Jasper R.

Lynch

Goals Paper

Introduction:

A student in any classroom should feel a handful of fundamental things. They

should feel safe, they should feel engaged, and they should feel a healthy amount of

challenge. In my classroom I want my students to feel these things but I want them to

walk away knowing and experiencing many more. Throughout my time working with any

student I want them to leave my classes with five main experiences. These are the

goals I set up for my students. The first goal will be for students to empathize with

peers, use constructive criticism properly, and respect others’ work. For my second

goal, I want students to be academic risk-takers that can ask for help when needed. The

third goal asks students to be creative problem solvers. For the fourth goal, I want

students to be resilient, learn from mistakes, and keep up a strong work ethic. Last and

probably most important, my fifth goal challenges students to participate in and

contribute to community life.

This will be background information that will help to make full-rounded adults. I

want my students to learn about art, design, beauty, and balance, but I also want them

to know so much more. The goals I set up for my students will encourage them to speak

clearly and thoughtfully about the decisions they make and the things that they see.

These goals should push students to take risks to try new things, build their repertoire of

life experiences, learn what they like or don’t like, and ask questions. Students should

think on their feet and brainstorm new solutions to problems they may face because
creativity does not only belong in the art room. In my classroom, I want students to try,

fail, and try again. Doing something wrong the first time doesn’t mean it’s going to be

wrong every time you do it. I want my students to know that everyone begins

somewhere and the only way to get from point A to point B is to keep trying. When

students are adults they will live a life like us. They will breathe, eat, play and work.

Alongside all of this living, I want them to feel whole. This means different things to

different people. For me, it means being creative, thinking, and making. For my

students, it may be something else. Monotony can be a suffocating thing in the adult

world, but it doesn’t need to be. I want students to find what fits them and what keeps

them going. This will be something that gets them up and moving, a motivation to speak

up and participate in life.

Goal 1. Empathize with Peers/ Use Constructive criticism Properly:

Before we begin to look at why empathy is important in the classroom or out in

the world, we must understand what it is. Empathy is described by the oxford dictionary

as “the ability to understand and share the feeling of another.” This is very cut, dry, to

the point, and maybe even a little boring. To me, empathy can be a lot more. Empathy is

letting go of your ego. Getting out of the center of the universe. Taking a step back and

seeing other people and their points of view. It can be a sign of respect, care, and love. I

use empathy not only to console friends when sad things happen but to celebrate when

great things happen too. It can be so much more than just sharing feelings, but a

mindset as well.
 I feel like more people practice empathy than they even realize. I have a dog,

and like many dogs, he needs me to help him do things. He can’t use his words to ask

for help, once again because he is a dog, but he can use context clues to key me into

what he wants. When the obvious things like food, water, and going out to poop don’t

seem to be the answer I try to put myself in his paws. I think, when was the last time this

little guy got to run and play? When was the last time he got a really strong pet session?

When did he get his last treat? I feel like all pet owners must at some point find them

selfs in that situation. Your cat or dog or guinea pig needs something that you aren’t

aware of and the only way to figure out what that is is to put yourself in their shoes. This

is a basic form of empathy.

Empathy is important in life for more than a few reasons. Understanding where a

person is coming from can help to de-escalate problems and even avoid them

altogether in the future. Allowing students to take the time in my class to not only learn

what empathy is but how to use it gives them a headstart in one on one positive

personal interactions later on. When people can see things from different points of view

this opens up someone to a multitude of opportunities. Having a strong sense of

empathy can help with problem-solving, communication, listening, and can even

encourage academic risk-taking for other students. Because this attribute opens the

gates to many of my other goals, I have it listed as my first. Empathy is a great starting

point for any student to improve themselves and encourage others to succeed in the

classroom. When my students practice empathy in the art room this helps me make

sure that every student has a comfortable and safe learning environment.
 In the classroom, empathy can look like many things, sometimes this is consoling

a friend when they tried a new technique and it didn’t come out perfect, sometimes it’s

helping a classmate clean up a spill, and it can even be put to use in a class critique as

well. Because empathy can enhance the communication and listening skills of students

this also means that it can be an important tool when discussing others’ art. Students

are nervous in any strange setting and sharing art with new people can be the scariest

thing to someone unfamiliar with the process.

In Mindfulness in Education Contemplative Inquiry in a Community of Learners,

the article quotes author Dweck as saying “Mindsets are just beliefs. They’re, powerful

beliefs, but they’re just something in your mind, and you can change your mind.” This is

a quote that reflects the power of one’s self and willingness to change. If students come

into my class with a fear of sharing their work and being vulnerable at that moment,

that’s okay. My main goal isn’t to pressure them into doing something uncomfortable

because I think it will help them. My main goal is to help them understand why the

fundamental aspects of this process can be useful in the future. I want to be upfront with

my students. A quote that is stuck in my head is “Teachers aren’t magicians, it’s okay to

share your secrets.” If a student doesn’t feel comfortable, it’s my job to ease them into

the process with all the tricks up my sleeve in plain view.

