Will It Burn Me if I Touch the Sun?

Unbeknownst to me, a student in the art department spent time during the semester developing a final project using words and digital media to create a composite image as a gift to me. I have received a variety of gifts by staff, students, and parents over the years, but when this particular gift was presented to me it included a very touching back-story, which inspired me both personally and professionally.

Serving as an instructional leader, as well as a university professor, over the past few decades has afforded me myriad opportunities to meet and get to know countless numbers of students. I am continually impressed with the skills, abilities, and talents of all learners at all ages. Getting to know so many students over the course of one’s career is one of the greatest gifts one receives as an educator and as a leader. Whenever I felt overwhelmed as an instructional leader, I would stop what I was doing simply walk the building to say, “Hello” to students. Being able to socialize and get to know learners has been one of my treasured aspects of being an educator.   

I have received a variety of gifts by staff, students, and parents over the years, but when this particular gift was presented to me, it included a very touching back-story, which inspired me both personally and professionally. I also thought the project was very thoughtful, and I was flattered the student included me as the subject of her project. 

I have maintained a copy of the student’s artwork over the years, as it was both thoughtful and creative. I love the concept of mixing media, such as language and art, to create and communicate artistic, visual literacy. It is the blending and blurring of the aesthetics of the human experience that moves me as a leader. It is the blending and blurring of the aesthetics of the learner’s experiences that motivated me to pursue my doctoral research many years ago. 

This particular student “gift,” and the gift (and privilege) of getting to know so many students over the course of my career, has served as a reminder as to why the art and science of learning is a core value and tenant for teaching and leading. My commitment to serving learners also serves as a core tenant, and a reminder to me, as to why I became an educator so long ago. To know them, is to teach them. To teach them is to know them.

Chris

Referenced links and documents:
CoeXisT by Chris Dignam

Learning in a Visual Age: The Critical Importance of VISUAL ARTS Education, National Art Education Association. 2016

Love or Confusion by Jimi Hendrix

Painting the Words: Language and Literature in the Visual Arts, Stephanie Lawrence. Undergraduate Review, 5, 71-77. 2009