Education is what every child deserves and should have access to, be it in their own homes or

within an educational institution. The classroom does not matter be it a science classroom or an art
classroom. The students in my art classroom will be taught to be confident in their own works of art, be
motivated to appreciate the value of art within and outside of the classroom, and learn to see art as a form
of expression within different cultures.
It is important that students are confident in their works of art; this confidence will encourage
them to appreciate not only their own work and abilities, but also the works of their peers and artists of past
and present. For children to grown into art and design savvy adults, they need to be exposed to it when they
are young. In my classroom, I will expose students to different styles and art periods, explaining them in
accordance with the grade level being taught at the time. Elementary school students at the lowest level
(Pre-K through First Grade) will recieve more teaching on the different media to use and different
techniques. Higher grades will recieve instruction on these same media along with different artisitic
movements and their importance in art history. In learning about past artists, techniques, and materials,
students will experiement and learn what they like and dislike in their creations of art. In order to
discourage jealousy or disdain towards the work of another peer, I, as the teacher, will take care to praise
each and every child accordingly, making sure that children know that everyone creates art uniquely, and
the ability to create can be excercised. Having students peer-review each other's pieces in class will be a
part of the critiquing process so that students can see that the work of others can be appreciated along with
their own work.
Art is a vehicle that can help young students overcome certain negative or uneducated beliefs
about cultures outside of their own. It can also further educate students on their own culture. In my
classroom, I will implement different learning charts in the higher level elementary school grades for them
to learn about the different kinds of art created by cultures around the world and in different time periods
(Aztec, Native American, African, Chinese, etc.). By learning early on, students will grow with this
knowledge and, if faced with art from a culture they learned about in school, be able to relate and speak
intelligently on what they know about it. Learning about the art of their own culture will help them learn
more about themselves through the legacy left behind by the ones before them. Learning about the Harlem
Renaissance in a predominantly African American elementary school is important for students to realize the
struggles faced by young, African-American artists that struggled to have their creative voices heard. All of
the names and histories of African American artists may not stick, but if a few do, then they will stay with
that student for the rest of their lives and they will have learned something about their heritage.
The classroom will be arranged so that students sit in grouped desks and each group of desks will
be rewarded and punished depending on their behavior. This goes for all grades. Instead of punishing a
whole class for intolerable behavior, the groups that are at the root of the disruptions will be held
accountable while the remainder of the class is not. Groups that get too rambunctious will be made to be
silent, put their heads down, and stop working for an allotted time period while the class continues to work.
If the disruptions continue from the same group, they will be made to cease working with their materials for
the remainder of the class period and instead, sit in silence with their heads down. If it is a single student
out of the group, they will be handle by themselves. Talking will be allowed in the classroom, but not while
the teacher is talking and not at an unreasonable volume. Students may leave their seats, but not before
asking the teacher.