When students practice empathy in the classroom this becomes an easier

process. Students who might fear ridicule for their talent or supposed lack thereof may

feel more at ease knowing what direction critiques should be headed in. when empathy

is practiced in my classroom critiques should be focused on the improvement of one’s

skills and talent, not mocking their current level. Students should see themselves in their
peer’s shoes and think of kind and supportive comments, questions, and observations

that would help to expand a student’s portfolio. Instead of responding with “Well I would

have done…”, consider what they did and why they did it. If it doesn’t work, what could

be suggested to try in the future that might follow the same intent as the original piece?

In a critique, this could sound like, “The eyes in this piece read clearly but might be

improved if a more direct lighting source was present, as it could help to pop highlights

and deepen shades.” The intent of the artist is recognized and then built upon without

directly putting down one’s attempts. A great way to ease students into the critique

process is to use the TAG method. Students use sticky notes to Tell the artist something

they like, Ask a question, and Give a suggestion. This takes the students a step back

from the intimidating group discussion that might make students feel like they are being

confronted. This can also allow all students to share structured input on every piece and

putting names on the sticky notes allows students to be responsible for the things they

say. Having critiques in the art room helps students to facilitate each other’s work and

practice giving each other suggestions on how to view things differently and try new

ideas. The practice of good critiques in the art room will be a lasting skill that can also

aid students in situations outside of the classroom in the future. Being able to give

suggestions without passing judgment is a strong communication skill all on its own.

The first step for teaching empathy in my classroom will be practicing it myself.

Just like in any other class, from Math, History, and even English, students always say

some form of “what’s the point, I don’t know how to do this.” Students can come into the

art room immediately feeling shut down due to their preconceived ideas as to what it

means to pass an art class. My goal in this situation is to assure them that I am here to
facilitate growth. Students are allowed to be bad artists, it’s fine if you are a bad painter,

drawer, or sculptor. As long as they put in the effort and try new processes and take in

the important information shared there will be an improvement and that’s what a teacher

is looking for. If teachers expect kids to come into class as experts, what is the point of

having that class? They already know what to do, where is the space for growth there?

If students understand that the expectations I have for them are realistic and set up for

their individual growth then they should take that into account when viewing others’

work. Teaching empathy by example also helps to show students that I care about them

as people and that I am invested in their success. There’s an old saying that I think fits

well here, “No one cares how much you know until they know how much you care.”

When it comes to building students’ empathy in my class there are a bunch of

other things that can help. This includes doing community projects that thank local

businesses for their support. Something that a lot of students were taking the time to do

was write thank you cards to teachers, doctors, nurses, and other essential workers.

Another way to boost empathy is to do things like class-built rules. This can help

a teacher understand what values a specific class wants to focus on and can help you

to specialize each semester to a specific class of students. In my class I will be using a

mix of personalized class rules alongside precepts that I will ask students to follow as

well, these will be rules that focus on safety in the classroom, phone usage, and any

other main rules that the school enforces.

If I find myself in a situation where class pets are allowed I would take advantage

of it, I would even bring in my pet to class for special occasions, but what teacher

wouldn’t want to? Pets in the classroom are a great way to support and encourage
empathy among students. Especially when they work hand in hand with mindfulness

lessons. Mindfulness is all about paying attention to the present moment and allowing

students to practice that in an art class is an exciting way to see the creative way that

they view the world.

When students learn these techniques in my art class they are preparing to

become fully-rounded adults. These are adults that will have better communication

skills, think before they speak, and speak with meaning and positive intent. This can

even be something as simple as appreciating others’ hard work, remembering to say

please, thank you, and I’m sorry. Using empathy to function in society without

entitlement creates ease in day-to-day interactions and can positively impact long and

short-term relationships. This means not only hearing others' perspectives but sincerely

reflecting on them and allowing important changes to happen either personally or

generally. Being empathetic can lead to being able to create solutions to problems with

equal sides content with the solution.

In short, I want my students to grow up to be kind and smart people. I want to

encourage them to act with thoughtful actions that lift others. I want to help to move a

generation away from negative stereotypes, or ideas that drastically put others down for

no reason other than to make themselves feel better. When one person acts with

another person’s well-being in mind they are empathetic and that’s what I strive for my

students to be.

