Teaching as an Avenue for Continuing Education

I don’t know about other art teachers, but sometimes, I am learning something new right along with my students. Lino printing (most printing, really) qualifies as new for me. I always try to warn my students when we are learning something new together, but rarely do I get through a new lesson feeling like I need a lot more work on that. Feeling like, “Hey, can I get a do-over?” Not that our lessons always turn out spectacularly, because I am often surprised in the midst of a lesson, or take note of something I will do differently with the next group, or the next time I teach this lesson. But I don’t often feel unsatisfied myself, feeling like I am missing some things about this. Printing does that to me, though. Yet, I felt like printing was the best, coolest introduction to Japanese art that I could offer my older students.

So I will call these our first passes at lino printing. And I probably won’t try this in a class that includes third graders again.

a turtle, by a 5th grade student

this sixth grade student learned there is no erasing a lino cut, but awesome cross

a flying heart by a fourth grader

a fourth graders tulip in honor of tulip days

a third grader's baseball

a third grader inspired by Mount Fuji

I definitely see me spending more time working on this over the summer. Until it’s easy for me, it can’t become easy for my students.