Background
Art seems to be the perfect way to meet the needs of the student population in my school. Accounting for the past achievements of our alumni and the merits of our staff, our school is anticipating its next renaissance. My school is the oldest in our district, operating in various locations since 1867, and has the distinction of having been the first school in our city devoted to the education of African American students.
Each class I teach has multiple grade levels and contains every exceptionality recognized and served in our building. As a result, lessons that include active learning and incorporate a variety of learning styles are a key to the success of the program and my students. I am glad to be teaching art, a class that naturally includes a variety of instructional methods and activities, and which channels creative energies in likewise creative endeavors.
In the art room, the situations of my students manifest themselves, through interactions with others and through the reflective qualities of their assignments. The channeling of creative energies I spoke of earlier is an absolute boon, as students construct meaning from materials and shape and define themselves through a varied body of work designed to provoke thought. Students complete projects which answer, albeit in an ongoing fashion, the questions of, "Who am I?" and, "How do I relate to the world around me?"
Despite being exposed to pluralistic examples, intended to show multiple perspectives on themes that are personal, artistic and cultural, most of my students remain locked in a limited world view. They neglect the larger view for the realities and complexities of their daily lives that demand attention right in their neighborhoods. It seems more plausible then, when searching for an appropriate and meaningful subject for their assignments, to present a unit of study that focuses on indigenous peoples who share similar life experiences.
My students will definitely connect to the plight of the American Indians. There are compelling comparisons to the disenfranchisement, forcible relocation, racism, quality of life and the treatment of each group at the hands of our government. And while they are forging connections, I will encourage the gathering and interpretation of information which will press the associations further, demonstrating in a positive sense, the spirit of Indian resiliency to the adverse, a return to rich oral and practiced traditions—a model where cultural threads have been woven by the practice of generations and that resists being undone.
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