2nd Goal: Academic Risk Taker/ Ask for Help When Needed:

Empathy was chosen as my first goal to discuss because I believe that it can be

used in the classroom to promote positive learning opportunities. I want to encourage all
of my students to be academic risk-takers who aren’t afraid to ask for help. In the article

“Secondary School Students' Academic Risk-Taking Levels In Turkish Lesson” the

author says that “Academic risk-taking refers to decision-making by students in cases

such as harder or easier assignments, known or unknown tasks, or sharing or not

sharing their ideas in academic settings, and it occurs when students choose one of

several possible options.”

When I think of what it means to be an academic risk-taker, I am immediately

reminded of when I decided I wanted to learn how to rollerskate. I was super excited to

get outside and roll around, but I was also completely overconfident in my abilities. I

remember boasting about how I used to do it all the time when I was a kid in my

neighbor’s driveway, but I soon realized that balance and strong core muscles don’t

come back to you as easily as getting back on a bike.

I fell, and I fell hard. I took a risk and I ate it. I may have failed at rollerblading that

day but that didn’t stop me. I took this failure as an opportunity to not only humble

myself but also slow down and listen to professionals. While I lay in bed with a busted

ankle I was on my laptop studying not only how to care for myself but also how to

improve my balance, pick up speed, and stop on rollerblades. It was an important

moment for me. My failure caused me to slow down and focus on the fundamentals of

the activity, but because I had amazing support from friends and faculty I was able to

get over the initial embarrassment. I know I’m still not an amazing rollerblader and any

progress has probably been lost over the winter months. But I’m still motivated to try

again and keep learning.

 The first half of this goal requires an environment for students to be able to make

mistakes. If students can fail without ridicule then they can feel more comfortable trying

again. Failure isn’t bad, it’s an opportunity for students to try their best, analyze what

went wrong, and self-evaluate their past attempts. Then they can ask themselves what

steps need to be taken to improve the next time they try.

When students take risks in the classroom these risks can help students feel

more confident. Getting students to feel successful even when they fail is hard, but if

students can see the value in a mistake then they will understand that, academically,

mistakes can be just as important as getting something right the first time. When these

feelings of success and failure are seen as normal activities that go hand in hand with

learning, students can feel more comfortable doing just that. Getting students to the

point of academic risk-taking will be a different journey for each one.

While the empathetic setting of a supportive classroom may help, some students

will be more comfortable with risk-taking with others, simple as that. This just means

that some students will take more time easing into the practice or might need more

one-on-one attention to encourage the behavior in class. A few students are just shy in

general and will need a lot of care and support to feel like they can push themselves to

take risks in the classroom.

One of the great things about taking risks in the art room is that students don’t

have to stand in front of the class and finish a problem on the board to take a risk. They

just have to work with unfamiliar material, try out a new pattern, or just play with paints.

Trying something new in the art room and taking a risk doesn’t need to draw attention to

the student. If they don’t feel comfortable sharing those mistakes with other students,
then they don’t have to. What is most important is the student’s attempts to try new

things and branch out of their comfort zone, knowing that failure is an option—and might

even bring better ideas along with it.

Asking for help is hard. Students might struggle to ask for help for a few reasons.

One might be that they don’t want to feel weak like they have given up, whereas others

might not understand that they need it, and some might just be too anxious to ask. If

students see asking for help as a sign of weakness then they will be much more likely to

not do so at all. This may cause students’ grades to suffer greatly because they don’t

want to be embarrassed or feel dumb. This also might push students to not do things

that they don’t think they can get right the first time. If students don’t feel like they can

ask for help when they need to then academic risk-taking will suffer greatly. Students

must recognize the importance of asking for help. They must be shown that being able

to do so is an act of strength and perseverance whereas suffering in silence is nothing

but suffering.

In my experience students struggle sometimes to know when to ask for help. I’ve

often seen students stop what they are doing when they hit a roadblock and then get

distracted by another thing like a friend or their phone. I want to encourage students to

catch themselves when this happens and recognize that this is when they ask for help.

Recognizing that roadblock and getting support from a friend or teacher helps students

to move forward with their learning. If students don’t feel like they can ask for help when

they need to, it can affect how they view themselves as learners in the classroom. But a

great thing about asking for help is that students get to take this as another opportunity

to self-evaluate their learning.

 Anxious students exist in every class, and each one is different. Students can

have anxiety about any subject and art is not an exception. When a student is feeling

anxious in the classroom they may be even less inclined to ask for help. Reaching out

and speaking up for one’s self can seem extremely difficult if you do not know the

subject well or the teacher. This is another reason why I value getting to know students

and having one-on-one time. Taking the time to walk around the class and check in on

each student allows me an opportunity to get to know them a little bit more each day.

