Which would you choose for Art Education?

Bill_Marsh
Mon, 17 Jan 2022 19:08:32 +0000

I’m sorry that I don’t have information about these specific programs other than the fact that I am familiar with VCU’s reputation and have read about their programs.

As a retired educator, I can tell you that student teaching and other school externships can make or break a teacher preparation program. So, I would ask questions of people associated with these programs. How soon do they get their students out into the schools? How much time do the students spend in schools prior to student teaching? I would ask to speak to students in each program. How do they feel about the quality of their placements in schools? How did their friends feel? Are placements uneven such that you have to get lucky to get a good placement or are they uniformly of high quality?

The best art teachers I’ve known are those who think of themselves as artists first and then bring the experience of being an artist into the classroom to wake up the artist in each of their students. Do schools affiliate with the college for student placements allow their art teachers to be artists first? To view their classroom as their studio? Are there adequate facilities and supplies?

My point is that student teaching and other pre-student teaching experiences in schools should expose emerging young professionals to the best of what being an art teacher can be. It should give them a model of excellence to strive for in their own work. That won’t be found just on campus.