Life Changing, World Changing...Mentoring

      

I enjoyed spending the weekend with five KSU seniors in art education as attendees
at the KAEA Fall Conference held at Pittsburg State University.

    Although I continue to teach art education in a variety of K-12 settings including at community art events and community programs, in private school settings, and as a guest art teacher in local elementary public schools, as well as at various children’s programs in museums (most recently to Title 1 elementary students in New Mexico), I find myself really honored to be teaching future teachers at Kansas State University. One cannot raise the bar any higher. Five times a week I pour my teaching stories, experiences, and expertise into young people. I know the sharing of my life experiences are impacting them in meaningful and beneficial ways; ways they may not even realize until they are in their own classroom. This is not a job that I take lightly. Our world needs gifted, caring, committed teachers. It thrills me to know that my words, both written and spoken, may change thousands of lives I will never know.

Marjorie Schick, a Kansas artist whose iconic jewelry is in the Smithsonian Institution
and has graced the cover of Vogue magazine, mentored a ballroom full of
current and future art educators. She spoke at the KAEA Fall Conference and
took time afterwards to visit with KSU seniors.

      Through my involvement in the National Art Education Association, a vibrant professional organization for art educators in the U.S., and through the Kansas and Texas chapters, I have had opportunity through many presentations, speeches, and workshops to teach thousands of practicing teachers. I implore them to teach globally inspired art as our world is changing; I teach them how to find ways to teach in other nations as our world is changing; I teach them how to use 21^st century learning to Skype with teachers and classrooms all over the globe as our world is changing; I show them how to integrate the arts into their generalist classrooms as project-based learning is vital and our world is changing; and I teach them how to gain grants and fellowships such as the one I went on to Istanbul as our world is changing. After only one year teaching at KSU, I was selected as the KAEA Higher Education Art Educator of the Year-this is not being said with vanity, but with a stoic resolution that art in our schools can serve a much broader purpose than it traditionally has. When art is relegated to holiday bulletin board décor and school decorations we aren’t fully grasping its ability to create higher level thinking. Being nominated for the award by one of my first year teachers was so nice and hearing her presentation speech is something I will never forget. I particularly liked it when she said that I believed in her even when she didn’t believe in herself. That’s what teachers do. That is what teachers should do.

     Last spring I brought two artists from Mexico to KSU, a Oaxacan wood carver and painter and a Huichol yarn Painter. For four days we led lectures, demonstrations, and workshops. More than 2000 people attended these events. These young men learned their trade from generations of their families and they are changing the villages where they live. They have added to their family tradition the use of social media, travel, public relations to spread their talent far and wide, actually all over the globe, furthering the income of their community and family, and teaching others about their culture. Art educators and teachers from all over were invited, as well as my own students and all of our KSU students. Nancy Walkup of NAEA and SchoolArts Magazine said it was the most organized art education event she had ever attended and wanted to know if we could take the show on the road. I think that would be marvelous…and extremely educational. The point is that global mentoring occurred. Only about ten of my KSU students that semester, about 130, said they had been out of the United States. By bringing the world to them, their sense of self in their greater place grew.

     Art has a unique ability to help mankind understand mankind. When art educators mentor others, when they share with others, we increase the impact and advocacy of the overall education exponentially. Bronfenbrenner would have said the microsphere radiates out into the macrosphere.  A professor I work with refers to it as the networking theory. I know that art can be life changing and world changing. I know this to be true. I see this every day in my courses and art classes. It is my goal to make sure other teachers, other art educators, know this as well.