This time also allows the students to have an opportunity to ask for help or get answers

to any questions that they might have. When students don’t feel comfortable speaking

out in class I want them to have the chance to still have their voices heard and their

questions answered.

Step-by-step instructions can be useful in an art room when many students are

working with the same type of material together. When learning how to first form a pinch

pot, or when learning the proportion of the face printing out directions and definitions for

words can be useful for students who might struggle to ask for help. This allows them to

search for the answer themselves if they still struggle to speak out. With directions listed

out clearly, students can easily reflect on where they might have gone awry in the

process and can see what steps might need to be taken to fix the issue. If students are

unable to figure out what to do they will then at least have a general idea of what might

have gone wrong and can use this information to formulate a question.

In my classroom, I want to remind students that just because students can do

something yet doesn’t mean they won’t be able to do it later. Leticia Guzman Ingram

calls this” the power of yet” in their article “A Classroom Full of Risk Takers.” I want to
take time at the beginning of each year and talk with my students about failure, practice,

and perseverance. I want to share the old art I made when I was young and show that

everyone needs to start someplace. The only way for people to get better at more things

is to give them a try, and practice makes better because perfect is overrated.

When students can take academic risks, evaluate their mistakes, and ask for

help they can make learning anything easy. These skills can be used by students in any

class and for any topic. If students get into tech repair and are struggling with fixing a

specific model of phone or another device, I want them to feel confident in themselves

enough to reach out to a community and ask for help when needed. I want my students

to not be afraid to try new things or experience new activities. Students should be able

to know when they need help. Students should be able to speak up for themselves and

advocate for their own needs, or the needs of others. When students do this I want

them to be able to communicate with others about what they are struggling with.

Students should know that it’s okay to ask for help, even as an adult.

3rd Goal: Creative Problem Solving:

The next skill that students will learn in my classroom is creative problem-solving.

I want my students to be able to see any problem from unique perspectives and tackle it

with a new solution. Creative problem-solving gets students to use the path less

traveled when it comes to resolutions. Students will encounter problems anywhere they

go in life whether it be at school, work, or in their personal lives, and they must be fit to

resolve them.

In the article “Creative Problem-Solving Tools and Skills for Students and

Teachers” written by Kevin Cummins, Cummins describes creative problem solving as

“the use of imagination and innovation to find solutions to problems when formulaic or

conventional processes have failed.” As an artist, I am very familiar with this process. It

is baked into my brain at this point like a nice loaf of bread, perpetually fresh and fluffy.

In the studio, I run into a plethora of roadblocks in making art. Sometimes I'm not as

skilled with a medium that an idea requires, I simply make a mistake in a process, or a

tool just breaks. When I'm in a healthy and safe work environment that I know fosters

creativity and encourages risk-taking, with failure as an acceptable outcome, I always

find myself coming up with creative solutions to difficult problems.

I witnessed another great example of creative problem-solving in the class I

observed. The school was in the process of rebuilding its art room. During that time the

art room that they were working out of was meant to be used for a completely different

job by the theater department. It was a long room painted ceiling to floor black, and the

best part there was no sink. Now working in an art room students and teachers will find

themselves in need of a few things to function smoothly and a sink, among other things,

is definitely on the list. Besides the lack of space for art materials and students' work,

students had a hard time keeping the room and supplies clean. To keep classes running

smoothly the teacher had to use her free time in between blocks to bring pitchers of

water to the classroom when needed. These were used by students to clean things like

bruises and pallets and to fill water cups, for brushes not to drink. The teacher also

made great use of the sanitizer sprays that the school supplied during the covid

outbreak to help keep tables clean of not only germs but clay too.

Having students practice creative problem-solving can get them more invested

in their learning. When students get creative they can make pretty cool stuff and I will be
encouraging them every step of the way. When students have this support in the

classroom to get creative this empowers them to keep going and pushing for more

innovative ideas. When students are invested in their learning then they can push

themes self to do more. This means more ideas, new things to try, and more

experiences to share. When students invest in themself they are allowing themselves to

be the best learner they can be.

To encourage students to take part in creative problem solving I want to make

sure to teach them exactly what it is and show examples of how to use it. A short lesson

revolving around the theme of creativity and problem-solving will cover things like the

creative problem-solving process. This process is made up of the following steps also

written by Cummins. Step 1. Clarify; Identify the problem, gather data, and formulate

questions. Step 2. Ideate; explore answers to the questions created in step 1. Step 3.

Develop; Move focus from concepts to resolutions. Step 4. Implement; Use the ideas to

fix the problem! Once they understand just what exactly it means to solve problems

creatively then we can get to work practicing.

