“When individuality appears, that’s the beginning of art.”                                                                               —   Pablo Picasso

Artistic expression comes from within. Perhaps more than any other subject in school, art allows children to explore and to express who they are…as well as who they want to become.

When we teach our students math… 2+2 =4… always. When we teach our students history… the people, places, and dates remain fixed in time. When we teach our children spelling and grammar… there are rules to be mastered and followed. All of this learning is “external”… originating outside of the child. But when we teach our students art, the work comes from inside them… their expressions are unique… individual… authentic. The level of creative thinking and problem solving that’s involved in any legitimate art experience is extraordinary, and if students are demonstrating their full effort and involvement in an art experience, who’s to say the outcome is “wrong”?  This type of artistic expression naturally leads to authentic success, which is a profound way to motivate our students to engage in greater learning challenges.

Providing your students with frequent opportunities to authentically and successfully express their learning across the curriculum through art, will yield benefits beyond your wildest imagination.

To get started, click on the Fresno Pacific University link at the top of this page to register for one or more of my 3 unit, distance learning, independent study classes. These courses will show you how easy it can be to bring the power of art into your classroom.

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