Episode Transcript
Speaker 0 00:00:00 Hello, and welcome to rework rewriting our kids education podcast. My name is Michelle person, and I welcome you on our journey of rethinking re-examining and re-educating ourselves and our children. On today's episode, we will be exploring art class and how small changes in classroom structure can result in an engaged art student that is empowered to create independently. Our guest today is a master art teacher that has been molding young minds for almost three decades. Ms. Sally Hopkins, American film director, Tim Burton, known for his fantasy and horror films once said, don't worry about the way you should draw it. Just draw it the way you see it. That idea of creative freedom is what the students in Sally's classes seem to embody. And it's an amazing thing to watch and oh yeah. Are you woke
Speaker 0 00:01:22 As a people? We love art. We love music performing and creating. We communicate through art. We thrive in art. Art is a wonderful way of preserving or strengthening a strong sense of community forging a personal identity and showing your creativity. Art has multiple opportunities for learning entertainment, leisure, personal growth, and improving communications with others. So how unfortunate is it that in most schools, art and art education are the first classes to be cut when trimming the budget, the classes that remain are often dull and the focus tends to be learning the masters, which doesn't leave a lot of space for exploring artists, imagery, or pieces that are relevant to the experiences of our children. Students tune out and a powerful tool for enriching. Academic achievement is a loss. Even more tragically is when art class is actually still an option, but because of the abysmal instructional practices, students give up on exploring all the wonderful benefits that come with art and all its opportunities.
Speaker 0 00:02:38 If your school is lucky enough to still have an intact art program, it is our job to make sure that that program is robust and that the instruction provided supports and encourages creativity and creativity at every turn. Our guest today has been working hard to foster these feelings for the last 28 years. And she stopped by to, to us about the simple and small things that can be done to get the most out of your child's art education. Sally Hopkins. Thank you so much for joining us today to talk about art education and being woke about art education. Before we dive in to what art education looks like. Can you tell everybody a little bit about yourself? I certainly can. And thank you for having me pleasure to be here with you. So a little bit about me, I've been teaching art in Cleveland, my whole career. This is going to be my 28th year of teaching arts. And I was at case elementary school, which is no longer there for 21 years. And then I made a move to Memorial school, which is on the east side. And I've been there for the past. I believe this was going to be six, seven years and the age range has been preschool through eighth grade and I love it.
Speaker 0 00:04:07 And so we were talking before we started recording and I told you that I've done. I've been in a lot of different schools and a lot of different cities. Um, and people know that I've done, I've done the high-performing urban, I've done. Low-performing, I've done suburban. Um, I've done lots of different school types and it was not until I saw you and action as an art teacher, that I got a sense of what art class could look like. Um, and it, before our kids where they will be engaged and they would, they would actually be, there's a joy, um, in your classroom when your kids are working on a project that I had never seen before in traditional art class, sometimes in drama, sometimes in music, you know, but never in traditional, you know, pen, paper, art class. And so, um, I, when I was planning on my episodes and I was like, I know the first person in the arts that I want to talk to, it has to be Hopkins.
Speaker 0 00:05:01 Um, so what does good art instruction look like over the years? What have you found? That is what keeps that, um, that, that enjoyment that I observed so often when kids would come into your classroom, what does that look like? How do you cultivate that? Well, one, thank you so much. It's a huge compliment. And I take that to heart. Um, I think that first and foremost, you, you gotta really love what you do and love, who you teach you. Can't fake that. And the kids know when you genuinely care about them and hear them and consider them. So they just want to be heard. I mean, that's been true since day one sure have changed. You know, over the years, technology plays a role in the behaviors that I, I think, but I think in an art room, one to start, you need to be organized.
Speaker 0 00:06:14 Everything needs to have a space and things should be easily accessible. And the kids, you can't just assume they know how to use everything. So basic things need to be taught. Processes need to be taught and explained. And then from there, once you have your room set up, you establish your rules, he was established your procedures, have the kids involved. Okay, guys, what do you think roles should be for this role? How do you feel about this? What do you think should happen if you don't do these things? What do you think should happen? If we do these things well, get their input. And once they really understand that, then you go into presenting your lessons. So lesson should be something that the kids relate to and you can pretty much take anything in somehow related to the kids. So many artists have had struggles.
