Greg Haste

greghaste@eagles.ewu.edu
greghaste.weebly.com

Teaching Statement
Every student has something to learn or takeaway in an art classroom from developing a
contemporary understanding of art, creativity, and culture.
Within a post-modern construct, art is no longer only a product: art is the process. Art being a
process makes the curriculum vastly different from other content areas. Students generate
problems, develop solutions, and present findings. They are relentless in the pursuit of their
learning. This can only happen when students are considered stakeholders (they affect and are
affected by the curriculum). I provide students with intended learning outcomes, but that is not
enough. I encourage students to learn at a constant rate that exceeds expectations and is
based within their realm of wants and desires to learn. This provides room for students to learn
more than what is intended to be aware of the unintended and learn from that as well.
A critical art praxis helps teenagers to make sense of what is acceptable or inappropriate by
allowing for a field of study that frees students to question their environment. People cannot
learn outside of what they know, so as a society it can be difficult to understand or appreciate
artwork that is unknowing. It is my responsibility to help students become aware of themselves
and to allow them to challenge the unknown or accepted. Creating a safe place where students
can feel trust is crucial; students will not strive past comfort to unconventionality until they feel it
is safe to do so. Initiating a situation where skills and techniques are not the focus, but building
a classroom wherein the creative exploration is the source of learning. This means not
rewarding artwork with terms like thats pretty or good, but acknowledging students in a more
specific manner that is rewarding them for being brave (whatever that looks like for that child),
while manifesting confidence.
Art, maybe more so than other curricula, allows for students of all multicultural and
socioeconomic statuses to imagine, explore, and create in a utopian-like society. I do not force
my students to leave their baggage at the door, but more so, I encourage them to unload their
baggage. This supportive type of classroom will take time to develop (as does anything that is
meaningful). Because the art process is an extension of the person, the artists work, could
intentionally or unintentionally beget conversation that will allow the class to learn about the
world and inevitably themselves.
As a teacher, I have the privilege of providing a place where students can know that their
reactions to their environment are a crucial part of our society and deserve attention;
furthermore, I have the fortune to be educated on a daily basis by students and their passions.
The art classroom, on paper, is a place of constant inquiry with a persistent dose of curiosity;
these words do not come to life without a teacher, like me, who is willing to be more than just a
teacher, but a positive influence throughout the community.