This morning the TAEA Region 10 Texas Elementary Art Meet was judged in my classroom. Three jurors worked all morning and for quite a bit of the afternoon judging the artwork completed by students in grades K-5 from public schools in Region 10. There are over 80 school districts and several hundred elementary schools in Region 10. The jurors had their work cut out for them, that is for sure. The TEAM contests were piloted three years ago in the Houston, Texas area and this year grew to four regions in Texas holding the competition. This was the first year my Region, which encompasses the greater Dallas area and many smaller communities, piloted the contest. As an art teacher I really enjoy giving my students opportunity to compete. Art contests give my gifted artists a chance to be rewarded for their skill, but also give all of my student artists opportunity to showcase what they have learned. And, besides, students love to win ribbons, medals, and certificates...and, of course, trophies, so there will be some excitement on Monday when I share the results. I am also particularly drawn to art educators who do these kinds of "extra" things. The art teachers who entered the contest go the extra mile, graciously doing "things" that are out of their normal job expectations and even on their own time. They do these kinds of extra curricular functions because they place great value on challenging their students and growing their art education programs. And, the wonderful art educators that came over from Region 11 to judge really took their job seriously. We also had a great art ed student from Texas Women's University come judge. It was just simply a great contest. I look forward to the contest growing and growing. I'm really proud of this pilot year. The learning curve was high because of the mounds of paper work and online portals for records, both for my role as an entering teacher and also as the contest director. It was a great way to end a great school year. Art education has a unique role in that it challenges our students holistic learning and asks them to use their whole brain, the left and right side. TAEA is such a wonderful organization and this state art contest for elementary students is a great opportunity for art educators and students to share their great efforts.
Here's a link for TEAM (Texas Elementary Art Meet, hosted by TAEA): http://www.taea.org/TEAM/online-registration.cfm
Here's a link for TAEA (Texas Art Education Association): http://www.taea.org/TAEA/default.asp
Of course, TAEA is under the umbrella of the National Art Education Association.
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| These photos are of the jurors showing great concentration as they critiqued the artwork. Thanks to Jessica and Becca who came over from Region 11 and who are art educators in Little Elm, and Bianca, who is an art ed major at Texas Women's University in Denton. |
