Middle Level Division Column: Spring 2023

Meet Us in the MIDDLE at NAEA San Antonio 2023

The 2023 NAEA National Convention is quickly approaching, and we are looking forward to the opportunity to recharge and renew our art education toolbox by spending time with colleagues in Texas. San Antonio is the self-anointed “city of authenticity,” offering visitors to the convention district–also known as the River Walk–an exciting atmosphere along a winding river full of cultural experiences, arts offerings, and fine dining.

As middle level arts educators, we will need this welcome respite. According to data from the Center for PBIS, March is the month with the most discipline issues in schools. April comes in second place. There are numerous theories as to why this might be. The unpredictable ever-changing weather or daylight savings time disruptions to our routines might be a factor. Or perhaps it is the lack of schedule breaks (no holidays) and the onset of testing season, which sends a false signal that the job is done. And of course, there are the TikTok challenges to contend with. We are all experiencing how the pandemic has made school discipline more complicated.

So now it is April, and we can get away for a few days to an artful city and perhaps share a few strategies on how we survived March to help everyone have an even better April and 2023–2024 school year. Step 1 is to come meet your middle level friends on Thursday, April 13 at 4:00 pm for a conversation about social–emotional learning (SEL). In addition to a panel discussion on how SEL is being used in the middle school realm, there will be time for some hands-on SEL artmaking. Then, on Friday, April 14 at 2:00 pm, come to a best-practices presentation where you can STEAL practical classroom management strategies and project ideas from our 2023 Middle Level Award winners. We have an amazing and inspiring group this year, and I for one cannot wait to hear more from these talented teachers.

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Krissy Ponden, our National Middle Level Art Educator of the Year, is from Stratford, Connecticut, and teaches at The Unquowa School, a very unique school that has been around for more than 100 years. At Unquowa, Krissy utilizes her School for Art Leaders training and her work as an ED&I Commissioner to teach innovative lessons with equity and social justice as a key component. Very often, I hear dedicated art teachers expressing their desire to support NAEA’s ED&I super pillar—but they feel uncertain about how to do that in their practice. I think Krissy Ponden can help!

Michelle Dress, the Eastern Region Middle Level Art Educator of the Year, is also an inspiring teacher who wants to give you a reason to smile. One of her popular school projects is a ceramic service-learning project called “Reasons to Smile” honoring her late son, Georgie. Students create ceramic containers filled with reasons to smile and give these to people they know who are in need. They also make and share these treasures with the Johns Hopkins Children’s Center and Olivia’s House: A Grief and Loss Center for Children. As Michelle and her students will tell you, through the “Reasons to Smile” project, they are learning about empathy and creating a chain reaction of love.

Abby Birhanu, our Western Region Middle Level Art Educator of the Year, from Clayton, Missouri, is rocking the teaching artist world through collaborative artist-in-residence community arts projects that promote antiracist, antibias, and culturally responsive teaching (CRT). Abby is a part of both a popular social media group and a national podcast on CRT and will be sharing how she encourages her students to be self-reflective and to give voice to issues of personal importance while continually guiding her students in practicing problem solving, expanding cultural perspectives, generating diverse worldviews, and cultivating detail awareness.

Melissa Leftwich, the Southeastern Middle Level Art Educator of the Year, from Charlotte, North Carolina, is a media arts pioneer and trailblazer with more than 2 decades of experience in this “new” field. She literally wrote the standards for middle level media arts. In addition to her experience as a National Board Certified visual arts teacher and media artist, she also has a background in theatre and has taught arts teachers of all kinds through workshops and in higher ed.

After learning so much from our award winners and SEL Division sessions, you’ll want to join us on Friday, April 14 at 11:30 am for Conversations With Colleagues, a speed networking session where you can have small-group conversations with like-minded teachers. On Saturday, April 15 at 12:30 pm, we’ll have our Hands-On Round Robin where you will make five to six mini-projects and leave with lesson plans you can put to work in your classroom next week.

I cannot wait to MEET YOU IN THE MIDDLE at NAEA San Antonio 2023.

Column by:

Aimee Burgamy, Division Director
Art Educator, Richard Hull Middle, Duluth, GA. Tel: 770-232-3200. Email: aimee_burgamy@gwinnett.k12.ga.us

Elect: Janis Stivers Nunnally, Visual Arts Educator, Putnam County School Board, Cookeville, TN.

Regional Directors:
Eastern: Hope Lord, hope_lord@maranacook.com
Southeastern: Margaret Skow, megskow@gmail.com
Western: Jessica Jones, jessicaaejones@gmail.com
Pacific: Rebecca Weeks, weeksr1@nv.ccsd.net