Blog post written by Region 11 Representative, Holly Meade

Holly Meade is a Middle School Visual Arts teacher at Downingtown Middle School. She has a BFA, M.Ed in Childhood Development, and additional certifications in ESL and SEL. Region 11 PAEA rep

I am currently teaching virtually, predicted to soon to be hybrid, but anticipating anything can happen and probably will, going back with 2-days notice, wearing a hazmat suit to class, anything. I counted the amount of times I heard the word fluid during a zoom meeting, 9. Fluid is the new moist, the word is dead to me now, a Covid vocabulary casualty, joining unprecedented. As an attendance check-in, I asked my students to describe 2020 in one word, here are some responses: canceled, oof, oop, crazy, disaster, worst (most popular answer), exhausting, my personal favorite… dumpster-fire (I let that slide as one word), luckily no one used unprecedented.  Whatever word you choose to describe what’s going on right now, it’s stressful and become more important than ever that we create a space that’s welcoming, supportive, and safe. An environment where content connects rigor and engagement with social and emotional learning (SEL). A meaningful convergence.

Art teachers are naturals at creating projects which spark joy, are hands-on, engage students authentically and our lesson design process naturally fits into the UbD format. Many school districts are imparting SEL into advisory blocks or guidance department lead lessons, but how do make this sustainable and creatively connect the SEL and content in an authentic way.

You can build upon what your district or individual school has been spotlighting or reinforce it. Many schools are focusing on self-management which is regulating emotions and managing stress. I examined my curriculum and lessons that I would be doing if we were in person and adjusted the content to converge with SEL domains that were not already being covered by school mandated lessons, like stress management.  On a side note, I’m not managing my stress well, so I didn’t feel this was a skill I could model at this moment.  I do not see recreating lessons as additional work, I see it as an opportunity to examine what is important to creating a safe supportive space that supports social and emotional learning while not sacrificing content or rigor. The examination gave me the opportunity to work SEL into the content lessons in a meaningful way.   For example, when reflecting upon the dumpster fire (now one word) that is happening around us. I looked at my own children and how they were feeling powerless and without a meaningful voice. This prompted me to recreate a unit called Artists and Identity and add Voice to the mix. I found it manageable to re-create my content by highlighting just 2 of the 5 SEL domains, self-awareness, and social awareness. Because of the change in teaching format to virtual, I had to recreate how I am delivering content anyway, and when (if) we return to in-person learning, who knows what sharing supplies will look like, so it is great timing for an update. Yes, I found one positive in 2020 lesson planning.  Using essential questions that tie emotions with content is another way to practice and model SEL skills while building connections.

 Art is empowering. Teaching and modeling how artists use their voice for change and to highlight social issues has been amazing. We are making connections of voice and historical context using Dorothea Lange to the NBA uniforms and the work of a local artist, Russell Craig. I wish I had always given them more opportunity for discussion! We often underestimate how much our students are paying attention to the events of the world and their ability to talk about it. But like Mr. Rodgers said, “Anything human is mentionable and anything mentionable is manageable.” Taking time to create a safe, supportive space is essential for building an environment where students can connect and discuss challenging feelings, which teaches, models, and gives students an opportunity to practice SEL skills like empathy.  We do need to evaluate our environments and do everything with compassion. Not just in Covid class, always in our class.

Intro design project building voice, identity, and empathy by letting others see our voice and letting someone else into your world

Embracing the chaos with the Comcast technician 20 minutes before hosting virtual Back-to-School Night