Fostering a Positive Self-Identity

There are so many avenues of finding a positive sense of self-identity. As a teacher, it is important to always listen and pay attention to students. By doing these two things, a teacher will be more in tune with students and can make better decisions on how to work with them. Creating lessons that help students take a look at their idea of self-identity is also important. Most students like to create artwork that is connected to them or is about them.



It is so hard to find yourself, especially in middle and high school. Creating a positive environment for students is very important. The teachers that I confided in and trusted during these years were the ones that always listened and had an open classroom. By this I mean that they were there before and after school, truly cared about their students, and took the time to listen. They also took extra time to help students whom didn’t understand material. My point is that they were willing to go the extra mile to foster a positive self identity in their students. I believe that having an open classroom is very important. This to me means that it is controlled as well as laid back. It enables students to feel comfortable and more open to positive influences in their life and in the classroom. When students feel comfortable in their environment, they will be much more likely to succeed and develop a positive sense of self-identity.
Conducting your classroom in a way that enables students to feel good about their work and themselves is another key point. One cannot be happy if they are not happy with themselves. Acknowledging differences in students and viewing them as positive aspects of students is a way to do this. When students take pride in the things they do, they develop a positive sense of worth, which is part of their self-identity. There are many ways to help students foster a positive sense of self-identity, but it can be very specific to a particular student. Listening, paying attention, providing a comfortable and positive environment, and creating lesson plans that make students look at their identity can help students form positive self-identities.

Collaborate Art

I really like the idea of including the community in a project or creating artwork that will enhance the community's awareness of art. There are many different ideas that come to mind when I think of community collaboration and the arts. I would love to do at least one community wide project with my students per year.
One idea that I think would be great for the community is to have students create a sign that welcomes people to the town or to the school (depending on the size of a town). I had the opportunity to grow up in a small town that was very community oriented. We have a welcome sign to state the name of our town. For this project I would include other teachers and community members. Not all schools have a shop class, but if there was one at the school I was teaching in, I would collaborate with the teacher to work with students in building a sign. The sign could be made of metal or wood, depending on the resources and equipment. I would then have my students work together to create a sign that would be used at the entryway of the town/city. If this was not possible, I would strive to place it at the entrance to the school. This project would allow students to feel pleasure and pride in their community or school. It would also ensure that many people see the artwork and enhance their awareness of the art program at the school.

Another idea is to have students create stepping stones (with stained glass) that could be used in various areas around the town. I would like the stepping stones to be places in a park, but this would vary depending on what the community offers. My mother works with stained glass and I have done a few stepping stones. I could have my mother come in as a guest speaker and talk with students about stained glass. The materials would be hard to come by, especially with budget cuts, but I know many places that would donate broken glass. Companies would also be much more likely to donate to a community project for students. Cement can be mixed easily and I have all the other materials needed for this project, so it wouldn't be too hard to execute. I would invite members of the community to come help with the project and would have a sign posted by the stones in the park to let viewers know that students made the stones for the community.

27a

This photograph taken by Van Der Zee shows the Alpha Phi Alpha Basketball Team in 1926. Their motto was "Manly deeds, scholarship and love for all mankind." It shows the basketball players of the first intercollegiate African American fraternity. Although in uniform, the players are all clean cut and well dressed. The three men in the back, which I presume to be coaches, are also well dressed.






In opposition to the first photograph, the second shows a Native American Basketball team in 1909. The swastika on their jersey's evokes strong emotions, especially because of the Holocaust. The swastika, in reality, has a long history before the German's claimed it as their symbol. The swastika played as the mascot of the school. Despite the symbol, the boys in the photograph are not as well dressed as the boys in Van Der Zee's photograph. They also just have one coach, as opposed to the 3 shown in the other. The team is not all in unison and are not shown as prestigious.

Art Advocacy

To advocate arts in my school district I will collaborate with other teachers, make connections in the community with artists and others whom want to be involved and support the arts, display student work throughout the school, display student art throughout the community, encourage students to enter contests are participate in art fairs, hold an art show at my school, collaborate with other art teachers in my area, and simply encourage students to do their best, while watching them enjoy creating art. There are always going to be risks. With advocacy in a school district, a teacher should be careful not to be too overbearing and push students to the point of not enjoying art. A teacher should also strive to make good connections and work with others in a positive way, making sure that the arts are not looked down upon due to an argument or disapproving outsider.
Balancing the art of being an advocate and not over doing it is going to be smoother if one is careful and open to others. An art teacher needs to understand that not all people are going to want to be involved or support the arts. In this case, it should not be pushed further and the teacher should move on to a different way of reaching their goal. Making good, positive connections will be key to gaining support and advocating the arts to others. Having a positive attitude and a "can do" attitude will also be needed.

Art and the Community

Having a community based art curriculum would be good, but can be overdone if the entire curriculum is based around it. To have students create artwork that will be seen by the community is a great way to promote art, give students pride in their work, and allow the community to support the art department in a school. Having the community involved can be hard because some may think it is a waste of money, time, and effort. In any community, there will be those for and those against community based art. It would be the job of the teacher to find those who are interested in being involved in the curriculum. Many places would volunteer space to create art work. There are many ways to develop a community based art curriculum. Handling it the right way, making the right connections, and making learning first will enhance the success of community based artwork projects.

Experience that will help my future class

During my level II, I was working in an elementary setting. There was a student that could not walk without the aid of a walker. The student was accepted by his peers, but was not welcome to move around the room as the other students could. The classroom was not set up in a way that he could get to all supplies or simply just walk. As he tried to get to his assigned seat, he could not fit his walker between the two tables and I had to move one of the tables in order for him to sit down. While talking with him, it did not seem as though this issue upset him and he didn't talk about it. For him, he might have been used to it or he may have just learned to accept the obstacles he comes into contact with, but I was definitely upset about it.
The fact that this student could not even sit in his own seat, let alone move around the classroom seems ridiculous to me. This experience made me think about how I will set up my classroom. I will make sure that all students can move around the room, whether they have a walker, crutches, or anything else. I believe that the setup of a classroom can be easily overlooked, but this experience made me aware before I become a teacher and I will make sure that I make changes for all students and their mobilities.

Self and alter ego

My alter ego:
As family member is:
Not concerned, selfish, cautious, distant, dependent, secretive, anxious, deceptive, and lying.
I am not concerned about my family and I do what I want, regardless of what others want. I am not connected and keep secrets from my family. I do not care if I cause others pain.

As a student:
Inconsistent, secure, lazy, calm, self-centered, unmotivated, and nonchalant.
I do not care about my education or the effort which it entails. I remain calm, yet unmotivated.

As a teacher is:
Timid, shy, lazy, heartless, arrogant, serious, dull, selfish, and unmotivated, deceptive.
I am not concerned about my students and am not motivated to start to care. I deceive to get ahead and am not concerned about how I obtain my goals, as long as I reach them.

As an artist is:
Deceitful, has a strong faith, arrogant, passive, progressive, not enthusiastic, quiet, selfish, self conscious, and egotistical. I do not care about what others think of me and am very confident with my art work. I have a strong faith and base my art around it.