[caroline grace]

My curriculum changes daily. It depends on the tone of the classroom and the vibe that the students give off in each classroom. Of course you can plan and plan and plan curriculum with the goal that your year will run smoothly, but students and teaching is unpredictable and you must be flexible in your teaching.

[caroline grace]

I think that it is important for the art educator to refresh their curriculum regularly in order to stay present with the world and in order to maintain interest from students. I have experienced art classes in my early years of grade school as well as in college where the instructor seems out of touch with new ideas and new techniques. This leads to limitations, and I believe there should be no limits in art.

[caroline grace]

I feel as though studio art is a necessary course that all students must participate in while attending school. Not only are they learning about other cultures, history and artistic techniques, they also are learning about themselves through their art making.

[caroline grace]

I believe that it is completely necessary to incorporate the changes in consciousness, concerning gender, race, and other identities in the classroom to remain current with students. With that being said, there will be challenges when students and especially parents consider unfamiliar, uncomfortable topics to be unsettling or unnecessary in the classroom.
While teaching in a predominantly white, rural school I have heard students make unacceptable comments regarding gender and race. It is important to teach them while they are in middle school that there is diversity that exists beyond their environment.

[caroline grace]

I have only been teaching art for the past two years, and I feel as though this question is a great opportunity for self reflection. I have had the opportunity to teach in a variety of settings, and have found my current location to be most challenging. It is a challenge to encourage students with very little moral or motivation to learn in school, and an even greater challenge in the art classroom.
There is very minimal appreciation for the arts in my school, and I fear that the students were only familiar with directional craft making in previous years.
As their new teacher, I want to inspire them to create work that is a reflection of their deeper interests. Of course it is easier to direct students to create, I am still experimenting with ways to inspire my students creatively and to guide them.

[caroline grace]

Since I have begun teaching at my middle school two years ago in rural West Virginia, I have become more aware of the challenges regarding feminist ideology in modern-day America. It is difficult for me to decide which feminist ideas are considered appropriate to discuss and incorporate into lessons, especially when students ideas are already so warped and strong by the 8th grade.
I have discovered that a large portion of female students have accepted a care-taker role. These girls are as young as 10 years old. Many have no choice since their parents are absent from the home. I have also discovered that these girls seem to not be respected by their male peers, they are expected to behave and act a certain way among their male peers.
I believe that the first step in introducing feminist ideology is to introduce my students to cultures other than their own, especially cultures that may be considered more advanced.
This is only the beginning, but I think that it is an introduction that is necessary in my school.

[caroline grace]

Although some may assume that the 21st Century Artist has an advantage over the Artist of an earlier time, I believe that it is a very complicated world today, especially for the Artist. Although technology allows an artists work to be more accessible to a larger audience, this also means that there is more judgement, and the access to learning about the judgment is greater as well. The 21st Century artist must be open-minded and accepting. The artist must have social skills and be willing to present themselves in scenarios where they may feel uncomfortable, unsure and sometimes even threatened. The 21st century artist must also have a unique sense of creativity. It is so easy to compare your work to the work of others when it is all visually accessible at the tip of your fingers.

[caroline grace]

During the 24 years that I have lived on Earth as a woman, I can say that I do believe that men play a role in the women’s struggle for equality. With that being said, I believe that there are women who have also played a role in the issue.
Ignorant, self-infatuated people as a whole hinder the evolution of women in society. I have witnessed men who would immediately assume that I am incapable of doing tasks that they may not consider “right” for a woman, but I have also experienced men that are capable of working on an equal playing field, and have the same expectations for me as they would for a male.
I think that the narcissistic man that has a low self esteem is especially held accountable for the woman being put second, so that he can feel mighty.
But I also think that there are women who would rather let “him” go first so that they don’t have to deal with the wrath of a man who doesn’t want to deal with a woman who may be equal to or greater than him.

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