September 16, 2022 Weekly Musings

Christine Alfery

Posted on September 16 2022

Musings:

Cleansing Rain

Featured image: Rain

Cleansing rain water
Refreshing our souls, delight
Sunrise the world fills

Night Shadows

Featured image: Meadow

sun lifts nite shadows

golden light floods the darkness

sunrise night to day

rebirth

You Make Me Happy

Featured image: You Make Me Happy

Flowers are the sun and the rain and the grass that is green.
Flowers are the birds and the bees. Flowers let you know you
Are always loved. They make you happy.

The Individual and Art Curriculums in Public Schools

Featured image: Linus II

I have always been a teacher, in many ways, not just art. Since I began teaching a long time ago, one of the main concerns that I have about education is the control and governance of the educator, the curriculum, and ideologies. I have never felt that ideologies belonged in education. Why? Because they are subjective. If you teach to the individual and ideology then it takes a “forever” timeframe for the individual to learn about themselves. Perhaps, that is why I always gravitated to art. In art, we have always taught to the individual not a room full of students or a group.

Towards the end of my teaching in schools, I saw that many so-called “problem” students throughout all grade levels, did just fine in the art class. Why? I personally believe that it is because we worked with the individual, the individual’s history, and their interests. I also personally believe that many curriculum educators realized this and would send many so-called troublemakers to the art class just so they could get enough credits to be able to graduate from high school. Rarely, and I honestly mean rarely, were these students a problem in the art room. Why? Because we taught, and have for as long as I have been teaching to the individual.

As far as norms for basic group rules, in my classroom, I have always taught respect for the individual even if you disagree with them. What I taught in my classrooms I describe in my series “The Middle Is Not Grey.”

The inspiration for writing this musing was that I subscribe to academic journals and frequently read the academic writings of students that I went to graduate school with. I just read an academic paper written by one of them, who is now a tenured professor in a major big 10 school. I found no mention of the individual in her paper and only a critique of why curriculums don’t work in group/classroom teaching, and suggestions for thinking differently. Thinking differently for me would be to think about the individual in her critiques. It would be a major shift for many curriculums, but not the art curriculums.

Today, many in the art arena are fighting for the individual, and many are asking for art to be taught differently. This will be the loss of the individual throughout all curriculums if this happens. A sad situation for our culture.

The Soul of Our Country

Featured image: Her Song- She Has Always Sang To The Tune Of A Different Drummer

Many of you who follow my musings know that I am quite passionate about the individual along with their spirits and souls. I am passionate about the uniqueness and original authenticity of each and every individual. My work reflects this passion. This passion shows through my writings and paintings, allowing others to find their own souls, spirits, uniqueness, originality and authenticity.

Today, an interesting question popped up, “What is the soul of our country?” There is no question in my mind what the soul of our country should be. The soul represents the morality and values we as a country have. My answer would be the same for our country as it is for the individual. Our country’s soul should be the same as it is for the individual. Our country’s soul should be passionate, unique, original and authentic, one-of-a-kind, a work of art.

That means our country’s soul needs to allow the individual’s soul to flourish. Unfortunately, I feel that we are losing this very unique quality of America.