As an art teacher,
my job is to teach the basics of
art making and
and art appreciation.
That’s my job.
That’s what the curriculum says.
That’s why I was hired.
But my mission
is to get kids to love art
or at least, put them on a path
to like art.
My mission
is to help kids meaningfully
explore,
find,
and share their
unique voice.
This means
that I have to put the kid
before the product
and put the kid
before the process.
The child comes first.
Every child that enters my art room
brings a different background,
different experiences,
different cultures
and different parents.
Their relationship with
art making and art appreciation
are going to be just as diverse.
In many cases,
focusing on my job isn’t going to cut it.
In many cases,
I need to focus on my mission
which means,
I need to focus on the individual child.
Not the product.
Not the process.
But the child.
I’m thankful for my job.
I’m grateful for my mission.
Trevor (@trevorabryan)