I want to encourage students to think and solve problems creatively by sharing

problems that I have faced in art. I want to be able to show examples where persevering

through issues and thinking creatively helped save a piece from the trash and turned it

into something I’m proud of. This could either be in slideshow format or by actually

bringing the piece in. I think bringing something into the art room is always more

exciting but will depend on what examples I end up using. Who doesn’t love Show and

Tell? This effort is a great way to show examples of my thought process and show

students that mistakes happen to their teachers too.

 A great tactic to get students into the practice of using creative problem-solving is

brainstorming. Brainstorming can increase students’ mental flexibility. It can also be a

fun exercise when getting into a new subject. Making use of a mind map you can gauge

students' prior knowledge on a subject before you get started, and it's fun to see where

you start compared to where you end. This can show students how creative thinking

can gap the bridge between different concepts depending on how abstract and creative

they can get.

Starting with the concept and following through to the end of its creation, any art

piece is going to have problems. I want my students to be able to take all of these

roadblocks as opportunities to try new things, take risks and creatively solve problems.

Another great way to encourage creative thinking in class is something as simple as

giving open-ended assignments. In my classroom, I want to take a step away from the

types of activities that leave little room for creative expression. I want my students to be

able to show me that they know how to draw a face or build a pinch pot without all

handing in the same thing. If students have more creative freedom in their assignments

they can get more excited about what they’re making and feel more personally

connected to it. This also keeps students from comparing themself to each other and

focusing on their own skills and techniques rather than on other students.

One last project I would like to do with my class to practice creative

problem-solving would be the chance project. This is something I have done many

times for my classes here at Castleton University. This project is set up using two long

lists. The first list is numbered one through twenty and has the first half of a title. This list

can include things like “The Mathematics of…” or “The Son of…” or “The Consumption
of….” And then the second list would be a shorter one usually only fourteen long. This

list would include the second half of the title including phrases like “letting go”

“Reverent” or “Color.” (All of these are examples of titles I’ve gotten, and recently my

piece “The Mathematics of Letting Go” has been accepted into an art show in Glens

Falls NY.) From here students would roll a couple of dice and then be given a prompt at

random.

It gives students the chance to be thrown into a situation where they might not

initially know what to do but have to draw inspiration from the random words thrown at

them. Creatively tying the two random words together will be difficult. I will encourage

them to write down all of the available definitions for the main words, and then make a

list of synonyms. They must fully break down the title and see each phrase from all

perspectives. Then they can work from the bottom up, building a piece of art backward.

Slowly from there, you can chip away through the confusion and anxiety of not knowing

what direction to go and possibly start to see a piece of art come to life. With a project

like this, it’s super fun to do multiple times, so for any students who ask I will always

hand out the lists as we use them. If any students are interested, I would also allow the

class to add to the list or change things up if the words or phrases seem boring or too

familiar. This lets students get to feel more involved but still leaves the whole thing up to

chance.

In the future students will be greatly prepared to solve any problem they face no

matter whether it might be at home, at work, or someplace else. My students will be

able to think creatively and think smarter and not harder. Any problem can be solved

creatively and creative thinkers are valuable in the workforce. As stated previously
being creative and seeing things from different perspectives, something empathetic

students will be able to do quite well gets students to stay off the most worn-out paths in

life. They will stick out in the crowd. Given how often roadblocks and issues can occur

unexpectedly in any workforce students who know how to act smart and fast will be

valuable assets to any team.

4th Goal: Be Resilient/ Learn from MIstakes/ Strong Work Ethic:

The fourth goal that I have for my students is for them to be resilient, learn from

their mistakes, and keep a good work ethic. When students are resilient they won’t give

up when a task is difficult or when they become uninterested. Having students be able

to learn from their mistakes allows them to keep working toward an end goal and shy

away from throwing in the towel. When students practice these two skills they become

strong workers, dedicated to getting the job at hand done.

Students who are resilient in the classroom show improvement in academic

achievement and can have reductions in misbehavior and enhanced interactions with

other students. Misbehaviors in the classroom can look like many different things but

the most common are little things like using the phone either at inappropriate times like

during instruction, playing games on their phone, or just goofing around with their

friends. If a student isn’t resilient they won’t take the time to keep pushing forward when

they get stuck on a problem. This can lead them to get off-topic and waste time in class.

If students are resilient then they will be able to work quickly, know when to ask

questions and work hard.

Being resilient can also lead to students having better optimism. If a student has

overcome many roadblocks in the past then they can feel more confident in the future
when another issue presents itself. Having a backlog of experiences to pull from gives

students a confidence boost when working towards solving another problem.

