Secondary Division Column: Fall 2023

“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”
—African proverb

Many of you returned to school in August or even July. Others of you not until September. In all of our minds, newbies and veterans alike, are the ways we can get to know our students, and how to set up our classrooms to encourage community and engagement, as well as collaboration and creativity. We intentionally plan methods and approaches to best achieve success in these areas.

What I ask is What are we planning for ourselves? Who are we surrounding ourselves with so that we can all go far together?

The Secondary Team wants to be here for you. We recognize the importance of communication. In response to member input, we have developed the newsletter, Secondary Spotlight. The first issue came out via an NAEA email and Collaborate. It introduces the Secondary Team and offers some resources. Check it out.

One thing we would like to communicate is about the Position Statements. These are statements NAEA makes on particular issues or topics of interest. These go through an intensive vetting process and can be used in a number of ways to advocate for your program and students. The process diagram can be downloaded at the end of this column.

Something your team is looking forward to is the celebration of achievements from our members. This will happen at our awards session in Minneapolis this spring—but it is important for you to recognize and nominate colleagues before the October 1, 2023, 11:59 pm ET deadline.

Now please welcome to our Secondary Team our Western Region Director, Gayle Trueblood. Gayle has this to say about herself:

My love of art began in the very classroom where I now have the privilege of educating and inspiring my high school jewelry and sculpture/ceramics students. I attended Bowling Green State University in 1999 and have been an art educator for 23 years for Shawnee Local Schools in Lima, Ohio. Beyond the classroom I have held several state leadership positions and am currently serving as the president of the Ohio Art Education Association. I was the recipient of the Outstanding Art Teacher award for northwestern Ohio in 2018. I serve on numerous community arts advocacy boards, I speak locally to groups on the importance of arts education, and I am a state conference presenter and represent Ohio nationally with the National Art Education Association. I have three children and a Rhodesian Ridgeback. Aside from my art, I enjoy running, lifting, and yoga… and if given an opportunity to be on the beach, I’m there.

So, the goal is to create an environment where students can learn not only artistic skills but also how to effectively collaborate, communicate, and work as a team—a valuable set of skills that can serve them well beyond the art classroom. These are the same goals of your NAEA Secondary Team, and we are here for you.

Let’s go together so we can all go far.

Column by:

Linda W. Kieling, Secondary Division Director
Art Educator, North Clackamas Schools, Clackamas, OR. Email: lwkieling@gmail.com

Elect: Robin Brewer, Art Educator, Glen Mills, PA.

Regional Directors:
Eastern: Lora Marie Durr, loramariedurr@gmail.com
Southeastern: Catherine Heller, cloggerart@gmail.com
Pacific: Cydney Benedetto, cdebenedetto@sjusd.org
Western: Gayle Trueblood, truebloodg@limashawnee.com