Art education here at Mastricola is a celebration of the wonderful creative potential within each child. In this rapidly changing computerized world our old methods of thinking quickly become outdated. The once prized commodity of logical thinking can be achieved efficiently and effectively by machines. But certain kinds of thinking- critical and creative thinking have surfaced as the key to more significant long-term, all encompassing methods of problem solving. And, unlike logical thinking, critical and creative thinking can not be processed by computers. They need the astonishing intricacies of the human brain.
A quote from Joyce Hergenham, President , GE Fund stated
" Tomorrows workforce -and especially its leaders- will need broad abilities beyond technical skills. There will be a need for people who are creative, analytical, disciplined, and self confident-people who can solve problems, communicate ideas, and be sensitive to the world around them."
How will today's children and tomorrow's leaders develop those broad abilities which educators are now calling the 4C's: cognition, communication, culture and creativity?
Hands on participation in the arts is a proven way to help develop those abilities. Here in the Merrimack School District we are fortunate enough to have an administration and community that supports that dynamic and valuable tool the Arts play in the education of our children.
Our visual arts curriculum here at JMES and throughout the Merrimack School District is based on our state and National Standards for the Arts. The framework provides experiences in investigating, making art and critical thinking. It is designed sequentially and provides cognitive links with other disciplines throughout. It begins with exploration of materials and processes. It progresses through developing imagination and individual expression, and culminates with sophisticated inquiry into the aesthetic qualities of both Artworks through history as well as student created pieces.
As your child's art teacher it is my personal goal to present each lesson with Conviction...Enthusiasm...a Positive Strong Energy...and a sense of JOY! I hope to provide students with a safe learning environment...establish a friendly cooperative and a noncompetitive atmosphere...encourage individual differences...encourage students to seek out multiple responses to a problem...stress the need for focusing, listening, thinking and concentrating as primary tools for exploring and creating, and stress the need to use "The Big Three"-Safety, Respect, and Responsibility when working in the art room.
In the art room we will work on developing our skills that are built on each other, form an art vocabulary, and help students become more aware and sensitive to their total environment. As students experience success, they are sure to grow in self confidence and independence. Ask your kids what they did in art today, did they learn new words, or use a material or technique they were originally unfamiliar with. Share your own enthusiasm for the arts. Remember kids always feel a great sense of achievement and pride for the objects they created with their own two hands!