Students need to have a positive reaction when it comes to situations where a

problem might arise because this cool temper can help to keep them moving forward

and focused on solving the issue, instead of spending time and energy being upset and

distracted by it. If a student’s pinch pot falls in they could react in two ways, they could

get upset, smush it, and have to start all over or they could take a breath step back and

take a look at why it might have fallen in. In this second outcome, the student

recognizes their mistake and works with what they have. They can easily reinforce the

wall and continue working forward. It’s okay for students to be disappointed and upset

when they get stuck on a problem but once they can move past that initial reaction they

can start growing as learners.

If students practice resilience they will not only benefit from being able to control

their emotions when faced with issues but they will also be able to find comfort in relying

on friends and teachers to support them. Being able to rely on these sources to help

can open students up to seeing new perspectives and ideas that can be useful when

problem-solving.

When a student cultivates friendships from resilience these friendships can be

very meaningful. These positive relationships can lead to empathetic listening, mutual

respect, and collaborative growth. The first friends that I made in college sprouted from

resilience. I was in a photo editing class that took place in the computer lab. I remember

staying after because I just wanted to get the homework done and continue messing

around with the software, and I ended up not being the only one with the same Idea. I
remember I had some previous experience using photoshop but it seemed like a few

other students in the class were struggling to understand what to do. With all the options

that photoshop has, you can get the same results in numerous ways. Together a few

other students and I worked to learn the software better and make some fun stuff for the

class. Because we were all working towards the same goal and experiencing the same

things it was easy for us all to grow closer as friends and to this day I am still close with

all of them.

If a student feels burnt out and uninterested in solving a problem they will be

resistant to help. This feeling can come about if a student feels down on themself or

feels like they don’t ever persevere. If students feel stumped by problems they could

become unmotivated and give up. This can lead to negative feelings about one’s

self-worth like inadequacy. Building up a student’s self-worth is important in encouraging

them to be resilient and it may take a while. It’s important to stay a good mixture of

realistic and positive. Sometimes staying overly positive can come off as inauthentic

and phony. If a student isn’t putting in any effort in the class and has been distant when

having one on one conversations I would get in contact with a counselor who might be

able to check in more with the student. If the student is willing to share with me what

their doubts are I would be more than willing to help them in any way I can in the

classroom. I want my students to realize that asking for help is a sign of resilience too.

For students to learn from mistakes, students must have the ability to work on building

their skills and explore their capabilities. Keeping students challenged with work at the

right level for them keeps them on their toes and pushes them to build their talent.
 If students feel encouraged to stay resilient and feel like they are making

progress in the classroom then they will be on their way toward stronger work ethics.

Students must not only value what they do but also who they are. If they see

themselves as capable beings then this will improve the work that they do. After this,

and with some more guidance in the classroom my students will become strong workers

who will be dependable, flexible, and resilient.

To push students to stay resilient and learn from their mistakes, I want to make

sure that I am always leading by example. And sharing examples too. I think it would be

fun for the students to see celebrities and well-known people sharing their failures and

success stories. A lot of people have to work through some pretty tough times before

they can make it out on top. I would also love to have artists come and talk about the

same topic and have them share how that has affected the work that they make.

In the art room, one great way to practice resilience is to make art! When

students work on any project in the art room they will be making decisions without

knowing exactly where it may lead them. Making art helps to build resilience because

every time you make a creative decision without knowing what the outcome may be,

you’re building up resilience. Every time a student starts a drawing or painting they have

an outcome or goal in mind but we as artists rarely recreate an exact copy of the ideas

in our minds. We simply work with the skills we have to do our best to make something

close to the original goal. Resilience keeps students going even if it takes them in a

whole other direction. In art, mistakes are rarely a bad thing. They are just “Happy little

accidents” as Bob Ross Always said. Students just have to hope that the choices they

make will lead to an interesting piece. Artists must find confidence in their abilities and
find opportunities to build off of failure. Even building skills in different types of art can

help build resilience in students because art is a great way to see growth in a subject.

Looking back at where a student started compared to where they are now with the

things they’ve created can be an amazing feeling. Tracking success is an amazing

feeling.

For students to get practice learning from their past attempts, I will have them

reflect on assignments by asking them selfs a set of questions. “How have you

improved, how can you continue to improve in the future? What are some roadblocks

that may be in the way and how can you work around or with these?” thinking in a

positive mindset will allow them to reflect on the work they have done and acknowledge

their growth. Looking for patterns in the past can also help students recognize where

they might have troubled spots in their academics, allowing them to break any negative

cycles and focus on positive ones instead.

