the project and shows her students bringing their artwork to life by using pictures. She has lots of pictures that show readers what the students are doing step-by-step. She also shows a finished project, too.

In reading her blog, it is clear that Miss French Fry really enjoys her job. “One of the biggest things I enjoy about teaching art is celebrating my students’ uniqueness,” she says. “Before teaching art, I worked as a special education teacher for students with behavioral and emotional disabilities. It’s been wonderful incorporating that background into my art room and definitely inspired quite a few blog posts.”

Miss French Fry Makes Art: Art Room Sub TubMiss French Fry’s blog posts can inspire more than just art teachers. All teachers could benefit from some of her posts. For example, the “Sub Tub” is an organizer she has created to store and label lesson plans for substitute teachers. All in all, her clever instructions make it simple for any teacher to feel prepared when they leave their classroom in the hands of a substitute.

In this 24/7 world, always accessible art education resources are hard to come by. With her blog, http://missfrenchfrymakesart.blogspot.com/, Melinda Donelan is changing this. Explore the adventurous, industrious and sometime wacky world of an art educator. Get some fresh ideas and walk away feeling encouraged and more creative.

 

Read more Segmation blog posts about colorful artists:

Is an art education necessary?

What does a Good Art Teacher Look Like?

Reviving Art as the Heart of Education

Be an Artist in 2 minutes with Segmation SegPlay® PC (see more details here)

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Join us on FacebookSegPlay® Mobile iTunes now available for iPhone and iPad

www.segmation.com