news & tips for teachers
Art and Education
Lawsuit
May 24th, 2010
This week in Alameda County court, a historic lawsuit was filed against the state of California declaring that the current educational finance system is broken and unconstitutional. Maya Robles-Wong v the State of California includes nine school districts, the California State PTA, the …
Passing on our Problems
May 17th, 2010
I was at a meeting this week for a student with serious behavior issues and learning disabilities. The meeting was being held to determine whether or not his handicaps were the reason for the ten disciplinary suspensions that he incurred over the …
Ideal Art Classroom
May 11th, 2010
At our last meeting for art department chairs from high schools in our district, we were presented with an outline of the “ideal art classroom”. Generated by someone at the district office, the list contained every piece of technology known to man …
The Same Government?
March 24th, 2010
I was having dinner with some friends the other night and was listening to one of them tell us a story about a close call that he had with a rental car a few years back. A minor detail in the story …
Long Overdue
March 16th, 2010
Secretary of Education Arne Duncan revealed plans today to overhaul the long abhorred No Child Left Behind legislation. Apparently this new administration believes that students should be “well rounded”. YA THINK??????? Did it take ten years and two Secretaries of Education to figure that …
Contrasts
March 8th, 2010
Tonight, selected performing artists and technicians will be cited for outstanding performances in the world of entertainment at the annual Academy Awards presentation. By contrast, last week in Rhode Island, ninety three educators were fired for a “worst” performance because they were …
Homework?? In Art??
March 1st, 2010
At the beginning of the year I always review the expectations of my class with the students. One of the things that always surprises them is my promise to never assign them homework. I don ‘t believe in homework, not in art …
Dumping Ground
February 23rd, 2010
It ‘s scheduling time at the high school where I teach. Usually this means that students sit down with counselors and choose the classes that they want for the following year based on a plan for post graduation. Scheduling is done a …
Thoughts on the Super Bowl
February 7th, 2010
Today is the Superbowl. Superstars, super-hype, super bucks. In our society we have placed in inordinate emphasis on sports and sport celebrities. The arts are not given a tenth of the attention and finances lavished on sports. Sports advocates will argue that …
A Most Powerful Force
January 17th, 2010
When a disastrous event takes place like the recent earthquake in Haiti, it gives us all a chance to reflect on what is truly important in our lives. Living in earthquake country, the same devastation that the Haitian people are facing could be at …
Your “Final” Answer
January 13th, 2010
It ‘s finals week. In academic classes, finals usually manifest as multiple choice tests, essays or another form of written assessment. But in the arts, finals can look very different. Each of us in the visual arts department at my school handles …
Size Matters
January 4th, 2010
Before leaving for holiday break this year, several of my colleagues and I commented on how tired and wrung out we felt. It wasn ‘t the usual “tired due to holiday stress” fatigue, this was tired as in “is it June yet?” …
Does an earlier start result in student achivement?
December 29th, 2009
The day before we left for the holiday break, our school district delivered the news that our summer vacation would be shortened two weeks this year due to an earlier start of the 2010/ 2011 school year. The new school year will …
Christmas Wish List
December 23rd, 2009
With only a few days left until Christmas, I thought I would share my wish list of gifts that I would like to see under my Arts Educators tree this year! The fist gift would be a substantial budget for all arts …
Superstars
December 15th, 2009
Our local paper recently published a front page list of the Ten Silicon Valley Superstars. Every single choice was an individual tied to technology. Not one artist, not one teacher.
Season of the Arts?
December 8th, 2009
It seems that during the holiday season people the take time to appreciate the arts in a way that they don ‘t during the rest of the year. Holiday fairs that feature hand crafted items abound, performances of the Nutcracker are a …
Musing on Muses
November 30th, 2009
In 1999, Sharon Stone and Albert Brooks starred in a comedy called The Muse. In it, Stone portrayed a “muse”, one of the daughters of Zeus who ‘s role it was to bring inspiration to the arts, sciences and poetry. Throughout the …
Thanksgiving
November 23rd, 2009
This is the week that reminds us to take time out of our frantic schedules to stop, spend time with family and friends and reflect on gratitude for the gifts that we have been given and the life that we choose to …
Where Are Our Piazzas?
November 17th, 2009
A few years ago I attended a city wide forum on creativity. The keynote speaker, who ‘s name now escapes me, was a font of thought provoking ideas and subject matter. He spoke of the necessity of maintaining a vibrant arts program …
The Fun Theory
November 9th, 2009
I have been ranting about technology for the last several blogs, so it only seems fair that I should share a very cool website that showcases how technology can be used creatively to entice people to do the right thing. Visit www.thefuntheory.com …
The “Art”(?) of Sampling
November 3rd, 2009
Recently I heard about a movement in the music industry that is causing quite a stir. “Sampling” is a form of musical composition where the composer creates a new piece of music by taking bits and pieces of popular songs, melodies, beats, …
Talking to Ghosts
October 27th, 2009
For 6 weeks I have been writing this blog covering topics from graffiti to technology. I have yet to get one response or comment on the words that I have written. Some would take that as commentary on style and/or content, some …
Too Much Technology
October 19th, 2009
In recent years the push for technology in schools has been astounding. Word has it that our district, which is continually in the red financially, will be moving to 100% on-line text-books within two years. My question is, not where will they …
Graffiti As Art?
October 13th, 2009
Say the word graffiti and most people, adults at least, will cringe. But investigate the world of graffiti and from an artist ‘s standpoint, there is some incredible work going on. I don ‘t mean “tagging”- the ridiculous scribbles of wannabe gang …
Aligned Curriculum in the Arts
October 7th, 2009
Having taught 28 years, I thought I ‘d seen all the worst that public education had to offer. But I must say that by far, the most short-sighted idea yet is curriculum alignment in the arts.
Arts Advocates
September 30th, 2009
Sometimes as Arts specialists in schools, we are so involved with the business of creation that we neglect the business of business. We seem to think that educational politics are best left to those in other disciplines who may be more savvy …
Student Performance
September 24th, 2009
On Sept. 18, Ted Mitchell, president of the California Board of Education, published an article in the San Jose Mercury News advocating the repeal of a 2006 law that prevents the state from using student performance data to evaluate teachers. It seems …
Student Costs
September 11th, 2009
Last week I wrote about the cost of keeping an arts program alive through instructor subsidies. This week I ‘d like to examine the issue of student studio fees in arts education programs. I know that in our school district, studio fees …
Out of Pocket
September 8th, 2009
I just finished reading an article outlining different ways that educators can secure resources and materials for their classrooms. While the article is sound and offers great advice, I can ‘t help but wonder when it became part of a teacher ‘s …
Testing the Arts
August 31st, 2009
U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan is in a Race to the Top. To the top of what, I don ‘t know. But Duncan ‘s plan is part of President Obama ‘s $100 billion economic stimulus plan for education reform. The problem …
All Things Being Equal
August 14th, 2009
As a progressive minded educator there are many changes in education that I hope come to pass–making creativity the core around which all subjects revolve; a restructuring of the school day and year; variable credit systems in high schools; the elimination of …
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