Kids these days!

My Classroom Environment and Problem-Solving Strategies

I like to think of my classroom as one that is structured yet allows for flexibility.  Everything has a place and every person knows the procedures that are to be followed in their daily routine, whether it is picking up their portfolios from the back counter at the start of class, or the last period of the day putting all the chairs up on the desks.  Having this bit of structure, something that every student can always count on occurring daily provides stability to my students that might not have it anywhere else.  I enforce the procedural structure with rewards, such as candy and music, and punish any students who do not follow the structure with extra tasks, such as sweeping the floor or reorganizing the books. 

Beyond the daily routines, I approach my classroom as an environment that allows for students to express themselves through artwork that, within the structure of the projects, allows for much freedom and choice.  They create their own compositions, pick their own still-life objects or subject matter, and have choice between at least two media for each project.  Providing them these forced choices allows for them to feel as if they have some control over what they are doing, therefore they have the desire how to learn the best ways to mix paint because they WANT to know how to paint. 

So many students enter my classroom saying that they cannot draw or that they are not creative, yet I always tell them that they can!  Practice makes perfect, and yes you can learn to draw and drastically improve your skills through simple techniques.  I always show them two drawings of Van Gogh, both of a man, two years apart, having them recognize the obvious improvement in proportion, spatial relationships, and form.  These images are inspiration for my students to start the class.  I always keep one of their first projects to show them how far they have come and how much they have learned not only about the creation of art, but artists, the materials, and the use of correct terminology.

Taking the high school case study into consideration, I would handle the situation in the following ways. Firstly, I would speak with each student individually and after class (dependingly, I would call them out of their next class to come talk with me).  I will let them know that their behavior is not acceptable behavior for a student of their age and maturity and that they know better.  I would let them know how disappointed I am in them and ask them how they think they should be behaving.  If they do not provide suggestions, I will provide my opinion and ask whether that seems acceptable.  I would reiterate that in their final grade is a percentage that goes toward participation, and currently they were failing that section.  With their other grades taken into consideration, and I am making an assumption that with their severe case of “senioritis,” that they would be barely squeaking by, I would let them know that they could potential fail this class and that would keep them from graduating since they are required to have a Fine Art elective to graduate.  I would also let them know that I would be speaking that day with the other two students and let them know that tomorrow in class I expected them to behave appropriately or there would be consequences, including calling their parents, creating a new seating arrangement, in-class chores, after-school detention with cleaning duties, etc.  I would also ask for their input: Why are you acting this way?  What do you want to be doing in this class?  Is there a different assignment you’d be interested in? Based on what they tell me, I would create an assignment that they would find more engaging, yet still relevant to the standards I was teaching.