Revisiting my own experience within the art classroom was an important step in shaping a student-centered way of teaching. Looking back at the roles that my instructors had within the creative space, and the voice that they offered to every one of their students (myself included), it became clear that allowing kiddos the freedom to direct their own approach to visual art benefited their own development as critical thinkers.

 

At a time when the other subjects were out of reach for me due to the Spanish-to-English language barrier, during which this new country (a whole new world) felt intimidating and exclusive, the visual arts became a haven. Art allowed me to advocate for myself, to defend my presence within the United States of America, while paying homage to my roots that will always ground me back to Mexico. Being able to address some of these aspects about what it means to be an immigrant through art projects going as far back as my middle school years allowed me to reflect on what it means to be a member of our community. I could communicate using a language that was not limited to one nation: art.

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Although we are in an art classroom, my goal is not to train future artists, but rather to introduce the next generation of critical thinkers to the powerful tool that is an imaginative mind. Pushing their thinking to an "outside of the box" realm in each lesson will be the groundwork for divergent thinking habits. This is the type of culture that will foster the personal growth and literacy for students within my classroom. I hope to follow in the footsteps of the teachers that seemed to genuinely care about my communication through art, and who pushed me to always support my outside of the box ideas with solid research. It is crucial to establish a safe and open-minded environment for students to develop their visual articulation of the issues and ideas that are most dear to them. Our art classroom will challenge students to reflect about the change that they want to make within their own communities. Developing this divergent thinking within the classroom equips students with the potential to come up with solutions to problems that we cannot yet imagine, problems that will require unique solutions and that they will tackle once they leave the classroom. 

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