The Opportunity of Teaching Art

Before the semester began, I was instructed that I needed to take an Art class so I could complete my “Gen-ed” course load.  After looking through the choices, I chose an Art Education class.  I didn’t really know what this course entailed until the first day of class.  Naturally, it ended up being a class for the future art teachers of America.  As I sat there and looked around I truly didn’t fit in.  Everyone had a very artsy appearance to them.  I was the stereotypical jock in the back sitting there at 6’2 and 240 pounds.  Not your typical art student.

As the semester passed us by, we were instructed that our final project would be spending a day teaching art to 6^th graders from the local middle school.  This would happen at the McCann School of Art, an artistic retreat tucked into the mountainous terrain of nearby Petersburg, PA.  Local middle and high school students regularly take educational field trips to McCann, so they can learn more about their passion of art in this unique atmosphere.

On Wednesday December 5^th, 2012, I had the privilege to conduct my final project at the school.  This day would forever mold me into a more, well-rounded person.   A better person.

After I had the pleasure of meeting these children, I instantly took to them, as they did me.  The kids were excited to learn from me, since my difference in appearance caught their attention.  Initially they told me that I “looked just like” their favorite NFL Player Clay Matthews (Linebacker for the Green Bay Packers).  I assured them that I wasn’t him, haha.  After clearing that up, they were eager to discover what they would be learning for the day.  After revealing what I was teaching them, they were ecstatic.  After showing them a video about Aboriginal dot paintings and delivering them a block of instruction, we instantly got to work.  The kids were focused on their projects and excited to see how theirs would turn out.  Even while they were focused on their work, they were still somehow able to ask me a million questions about football, Penn State, art, etc.  My favorite question of the day was, “So you can play football and also be interested in Art?”  I laughed about this because even 6^th graders are well aware of the stereotypes of society.

I am very experienced dealing with children, since I have such a large family.  So this was a natural experience for me.  I enjoyed it thoroughly because it was art and it gave me an opportunity to hopefully make a difference in a child’s life.  The youth of America, is our future.  If we all take some time to work with them, it will set us up for success.  I hope that they can look back years later and remember the day that the football player taught them art.