[Kayla Tompkins]

At the start of any class, students are going to label the teacher as having power over them. This power is not always so terrible. The teacher has had more education than the students and has probably experienced more in his or her life than any of the students have yet. The power that the teacher has over the student can be used for good! While students should have the freedom to experiment with whatever materials and concepts they want in the classroom, they need some guidance to know where to get started. This is where the teacher comes in. Sometimes giving students complete freedom to do whatever they want can cause frustration or “artist’s block.” I fear that this would cause some students to have anxiety in the art room. This is when the art educator should use power to create some sort of prompt that guides the students into their experimentation.

While I do think that the power a teacher possesses in the classroom can be beneficial when used correctly, it is also easy to overpower the students. Rather than the teacher lecturing for the entire class and having the students listen causes the teacher to have more power than necessary. In order for everyone to be respected in the classroom, it should be encouraged that everyone speaks an equal amount during a discussion. This way, all students feel as though they have a voice, rather than just the teacher and the few more outgoing students. The art classroom should always be a safe, judgment-free zone for students to express their opinions.

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