My classroom is at the top of a long flight of stairs next to our school’s art rooms. The proximity to art and talented people makes me feel talented by association. Recently, Mrs. T and I gained permission to repaint the landing at the top of our staircase and create a type of student lounge. When I asked administration if we could do this, it was assumed that the “we” was Mrs. T. Thank goodness I have friends with talent!
Mrs. T began by challenging one of the high school art classes to create designs. She worked with the students to merge their individual components into a shared vision. THEN, she guided the sixth through eleventh grade art students to transforming a mess into a masterpiece. They taped, painted, repaired, sanded, and created. The room was not painted; it was TRANSFORMED.
Authentic assessment? Check! Real-life applications? Check! Problem solving, multi-sensory, hands-on? Check, check, check! Mrs. T nailed them all, AND she created a darn good-looking room.
