The 5 Teachers You Meet at Art School

YouTuber LavenderTowne published a beautifully illustrated and observantly narrated video titled "The 5 Teachers You Meet at Art School" which is summarized in this post.

Watch the full video here:

The Super Strict (because they care)

Pros:
High expectations from the teacher lead to higher student performance on artwork
Demands excellence because they care about the students




Cons:
Critiques are intimidating

The Bob Ross (space cadets)

Pros:
Taken out of your comfort zone in a good way
Easy A, because the journey is more important than the product
Changes in scenery and breaks in routine

Cons:
Lack of learning technical studio skills

Glory Days Teacher (Still Trying to be Cool with the Kids)

Pros:
Fun, laid back atmosphere in class

Cons:
Not helpful with critique
Leads to awkward student-teacher relationships

The Narcissist

Pros: 

Nonexistent

Cons:

Showing open disdain for differing ideas or opinions

Too wrapped up in their own work to care about their students' art

The Hidden Gem (disguised as a disheveled professional)

Pros: 

Still working in the field 

Expert career advise 

Networking/Connections

Cons: 

Can be cranky because they're exhausted

What is this video telling us about art teacher identity?

It is from the perspective of a student enrolled (or formerly enrolled) in an art school. It is specific to her experiences in the school, and yet there is truth and familiarity found in each of the personas. The video narration is particularly interested in the pros and cons of how each teacher type interacts with students through language, actions, and setting.

Language: 
A large part of our identity (as art teachers and otherwise) is in the way we communicate with students. Notice that the Super Strict teacher type was perceived as harsh with their spoken interaction with students. This teacher type did not sing praises for a job well done. In fact, praise was interpreted as fewer words - a "short critique." Therefore, it can be assumed students did not want to be in the position to have long conversations with this teacher type, because it likely meant their art needed a lot more work. The teacher used language as direct and efficient to help students improve - very similar to the Hidden Gem type. Both of which the narrator says were the best type of teachers.

On the other hand, the language of the other teacher types were perceived as less helpful toward meaningful student and artistic growth.

Actions:
The Glory Days teacher exemplifies the old adage, 'students can smell fear' and adds to it 'students can see your insecurities.' If our actions as a teacher are experiments in identity, students can tell something is up. There is literature about being "true to yourself" as a key to being a good teacher, see The Joy of Teaching: A Practical Guide for New College Instructors, by Peter Filene; 2005; 176 pp.; University of North Carolina Press (Chapel Hill, NC); ISBN: 0-8078-2942-0. So if you are putting on a persona that you think students will respond to, experiment, but don't be surprised if students are more distracted by your act than inspired by your teaching.

The Bob Ross teacher on the other hand seems to conduct their courses in a way that is very true to themselves. According to the video, students appreciate the honesty, though find the lack of hard instruction in this specific type of teacher frustrating. 

The Narcissist's actions and motivations are clear and exclusive of the needs and interests of the students which is likely why this teacher type is deemed as the worst. Teaching is a social service job, but that gets muddled in higher education and academia when teaching is what you have to do in order to keep publishing - or to keep making your own artwork. Students know by our actions (and language) if we are there for them or for ourselves.

Setting:
It is interesting that our students observe us and associate us within our teaching space. The Super Strict is associated with a pristine environment. The Bob Ross is seen in a flexible setting and is specifically noted as open to conducting class outdoors. The Glory Days teacher's space is scarred with embarrassing holes in the wall from attempts to impress students. The Narcissist's space wasn't mentioned as physically, but it seems like the setting of this type of teacher's classroom is always centered around the teacher's personality. In other words the Narcissist teacher is the setting. The Hidden Gem is seen as disheveled, because they are associated with multiple settings. The students are able to envision this teacher type outside of the classroom with more concrete connections to the abstract job market in the creative industry.  

Which art teacher category best describes you? Did you have teachers like any of these mentioned when you were getting your teaching certification?