Art within a School Within a School

Before starting my blog entry for the day, I browsed what other people have said thus far this week. I started to laugh to myself when I read Malkie's. We were at the same site on Tuesday and apparently placed great importance on the same thing: the room.

When I walked into the art room at SWS I was blown away. I was surprised enough to chuckle a little as I took the environment in. There was pictures and sketches and posters all over the walls. Every horizontal surface area was buried in art, art supplies, knick-knacks, or all of the above. There were paint-stained tables and textiles hanging everywhere. There were even huge sculptures of a pegasus and a butterfly hanging from the ceiling. I was temporarily overwhelmed. But, in a opposite reaction from Malkie, I laughed because I loved the decor. In fact, that classroom looks just like my bedroom, right down the collection of trite plastic snowglobes from around the world.

Somehow, I never thought my bedroom full of junk and art bits would make a good learning environment. However, the SWS's art room did. Sure, things were confusing and hard to find, but the teacher seemed to navigate her endless plastic bins of supplies well. Even the students knew where things were, and recognized areas like the "Ask Me" supply section. The biggest obstacle in organization I saw was us three ladies sitting and blocking off access the bins.

What I appreciated most about the environment was that, true to Reggio form, it was the "third teacher." Everything in the room reinforced creative learning. I also greatly enjoyed the paradox that everything in the room was both precious and non-precious. Every bottle cap, Styrofoam meat tray, sketch, and fairy house was appreciated for its creative potential or creativeness. Yet, the tables, tools, sinks, et cetera weren't treated as precious objects. Of course, everyone in the room respected the items, but the instructor did not fret a drop of paint her or some glue stick goop there. I think that's a good perspective. All too often art classrooms become stressful over a need to keep the tables pristine. They're art tables. If you do it right, they'll get (a little) dirty.

I'll be interested to see what Malkie and I notice next time, after we're over the shock of the super-packed room.