Allowing students to excel in class is important to building a strong work ethic.

When students can recognize their strengths in the class then they can feel more

empowered about the work they do. This can be achieved by giving students the right

level of challenge in an assignment. Going with the flow of creativity helps students

learn to be flexible, and assignments like weekly check-ins on sketchbooks help them to

be dependable.

When students leave school with resilience and the ability to learn from their

mistakes they will have a positive character. If students can keep a level head when

dealing with problems when they are young they can take this skill with them anywhere

they go in the future. Staying calm and not acting out of anger or impulse in stressful or
problematic situations can lead to quicker resolutions. If students can learn

self-regulation and great coping skills they will be independent. Having a good work

ethic includes staying positive about the work you do and caring about the job at hand.

Having a good work ethic in class can be a great skill later on down the line, showing a

boss that you are a committed worker can go a long way.

When adults look at their mistakes and use some creativity they can come out of

a bad situation with a positive outcome. Practicing creativity in general, like painting,

drawing, or even adult coloring books can improve adults’ stress levels and allow them

to stay calm and resilient. Keeping serotonin high by doing these creative activities

allows adults to stay motivated the next time they deal with an issue. Creativity is like a

muscle it needs to be trained and kept in shape, so putting aside a designated amount

of time for creative activities can help adults to stay resilient. The more you practice

creativity the more it can be useful in any setting, allowing for more opportunities for

resilience.

5th Goal: Participate in and contribute to community life/ Use Critical Thinking:

Students who feel like they do not belong in a social setting or feel rejected by

their peers can have behavioral problems, seek attention, and have trust issues. To

avoid this students must be allowed to have a sense of belonging, and build trusting

relationships with peers and teachers. Children who lack these important relationships

when they are developing could have serious problems that hinder their ability to control

emotions. This underdevelopment could also lead to problems grasping moral and

ethical concepts. In my classroom I want students to feel a sense of belonging. It’s

important for students to feel like they are a part of a community and that their voices

and opinion matter. It's also important that no matter what community they are a part of

either in person or online they act respectfully, thoughtfully, and clearly.

A great way for students to feel like they are a part of a community would be

active participation in clubs. Having students participate in clubs can help students take

part in community-building activities while also producing better social and

communication skills. Clubs are a great way for students to meet like-minded people

who share similar interests. For students who don’t have friends in their classes meeting

up with their friend group at the end of the day can make all the difference. Clubs can

introduce students to new people too. Meeting new people in clubs means getting new

perspectives and new ideas as well. Clubs are also great because they look amazing on

college applications.

Clubs are a great chance to focus on the fun aspect of class activities while still

being able to provide learning opportunities for students. Joining clubs has hugely

positive impacts on students inside and outside of the classroom. A safe environment to

see friends is also important for those students who don’t feel comfortable inviting

others to their place.

For my Art Club, I will have it be student-led, If they want to take initiative and

learn new skills as a group then I will assist in coming up with fun projects to do, but

ultimately it is up to the club to decide what direction they want to go in. The art club that

I went to in high school was student-led, and we ultimately would spend time goofing

around and drawing. Every once in a while we would have a figure drawing day. The

one activity that was always teacher lead was our annual charity drive, and even then
we the students would choose who to donate to. It was really exciting every year

getting together and making screen print tee shirts with our very own designs on them.

Having traditions in clubs can get students excited to come back every year, and can be

a fun way to get more students to join. Students should be able to participate in

whatever clubs intrigue them though, not just art clubs. In my classroom, I will

encourage other students to check out and be a part of any clubs that pique their

interest like journalism clubs, study clubs, and stem clubs.

With an increase in the amount of time, we spend using technology students

must start to learn how to spot a reliable sources. They must be able to separate factual

information from fiction. Students need to be aware of clickbait in the online community.

Just because a story has an interesting name or intriguing picture attached doesn’t

mean that it’s going to give you the information you expect. Sometimes judging a book

by its cover is okay when it’s online and the promises are too good to be true. There are

different degrees of clickbait on the internet, some people will use the most interesting

part of the story as the title for their piece and then save it until the end to mention it and

others might just straight up lie about what their article or video might be about for views

and interaction. If students can distinguish between genuine and clickbait articles and

videos to the best of their ability then they will end up wasting less time when

researching.

When students understand what it means to be a digital citizen then they can

respectfully and responsibly interact online. Despite students’ familiarity with the

internet, starting from a young age, they don’t necessarily know how to safely navigate

websites and use sourcing correctly. When students consume things from the internet
they should not take most things at face value, but instead as entertainment. This is

especially for things like Memes, random fact pages, tabloids, and other sources like

that that are not credible. While they may be funny they are rarely telling the whole

story.

