An Art Educator facilitates creative, academic, and developmental growth through experiential learning. However, it is much more complex than that. An art educator must be an outspoken advocate not only for the arts programs and individual students, but also for social and environmental justice and equality. Every child deserves quality (art) education. Not only is a high quality (art) education crucial for individual development, it is also key to a thriving democracy made up of engaged citizens. Through an arts education, students form deeper understandings of themselves and how they relate to others and the world, in turn strengthening their personal sense of identity.
To aid in this development, an art educator must encourage students to think independently from one another, pursuing their own interests and ideas. At the same time, students must also learn to welcome their peers’ perspectives, listening to their experiences and opinions. Once students feel that they are in a safe classroom environment where they know they can communicate who they truly are, they will be able to connect to that deeper sense of self and place. This will establish a class culture that celebrates diversity, reflection, honesty, and empathy.
Art education provides experiential learning that can be used as a metaphor outside of the classroom. The experiential aspect of art education provides children with skills in independent and critical thinking, patience, time management, timely feedback, resilience, and constructive criticism. All of these are crucial aspects of one’s identity. For example, if a student is working on their portraiture skills and something just isn’t right, the teacher will continue to help them, giving them guidance and encouraging them to keep working at the problem. Eventually students will learn that with time and effort they can achieve anything, instilling perseverance in them. That sense of accomplishment that comes from pushing yourself through a challenge is also key to strengthening one's perception of self.
Art education is a crucial component to K-12 education. It not only helps cognitive and physical development, it also supports social and emotional learning. Through a quality arts education, children develop their personal identity and learn to connect with other students who may have vastly different life experiences and backgrounds from them. These students will enter into society as innovators who are engaged problem solvers and empathetic thinkers.
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