Speaker 0 00:07:17 So many artists have had real like emotional issues and they used art to help just cope with life. And so who couldn't relate to that. And another thing that I try to keep in mind is that all art, isn't all good art, isn't white, European art. There can be amazing art in all cultures, in all people, in all artists. So when we hear about the traditional masters, yes, there are art masters, but they're not all from Europe. So I think when we celebrate differences and celebrate cultures and the beauty in everyone, that's where we can really get some interest. So what I heard was really four things. One, make sure your kids know that you love them, and you want to be there, make sure that you're organized because things can get really crazy, really fast. And the art room, if you're not organized three, make sure that you are bringing in, um, real life experiences and relating it to art for them.
Speaker 0 00:08:36 And for making sure that the art you're showing them, they can relate to because it's from people or it's has been created by people who look like yes, absolutely. And you know, we could, you could incorporate art that people who don't look like them have, right. But related to them in a way they can understand it. Right. So, you know what I talk about Pablo Picasso and I talk about how he struggled in school. And he was always put out of the classroom because he was be a behavior problem. And art was his therapy. So some kids are like, oh, okay. I can, I can relate to that. And so by doing those things and presenting are not just, here's a color sheet, presenting it through power points through visuals, through videos, add some music, play some games, make it interesting for them, then they'll be engaged and there'll be interested.
Speaker 0 00:09:45 So that actually goes right into our very, my next question, which is what are the top, because it's so often, um, and I've, again, worked with many art teachers. Art was, here's a sheet. Um, you know, here, here are the instructions. Do it just like that. Um, and that doesn't work. Art becomes boring. You find behavior problems. The kids get kicked out. They're not getting anything out of it. So, um, what are the top three, I guess, strategies or tips that you have for primarily people who work with the diverse populations, um, black and brown learners for engaging students in art, like what should they be doing to engage students in art? And clearly it's not, here's a piece of paper and here's a crayon and color this picture, right? So I think one of the biggest things is to celebrate what they do in their own way.
Speaker 0 00:10:39 And I try to reinforce your, if, if we're working on a specific project, what they're doing does not have to be identical to what the examples are. We're all unique and we're all different. So I want to see your project look different than the example, because I want you to bring a part of you into it. And that's okay. A lot of times they're so set on having something look an expected way, and then they get frustrated when it's, it's not the perfect way they think it should be. And to get them over that, like, I want it to be different. I want it to be your own. And you know, obviously when I start something, sure, it's, it's a teacher based intro, you know, I'll present it and I'll give them the info. But then I'll switch over to a student centered model or a kinesthetic model where they learn more by doing it themselves.
Speaker 0 00:11:49 Don't do it for them. So one of my biggest pet peeves is if I see a teacher taking a pencil and doing something on a student paper, no celebrate what they do. Sure. If there's something technically wrong, you can, Hey, try it this way or try this. But other than that, celebrate what they do and how they did it. And I think for me, I will walk them through step by step. I even do this with adults and I do. You do so it's important. I don't just, here's a picture do this. That's not going to work. They're going to get frustrated. And then they're going to stop trying. They're going to be like, oh, this is stupid. Even as adults, you know, when we try, we're nervous of failing. We're nervous of being embarrassed. All my gas is going to look, you know, I don't want to share this.
Speaker 0 00:12:49 So when you just break it down and keep it simple, one step at a time, great, let's do this. I will show them and demonstrate, and then they'll do it. And then the pressure is off. And then they're just kind of doing before, you know, it, they have this finished artwork and they're surprised with what they end up with. Yeah. It's just a lot of step by step guided instruction and a lot of reinforcing with positive remarks and positive reinforcement and celebrating that. And that, that was the takeaway for me celebrate what they did and how they did it. So don't, don't try to let go. It's like, almost like you're more of a guide in this, in this, in this class. Like they, it's very student centered. They are able to, you give them the idea and they're able to run with it and create what they feel in that moment.
