What if art class was the place for building character and community?

BACKGROUND​

The Noble Academy opened its doors at a temporary location: the sixth floor of a downtown Chicago office building, with its student body commuting from 42 zip-codes across the city! And for many of them, Noble wasn't their first choice. 

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I was tasked with teaching three classes a day, each to 30+ freshmen students, on a subject of my choice. Choosing visual art as my entry point, I quickly realized these classes were a perfect opportunity to create the trusting, experimental space students needed to get to know each other, and themselves.

A key goal in the class' design was accessibility for a diverse student body with varying experience and interest in art. With strong support from the school's social worker, I chose simple drawing tools and materials to build students' visual expressions, and used metaphor and visual literacy to help them self-reflect. For some, the work became outlets more akin to art therapy, and opportunities to talk through challenges with the social worker.

Teaching the class led me to take on a caseload of six students ranging in academic and social-emotional needs, and support them through a tough freshman year at a new school. 

Joseph Campbell's Hero's Journey helped guide my curriculum.