Professional Growth
          and Development

It is late November and everyone knows that by this time of year most students are longing for a break.  With finals two weeks away the Towson University art education students, who are part of the new MAEA/NAEA student chapter, had the rare opportunity to hang out and create fine art pins with two seasoned art educators.  Thank you to Marilyn Feit and Linda Popp for giving their time and creative energy to teaching these soon to be art teachers a new art form and help them prepare for our upcoming fundraiser.  The students are hoping to sell handmade pins of famous art works in order to help offset the cost of going to New York City in March 2007 for the annual NAEA convention. 

        The thing that impressed me most about the time we spent together was the ease of conversation between our guests who have spent 30 + years in the art education field and the college students who are just about to be launched in their career.  Besides the obvious exchange of instructions and questions that occur when learning is taking place, it was neat to watch experienced mentors graciously giving of themselves to the next generation of art educators.  We also had two new students attend for the first time and sign up to join our student chapter! 

        By the end of two hours we had created 50+ pins and the students were making plans for their next session to continue their preparation for their fund raising endeavor.  It occurred to me that the best teachers are not the ones who do not want to share their ideas for fear of being copied…but the best teachers are the ones who freely give away their ideas and “secret tricks” so that many more students can benefit from the best instruction and creative energy can keep a healthy ebb and flow.

     Many times veteran teachers neglect to assist new teachers for fear of interfering. Novices avoid asking for assistance for fear of seeming incompetent. This can lead to isolation in the art education field where young art teachers struggle alone each day, each hour, in survival mode.  That is why we are so excited about the student chapters of MAEA/NAEA because art educators from many generations teach and learn in an environment of professional togetherness.

     Just as these college students are looking forward to attending the NAEA National Convention I want to

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     I have just finished reading the book The Rise of the Creative Class, by Richard Florida.  This national bestseller really got me to thinking about priorities, the importance of place, and the role that the arts and creativity play in our rapidly changing society.  It is not a book to be read in one sitting but rather to be read a chapter at a time, with some space for contemplation in between.

        The chapter that had a profound effect on me was entitled The Time Warp.  Florida points out that many of us do not have a clear demarcation between work-time and off-time.  If you are anything like me, you are checking your e-mail first thing in the morning and working right through the evening because of the easy access that we have to one another, our work and our students through the internet.  Those in the creative class, which would include us art educators, work longer hours than folks in many other jobs. Florida brings out the fact that in the creative economy time is the only nonrenewable resource.  He contends that there are three big factors driving our economy along with the need for creativity:  1) the prevalence of change, 2) the need for flexibility and 3) the importance of speed.  No wonder we are all so stressed out!
 
        Creativity takes time, and even when we are not actively working on a lesson plan, teaching or putting up displays…we are thinking about it!  Creative people often work many extra hours because they are intrinsically motivated and genuinely like their work.  One study cited in the book reported that besides for enjoyment, people work long hours because of ambition, peer pressure and the desire to make a contribution, which will gain the respect and recognition of peers.  He also mentioned a noticeable time waster- the crisis mentality, which happens when people don’t deal with certain things until it becomes a crisis.  Could this be another term for procrastination? 

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MAEA - MAEF Scholarship

     On Thursday, April 20, 2006, MAEA awarded its second Maryland Artist Equity Scholarship.   This year’s MAEA $1,000 scholarship went to Elena DeBold of Carver Center.  We extend our sincerest wishes to Elena and hope that we have helped in some small way!  Congratulations Elena and a big thank you to all your teachers at Carver, who were instrumental in helping you to achieve your goal.

Elena DeBold, Shhhh,  Digital Photo, 2005

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Florida speaks of time famine; where stress is brought on not so much because we are overworked but because people today have the constant feeling of being rushed.  He cites a Wall Street Journal survey, which states that 40 percent of Americans believe that lack of time is a bigger problem than lack of money. Have you ever been stuck in a doctor’s waiting room and had the inclination to scream out that your time is valuable, too? 

 So what should we do?  Florida offers some suggestions in a section called Deepening the Moment, but here’s another suggestion for art teachers about to let loose on summer -- pack up a canvas, some paints, your favorite brushes, a cooler filled with your favorite beverages and grub, and get away to a solitary place devoid of computers, cell phones and cable… a place where you can chill… and allow your creative spirit a time to rejuvenate.

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