Speaker 0 00:13:48 However, they, how it CA however it comes out of them, it doesn't have to be a carbon copy of what you put up. Yes. And that is so important. Let it show who you are. I don't want it to look like my example, but I want my example to guide you. Um, well, what I hear is that you give a lot of freedom. That's what I hear. And after that, just encourage them. This is great. And if they don't like it, you know what, but I'm proud of you for trying. And I'm proud of you for, even if you don't want to hang this up in your room, that's okay. Right. And you're not going to love everything that you do and that's okay. But to see that you try and look at what you create. You're going to like some things you're going to not like some things I I'm the same way.
Speaker 0 00:14:44 And that's okay. That's the beauty of learning, what we like and what we don't like, but we're going to celebrate the, that we put into it, everything we do, even if we don't like it in the end, awesome parents who want to encourage their students to be more artistic. What recommendations do you have? What, what should, what should they be doing at home so that the learning doesn't stop when they leave your class? So at home, I think making sure if, if the kids are interested in art, giving them a space, it could be an area on the table and area on the counter, just providing them with a space at home to make art. And then all they need are basic supplies, paper, crayons, pencils. You can do a lot with that. So giving them a space, giving them supplies, if they're able to do more supplies, great.
Speaker 0 00:15:40 And also acknowledging it, having discussions about it, what are you making? Where did you get that idea? What does this mean? Tell me about this. You know, so some interest in it and have them do the talking and then celebrate it, hang it up. You know, I get it. I'm a parent, I've got four kids. I didn't keep all their pictures, but okay. You know, you're not going to keep everything, but let them see you celebrate it until they do something different. Right. And I use that tip of people all the time, like hang up. So when they, when they show you a new picture, oh my God, this is so great. We don't have any more room on the refrigerator. Let's take this one down and let's put this one up so that you have next one up and you have a constant cycle of artwork.
Speaker 0 00:16:32 That's up that you're showing that you're praising them. It's that positive reinforcement. And they feel validated and they'll continue to try to take it to the next level, have them write about it. If they, if you want to extend it, write a sentence about your picture. Or if your picture was in a story, what would the story be about? So having conversations in, in, you know, you can extend it into creative writing, things like that. Yeah. Cross-curricular making sure that the different makes that makes the contents touch each other, make them have build bridges between art and writing. That's a, that's an incredibly powerful tip. Thank you for that. And another thing that parents can do, take them to our museum, it's free. Well, that goes right into the question I was going to ask you is like, what, what other, um, what resources do you recommend for, for parents to make sure that they are cultivating these little artists?
Speaker 0 00:17:29 So the art museum, the art museum, we have a world renowned art museum, right? In our own city. You pay for parking, you can park at the meter. And I mean, you'll, you'll notice something new every time you go. It's amazing. It's beautiful. You can take them to a local gallery. You know, there's little art shops all over the place and get them inspired by that. Take them to the park, have them bring a sketchbook, you know, drop something, take a sketchbook to the park, free, easy, simple, but it, yeah, 100%, that's a great recommendation to act or take your cell phone and challenge them, take a picture and find something different. Take a picture of something in a way that makes it look different, maybe from the ground up or maybe at a different angle, and then take them back, look at it and then use that as an inspiration for a painting or a drawing.
Speaker 0 00:18:25 Awesome. Those are graceful art museum, take a sketchbook and look at something in a different way. All of those are great recommendations and great ways to get our kids thinking about how they can enter, uh, how they can get light, how they can put art in their everyday life. Sally, I want to thank you so much for being with us today and talking to us about these recommendations and how we can make art a part of our kids' everyday experiences and how to make it for them and how we can make it relevant for them. It was great. And I hope that the parents picked up on all the nuggets that you were dropping, um, through our conversation, you are welcome. And it was my pleasure.
Speaker 0 00:19:08 I will, I will celebrate and encourage it. Doesn't get much easier than that. And the idea of taking a sketchbook outside is one that I think I'm going to try this weekend with my four-year-old. What idea resonated most with you? Hop on over to our Facebook page, just like me presents, join our group and let us know, show notes, resources, and links to the things we've mentioned here are available on our website at www just like me, presents.com. Make sure you hit subscribe and share this podcast with other parents and educators in your circle. Thank you so much for listening. And remember if our children can see it, they can achieve it.
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