A few months ago, I wrote a piece that discussed the importance of recognizing street art as a valid form of creativity. I delved into how the art studied in school typically focuses on Western European art forms, and how this can erroneously be seen as a superior,...
This year, at the KIPP School Summit 2019, I had the pleasure to host the “Circle Songs for Social Justice” workshop as well as meet many other like-minded educators and listen to inspirational keynote speakers. One of those keynote speakers was the director of the...
In our culture, street art is underappreciated and undervalued. Academic art can be looked upon like a status symbol for people who have the resources to study and learn it. Academic art in the U.S. is often focused on art forms that originated in Europe, reflecting...
There is a buzzword in education and especially design-thinking centered education that is defining the way that teachers interact with their students. That word is empathy. As teachers, we are called to empathize with our students because when we do, we feel as...
How many of us have heard the disdainful question, “What are you going to do with a degree in Fine Arts?” This is indicative of a larger and more fundamental problem with education – the idea that if you do not end up working within the exact industry that you...
As I pointed out in Part 1 of Teaching the Art of Improvisation, teachers are inherent improvisers. They have the uncanny ability to think quickly on their feet. And while they need and have the ability to improvise, it is essential that teachers pass down the art to...
