Art plays an important role in many student’s lives. Art can be seen everywhere, and at Athens Drive, art is a priority for many students who are invested in artistic futures.
Art teachers at the Drive enjoy teaching art classes because they can get to know each student’s style. They can help students become more well-rounded and creative. Art teachers inspire students to be creators and show them that it is okay to make mistakes. Erin Day, an art teacher at Athens, supports this.
”I think students like to take my class because they have curiosity of what their creativity could be… My favorite part of my class is getting to know student personality, and them being able to have more freedom in art to let that loose,¨ said Erin Day, art teacher.
Students at Athens find art to be stress-reducing and a healthy non-verbal way for students to express complex feelings and inner personal thoughts. Art can help people manage and navigate negative emotions and situations, allowing them to have creative freedom in any shape or form to their liking and choosing. Art can also be a fun hobby and help boost creativity and imagination, as well as encourage students to have artistic motivation.
”It helps with both managing my emotions by drawing or painting them out and a fun thing to do when I’m feeling bored,” said Tania Wright, sophomore. ”It also helps me better myself about my drawings.”
Starting an art career is what most people are aiming for, and taking art classes in school can be very beneficial for people who have dreams of pursuing a career in the art category. It also can help students collaborate with others and develop communication and social skills, which are needed in the near future. Riley Marks, a student in a Visuals Art Course, confirms this.
¨Tart’s been pretty good, he has been pushing me to do art competitions, like I’m not in any art classes right now and I’m still working on stuff for that,¨ said Riley Marks junior at Athens. ¨ I’ve been doing art since I was like really little, and this year we don’t have any high school or art club as of right now so those art classes are the only way I could get to do it in school,¨ said Marks.
Art teachers help enhance students’ creativity by leaning towards projects and work that students would enjoy doing based on what they like. By personalizing the projects for students, Art teachers give students creative freedom with what they want to do or put into their projects, helping them feel a better connection to what they have created in class. Having one-on-one time with students also helps enhance the students’ creativity and gives Art teachers what they need to fit the student’s interests.
¨The biggest part is one-on-one time, so once they work on a project, I can talk to them about what they want to do with it. One-on-one time is important because it helps me be able to help them personify their projects, so all their projects are inherently the same but they will all look different,¨ said Day.
