in their work. At this level, I’ve seen students start to find their styles, voices, and preference for either the sculptural side or the functional side of ceramics. Ceramics 3 Ceramics 3 becomes almost like an independent study course. Students are no longer given a theme unless they ask for one, which is one of the beauties of TAB—being able to meet students where they are as artists. Students at this level can dictate how they create and use the ATP. They can decide where they want to go and what they want to explore. They come in with ideas and research and are ready to do their own thing. I am there to help facilitate those ideas. And because students have been It’s a beautiful thing to watch students grow as artists both in skill and creativity over the course of a single-media program. focused on just one medium for two years, they have learned the ins and outs of working with the material and have been able to hone their thinking skills as artists. It’s a beautiful thing to watch stu-dents grow as artists both in skill and creativity over the course of a single-media program. To see my ceramics students thinking and behaving like artists is a tremendous feeling all art teachers want. Believing in the TAB philosophy and applying it to a single-media program has been a truly enriching adventure for both my stu-dents and for me. Jean Freer Barnett is a high-school art teacher in Taylor, Texas. jeanfreerbarnette@gmail.com RESOURCE Author Website: artbybarnett.blog/about Top to bottom: Draven F., Adeline C., Alyse T. SCHOOLARTS.COM 13
School Arts Magazine April 2023: Page 13
