kayliemaines

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  • in reply to: POWER #4465
    kayliemaines
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    As a future art educator who is so keenly aware of what it is like to be a student, one of the concerns that preys strongly on my mind is the question of how to empower students to be not only the best version of themselves that they can be, but also the kind of artist that they want to be, without caving to the societal forces around them. Every student, be they at the public school or collegiate level, is typically very aware of the influence and power held over them by various forces such as parents, instructors, advisers, government organizations, social media, advertising, dominant majorities, etc. In a world where our young people operate under so much pressure on a daily basis, how can we make them aware of their own potential to project influence and inflict change?

    There are hundreds of pedagogical methods that have been developed to produce such results, many of which revolving around student autonomy and the introduction of modern, sometimes controversial subject matter to act as relevant stimulants. In engaging students with issues that either pertain to them or the world that they will inherit, they are often inspired to act. However, how is this possible in challenging classrooms residing in impoverished, religious-affiliated, or otherwise limited/censored schools? More importantly, is it even possible to convince some students that they hold their own source of power when they may have experienced perpetual victimhood in their personal lives? Even if they are not an actual victim of any source of violence or chronic discrimination, when students are so often told to follow rules and keep their heads down in every other class and club they participate in, what is the most effective way to build a safe place for them to make their own rules and exert their own power in the art room?

    As an educator, I too, will be source of power in the classroom. Unfortunately, this is one source of power that my students will not be able to subvert. However, no matter what the circumstance, I can be a source of collaborative power instead of a repressive power. It does not escape my attention that different students may need different types on influence in order to function at their best; a student with inattentive parents may need me to be an authority figure, or a shy student may need a lack of supervision in order to freely explore a subject. I am curious to know what others think is the best way to strike a balance between the individual needs of each student and the general goal of empowering the class as a unit.

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