How does assessment help you with advocacy?

In the last segment I talked about how student reflection statements can be a great way to show administrators what we do and how important we are to the educational process. I think many times we think what we do is obvious to an outsider.  We say to ourselves, how can someone look at a great piece of student art and not see the value? I think because we have an educated palette we assume everyone does, but many people had little or no training in the arts growing up.

I am so fortunate to teach in a district where art is valued and is taught by certified art teachers k-12. But does that mean that our district holds the arts in high esteem, or every administrator values it in the same way? Some administrators put money behind programs or make sure time is protected or don't allow students to be pulled from art classes for any reason. But some teachers in our district also struggle with low funded programs, constant interruptions and being treated as plan time.

What can we do to advocate for ourselves ? What are we doing to help administrators understand what is going on in our classrooms? I think inviting them into your classroom to see they type of learning that goes on is an important first step. Show them how you connect learning, how math, science, social studies or other subjects play into the arts. Many times administrators think of art only in terms of the beauty on the walls. Creating and displaying learning statements is a powerful way to demonstrate all the different levels of thinking and problem solving that occurs in the art room.

Each teacher needs to show their staff and their administration, their school board, their community that arts are critical to every child's development. Carol Channings was on a TV show where she stood up and powerfully pleaded to maintain the arts for all children especially the very neediest. We need to show, tell, display, advocate, preach do whatever it takes to bring our message to the people.

When you display art in your community, let people know. When your students do a project to support a worthy cause contact the media. Wherever you go in your community,  or your school, let people know what your students are doing and what they learned from their experience. Students can become the greatest advocates for their programs. Give them opportunities to speak about their art and what they are learning its one of the most powerful tools is your classroom.

I love to invite an administrator down for a critique so they can witness the level of understanding and the power of students work. At the elementary level one of my best tools was parents week in the art room. I invited all parents to attend art class with their students. They were required to do the project along with their students. It was the best advocacy tool for my program because my parents would fight about which ones would attend with their child. It became the most important date on the calendar. The best comment I received was from a parent who said, "when I was a kid, all we ever did was color, I had no idea how much learning was involved with art. I can't imagine not having art." That became a strong mantra for me.
My challenge to you is stand up and be heard, advocate for the ARTS!

-Rosie Riordan