artteacher2be
Jan 7, 2009
Undergraduate / Essay on art education [7]
No question was specified, but we were given a space to write more about ourselves on the application. Let me know if this sounds concise and acceptable for a state university that is not very competitive. Thanks!
At two o'clock PM I walked into Family of Christ Learning Center, eager to start my first day as the afternoon teacher for the three-year-olds. My enthusiasm began to wane when I realized the loud, piercing cries I heard in the hallway were not coming from the infant room, but from my own classroom. The morning teacher, Miss Jennylynn smiled at me. "Paul just moved here from Korea," she said, "He doesn't speak a word of English, and hasn't stopped crying all day. Good luck." For two weeks he continued to cry, despite our best efforts to make him feel comfortable through songs, smiles, hugs, and stories. It wasn't until I placed a large Crayola marker into his hand and gave him a sheet of white paper that his tears stopped. Briefly he looked up at me before diving into his drawing. Paul was not the only student interested in art - I quickly noticed that all my three-year-old students displayed an enormous passion for creating art. With purpose, they grasped markers and moved them across paper, not inhibited by their limited dexterity. More importantly I noticed that while most of their vocabularies did not include more than 500 words, their ability to express themselves through art was immeasurable. Language was no longer a barrier, even for Paul.
I have been no stranger to the arts in my own life. Whether I was performing a role in the school musical, or drawing a self-portrait, art has transformed my life and enabled me to be an innovative, cooperative, and dynamic human being. Teaching illuminated me to the truth that creativity is innate - we are born with a hunger to express ourselves. It is only as we grow older that we begin to judge, doubt, and criticize our work. Art becomes more about the product than the process.
An observer might have thought Paul and the other students were playing with markers and paint, but they were also learning how to think abstractly, solve problems, and collaborate. Similarly, the arts can be used as a tool to reinforce concepts learned in other subjects such as Mathematics, English, and History. That is why I feel so motivated to study studio art and art education at Oakland University. This line of study will not only give me skills to use in my own artwork, but also prepare me to educate children. With my education at Oakland I hope to explore the benefits of art education while developing my own artistic voice. With my degree, I hope to impact the lives of children like Paul for the rest of my life.
No question was specified, but we were given a space to write more about ourselves on the application. Let me know if this sounds concise and acceptable for a state university that is not very competitive. Thanks!
At two o'clock PM I walked into Family of Christ Learning Center, eager to start my first day as the afternoon teacher for the three-year-olds. My enthusiasm began to wane when I realized the loud, piercing cries I heard in the hallway were not coming from the infant room, but from my own classroom. The morning teacher, Miss Jennylynn smiled at me. "Paul just moved here from Korea," she said, "He doesn't speak a word of English, and hasn't stopped crying all day. Good luck." For two weeks he continued to cry, despite our best efforts to make him feel comfortable through songs, smiles, hugs, and stories. It wasn't until I placed a large Crayola marker into his hand and gave him a sheet of white paper that his tears stopped. Briefly he looked up at me before diving into his drawing. Paul was not the only student interested in art - I quickly noticed that all my three-year-old students displayed an enormous passion for creating art. With purpose, they grasped markers and moved them across paper, not inhibited by their limited dexterity. More importantly I noticed that while most of their vocabularies did not include more than 500 words, their ability to express themselves through art was immeasurable. Language was no longer a barrier, even for Paul.
I have been no stranger to the arts in my own life. Whether I was performing a role in the school musical, or drawing a self-portrait, art has transformed my life and enabled me to be an innovative, cooperative, and dynamic human being. Teaching illuminated me to the truth that creativity is innate - we are born with a hunger to express ourselves. It is only as we grow older that we begin to judge, doubt, and criticize our work. Art becomes more about the product than the process.
An observer might have thought Paul and the other students were playing with markers and paint, but they were also learning how to think abstractly, solve problems, and collaborate. Similarly, the arts can be used as a tool to reinforce concepts learned in other subjects such as Mathematics, English, and History. That is why I feel so motivated to study studio art and art education at Oakland University. This line of study will not only give me skills to use in my own artwork, but also prepare me to educate children. With my education at Oakland I hope to explore the benefits of art education while developing my own artistic voice. With my degree, I hope to impact the lives of children like Paul for the rest of my life.