Middle Level Division Column: Fall 2023

Focusing on the “WHY” When Returning to School

When you hear “back to school time,” what emotions come to the surface? In this post-COVID time of looking for the new normal, there seems to be a different list than in the past. Instead of just having a little disappointment that summer is over but feeling happy to get back to the students, we are faced with overwhelming apprehension over students’ behavior, administrators’ demands, and the media’s teacher bashing. In middle schools, art teachers can get lost in all the testing rhetoric and theories. Some of us are being asked to teach classes we are not certified in to help with the test scores. What administrators are missing is that I teach math, science, ELA, and social studies through my art lessons daily. I feel the only way to push through is to remember your “why.” Ultimately, education is about the students, the whole child—which includes the arts. The NAEA website has links to platform and position statements to help your conversations with administrators on the benefits of keeping art in schools. Your state organization can offer support, including information about state legislation that affects you as an art educator. Feel free to contact me or your Regional Middle Level Directors with any questions or ideas for articles coming up that can help us navigate these uncertain times.

With that said, focus also on your inspirations from your summer adventures. Sleeping in, traveling, relaxing with family, professional development—all could be adventures. I was glad to be able to go to Copenhagen and Amsterdam this summer. The views, the people, and the museums all gave me ideas to ponder! At the National Gallery of Denmark, there was a Baroque exhibition along with flyers interpreting the hand movements in the paintings and their symbolic meanings. This could work into a lesson plan about discovering the symbolism of paintings. In Amsterdam, seeing Rembrandt’s house and his work in the Rijksmuseum provided a great perspective on the artist and art history. Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam had an exhibition that asked me to ponder, what is contemporary art? Lessons from Anne Frank House were hard to see but necessary to remember. At the Van Gogh Museum, being among all those paintings, I gained a new appreciation for this artist by seeing the texture, colors, the narrative, how he mixed colors, and his struggles in life. The many other views of the streets, food I ate, and people I met added to my takeaways from my trip, too! These experiences will influence my curriculum, renewing my passion and knowledge of art learned through travel.

[[image #### "Copenhagen, Denmark."]]

[[image #### "Amsterdam, Netherlands."]]

Hopefully this summer you had adventures that reminded you of your “why.” Don’t forget to reach out to your art people when you feel unappreciated, or see if you can help others find their purpose for being in the art classroom. Students need us and our class in their schools. We are working on updating our social media, which will help with our own networking and support. You can contact me or my Middle Level team at any time by email as well. Middle Level is a community, and we should get to know each other! In the classroom, I do a project to create community. This project explores students’ identity and is called Symbolic Self Portrait; when they share these projects, a community is developed. I outlined this project when I represented the Middle Level in an NAEA webinar in July, Planning a Curriculum That Works, which included discussions on developing curriculum through the standards. The Elementary, Secondary, and Higher Education Directors were also in the webinar providing great information. It is still available on the website, under the Learning tab. https://virtual.arteducators.org/products/planning-a-curriculum-that-works

These webinars are a great way to earn professional learning for your districts, and they are free for NAEA members.

Another “why” could be developing artists and creating an interest in careers in art education. If you don’t have a National Junior Art Honor Society (NJAHS) chapter, please check out the information on the NAEA website. https://www.arteducators.org/national-art-honor-societies This is a great opportunity to enhance your students’ access to art and presentation, advocate for your program, and be part of the development of service leaders and future art educators.

The Middle Level sessions at the 2024 NAEA Convention in Minneapolis will be filled with information, door prizes, and celebrations of middle-level art teachers. Hope to see you there.

Column by:

Janis Stivers Nunnally, Division Director
Visual Arts Educator, Putnam County School Board, Cookeville, TN. Email: nunnallyj@pcsstn.com

Elect: Jeanie Fellinger, Spotsylvania County Public Schools, Spotsylvania, VA.

Regional Directors:
Eastern: Emily Saleh, emily.saleh04@gmail.com
Southeastern: Catherine Campbell, ccampbel@richland2.org
Western: Jolanda Dranchak, jolanda.dranchak@ahschools.us
Pacific: Rebecca Weeks, weeksr1@nv.ccsd.net