Teaching My Future Peers
No matter the context, I see teaching as a means to sharpen my practice, renew my engagement, and build the world I want to leave for coming generations.
I start each term with a simple statement:
“You are my peers. You just don’t know it yet.”
Every year, I swear the students shine a little bit brighter. I cannot tell if they are actually more creative or if I have learned just enough to see their burgeoning talents better. No matter–I have decided to welcome each person into the work of art and design fully. I train them all as practitioners who should surpass me. Announcing this in the first minutes of each term? It sets the tone I maintain as I push each group to new heights–as a collaborative and as individuals.
In order to find our excellence in art or design, we have to find that internal rigor, that line in ourselves we will not cross. I think the main purpose of foundation classes–my main interest as an educator–is welcoming each student to find this for themselves. I call this energy, for lack of a better term, Give-A-Damn. I demand that students show that they care about their effort before I demand formal perfection—proactive engagement will get them farther in life than learning to please me. I am cultivating creative citizens of the world.
The one element essential for a lifelong creative practice is fearless play. If I cannot take risks in my learning, I will never innovate. If I cannot let go of the familiar long enough to make bold conceptual leaps, I will never excel. If I give myself permission to be as bad as I need to be while I dive in, I will master any skill and move on to the next one. Once I become proficient at this cycle of learning, I will be unstoppable no matter what I encounter.
Teaching in the time of COVID-19
During the quarantine, fearless play proved invaluable. I openly failed and prospered in front of screen after screen of faceless boxes until I found my way to a full and living class. I had major tenets of my teaching style tested, my bedrock ideas about evaluation utterly turned upside down. Creative resiliency gave me every win I had, as usual. In all the months of lockdown, I only lost one student; sadly, she gave up and withdrew. The rest of the classes showed up and made work significant to themselves. We faced real difficulties—some could not afford the software demanded by the syllabus, others could not access required materials. We made new ways together, because that is creativity.
The students played whole-heartedly once they realized I meant what I said. We made messes, we found ways to explore the elements of art in kitchens, we found the principles of design on driveways. I demanded students get autobiographical as they researched ideas and sketched objects. I changed all evaluation to rubric-driven complete/incomplete grading to eliminate the endless quibbling over points. I demanded each time that they care and they responded with thoughtful reflection and disarming honesty. They pushed themselves to discomfort and found their point of learning for themselves. As far as class was concerned, they thrived.
I teach with all I’ve got
Teaching is my activism. I am building the world and industry I want to leave the coming generations. To this end, I strive to make my classes reliable and respectful places where students learn and interact. We deconstruct the curriculum, we speak often of the frameworks that work and conceits that prove unworkable. We design portions of the class together—they need to know how teachable moments are crafted. They are learning to be on teams and to run projects. They are learning to implement their ideas over time. Each person must find how actively evince meaning from life—I work to instill that needed rigor by connecting with students as my peers so they can achieve true quality.
In my advanced classes, I model and demand the criticality and work ethic a delving practice demands. I encourage compassionate and raucous dialogue—class critiques are exacting yet effervescent. I expect advanced students to have their Give-A-Damn firmly in place–I do not accept excuses. I applaud strategy, evolution, and iteration. I cheer a really hard-won failure.
I teach to give my students timeless tools so they face anaerobic change. I assure them that fearless play will enrich their lives at every turn but riches and acclaim are never guaranteed. I watch them all as each one finds the way to her/his/their integrity. I see their eyes light up as we all grapple and find traction.
These are the peers I see coming. I am here for them.
I have taught for about 20 years–I specialize in printmaking, art, graphic design, and typography. My research as an academic is centered around teaching students who have been left unprepared for a variety of reasons. I use metacognitive theories to inform my lesson design and bring my peers up snuff as they damn well deserve.