Community: Building a Stronger Connection with your Peers and Organizations

This year, my district has been promoting ways to build a stronger community.  I’m enjoying the positive attitudes this year and the common efforts to combine effective teaching strategies for a common goal.  As part of my school’s social committee, we are finding more ways to promote collegiality as we begin a great school year.

What can you offer to help your community grow and flourish?  As an early professional, I am always using the word “refinement” in everything I do.  Asking questions and reflecting on experiences are great ways to help you grow in your experiences.  Your overall attitude and character reflects your position in your team: you can help your partners strengthen the scaffold, or you can weaken the foundations. 
I am still pondering ways to work with the community and I would like to share some strategies I have used since the start of the school year.  If you have suggestions, you are more than welcome to post!

Cross-curricular lessons.  Partner lessons have been a great success and I encourage you to attempt to do one yourself!  Get together with a fellow teacher and discuss what the students are learning in any subject matter.  For example, the 6th grade is learning about Ancient Egypt.  Get together and discuss ways to create projects revolved around the hieroglyphs, or even the symbols and characters painted in the tombs.  Have the students create clay amulets that spell out their names in hieroglyphs!  Maybe 1st grade is reading a story book in class.  Have the students create their own books inspired by the stories read.

5th Grade Cultural Masks, 2007

Promote your position in the curriculum.  Since my first year of teaching, I have been searching for ways to advocate the arts in my school district.   I loved sharing my conference experiences duties with the NAEA to anyone who would listen.  One of my favorite things to do is to describe the connections the arts make with other subjects, students’ future ambitions, and everyday life.  Share your passion with your co-workers and offer your help and expertise for any school-wide project or extracurricular activity.  As I promote the extra work, please keep this caution in mind…your students, classroom, and lessons come first.  Remember you are part of a team, not the only creative element in the district.

 

Kindergarten Bunny Puppet project, 2009

Think of different ways to promote the arts to the parents and guardians.  For Open House, I had created a flyer that described what I introduce to the students and my professional development background.  Parents’ faces had brightened up when they saw the detail and effort put into it!  It’s a nice feeling to have the parents and guardians of my students stick around the classroom, ask questions, and engage in conversations about their children’s artistic abilities and stories they bring home.  I would also like to note that if you have students that fall behind or behave inappropriately, make the attempt to contact the parent/guardian early and discuss ways to help the child keep more on task.  Since I have made the extra effort to keep communication lines open, more students have been trying harder and staying more focused in their work.

 3rd Grade Georgia O'Keefe projects displayed, 2007

New ideas to “wow” the community.  There are many ways to promote your students’ work in the community.  Contests, local venues, and town halls are great places to share the work..  Can you think of any other ways to share?  How about an art show in the spring?  Collect bits and pieces of student work and have a displayed show in your school!  You can ask for parent volunteers to help set up and be part of the show!  Is there a local artist in the community?  Talk with your superior and see if you can invite the artist in for a small demonstration or discussion about his/her work.  I have noticed from my students that reactions are more positive when they learn about artists that are working full time and are making themselves known. 

Stick around your state and national community.  Use the online resources you have available from your state organization and NAEA!  You can post student work/lesson plans, or discuss positive experiences in your classroom.  Now that you had a few years to get your feet wet, maybe you’d like to try getting more involved in your region or division!  There are many great opportunities to promote collaboration and community projects through your organizations!  It never hurts to ask what’s available for you in your state and national organizations.

I have said it before and I’ll repeat it again.  Keep up the energy!  There may be many obstacles to deal with before reaching your education goals, but keep in mind that if you feel burnt out, please do not give up on your passion and commitment for the arts.  Try your best to find ways to overcome the hardships that are in your way.  Stay positive in your communities and remember the part you play within.

-Heidi O'Hanley