Sometimes even publishers who students would expect to be telling the truth will

twist stories or fail to tell the whole truth. This is media bias. This happens when

companies want to use a story or only post stories that support their specific interests. If

students understand media bias then they will know when and how to tell if a story or

article they are reading is a trustworthy source. Students should check multiple sources

when reading about a specific incident to get the whole picture. News outlets can leave

gaps in stories, or ignore parts altogether to push an agenda.

When students know how to make great use of google then they will have a skill

that will help them when working on school papers or even looking up facts for

self-education. Knowing how to string the right keywords together to find articles and

other sources that will help them with their research. Students need to understand

domain suffixes too. Knowing what information you can get from just the domain name

can help you to gauge the validity of the source.

Students can use their cell phones in the classroom to reach sites easier and

faster than pulling out a laptop. Students can even use their phones in class to find

sources and look up answers to difficult questions that may even stump me.

Encouraging students to use their phones in class respectfully and responsibly can help

them to have better phone management skills down the line. In my eyes technology isn’t

going away and it’s best to use it for the better rather than fight it. Phones are great
because they can be used to share students’ art, and allow them to build digital

portfolios. Building portfolios allow students to reflect on their work, and sharing it online

can get students more input.

Technology will always change and it’s our job as educators to embrace it. It’s

important to teach students how to check sources for reputable information that is

unbias. See to it that students can consider the relevance and intent of the sources that

they find. Using a source credibility scavenger hunt can be a fun opportunity for

students to compete to find the best and worst sources. I will push students to sharpen

their examination and evaluation skills when finding sources online I will make use of

the technology's common core standards Accepting students’ phones into the

classroom is an important step in teaching them how to use them responsibly.

Cellphones in the class can be used as easy access to cameras and can be an easy

gateway to any photography lessons. Introducing students to art apps on their phones

opens students up to easily accessed sources of creativity. Using phones in the

classroom will need to be accompanied by a well-thought-out and reasonable set of

expectations and consequences. With the growing number of schools taking advantage

of online resources like canvas and google classroom, allowing students to use their

phones in class to access the class webpage can be a great tool for students to get

questions answered quickly. The truth is accepting technology into the classroom is a

huge advantage to students learning.

Clubs look great on a job application because they show that students have

learned interesting and relevant skills. Allowing students to have control in clubs gives

them a sense of leadership and group choice. When students partake in clubs they get
to experience what it feels like to take part in a community. Making friends in clubs is a

great practice run for a student to make friends in adult life. Being in a club with people

who are excited about the same things you are is a great experience and moving

forward in life these communication and social skills can be very helpful.

Knowing how to navigate the internet can help keep students and their personal

information safe. If students can distinguish credible sources early on then they will be

less likely to be taken advantage of or fooled into believing false claims. Teaching

students when is an appropriate and inappropriate time to use their phones can be

beneficial to relationships in the future. All in all these skills and activities will help

students become well-rounded adults that can participate in communities both online

and in person.

Conclusion:

Throughout this Paper, I have shared the five goals that I want my students to

walk away with at the end of the year. I talked about the importance of empathy and

how it can lead students and teachers to see the world through others’ eyes. I talked

bout Constructive criticism, which helps peers discuss ideas and give suggestions to

each other. I also touched on the subject of Respect in the classroom. These skills

worked together to build my first goal and lay down a foundation for each one that

follows. As my second goal for my students was stated, I want them to be able to take

risks when they can and ask for help when they need it. When students find themselves

in an area that supports them and encourages them to grow they will succeed. Even if

they had to stumble to get there. For my third goal, I ask students to think creatively and

solve problems in ways others might not think to. Students will be challenged t use the
skills that empathy has taught them to see problems from new perspectives and find

solutions that are unique and inspired. In the fourth goal, Students will use creative

problem-solving to stay resilient when they make mistakes, learn from them, and build

strong work ethics that keep them cool, calm, and motivated. Finally, for my last goal,

students should be able to contribute to community life and think critically about the

things they read online.

This paper is my roadmap that I can fold up and bring with me to whatever class I

may teach. These are the main attributes and skills that I think will make not only

successful people but happy ones. I don’t just want my students to get good grades, but

I want them to thrive and in some cases, if it’s the best they can do for now just survive.

School can be a scary environment for students who feel like they are out of place in the

world and I aim to make any of my classes a space where students can be themselves.

Without ridicule or judgment, as long as they are their authentic selves, and not hurting

anyone, I will be behind them every step of the way. Students need nurturing

environments to grow and with empathy, at the root of my classes, I aim to provide that

to all my students.
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