Being connected. What does that really mean?
As an artist, writer, and musician, it means I reach out to and
interact with others who are not always like-minded. This purposeful choice
enables me to expand my worldview, which in turn is then expressed through my
creations. As any artist will tell you, it is way too easy to live in your head
and become self-absorbed in your own work, never asking critical questions that
propel movement and enhance growth. Would a B flat really sound better here, or
not? Does this genre convey the message I am trying to share? How will the
character resolve the conflict, so that the reader understands the theme? If I
never collaborate with other artists and ask these and similar questions, then
how will I ever know?
If you never share your work, and only do it for yourself, then
you may never realize how others see it. Sometimes that is a good thing.
Confidence in yourself is a must for any artist, and solely creating for others
is akin to selling your soul. However, sometimes you need to step outside the
safety net, the cocoon, and stretch your wings and fly. Yes, even a little bit
of input from others goes a long way to helping fine-tune that portrait, story,
or song. Sometimes being a connected artist means scrapping your creation
altogether for something in a completely different vein, something you couldn’t
have imagined alone. That is how being a connected artist turns a “nice” work
into a masterpiece.
The keyword to growth is conscious, thoughtful, meaningful
collaboration. Working with others is a joy that artists must embrace if they
are to remain relevant to the global community. The same is true of educators,
for what is masterful teaching, if not an art form in and of itself? An
educator’s professional learning network is key to helping her become connected,
and being connected brings limitless possibilities to the doorstep of the
classroom.
Student learning is much more real when educators are connected to
one another, to the students, and to the world. Be that through social
networking sites like Twitter, or professional learning networks, connectedness
is key to empathy and understanding.
For example, as a white, middle-class female who grew up in a
sheltered environment, I have had limited experiences with racism. However, my
students come from diverse backgrounds and many experience racism on a daily
basis. If it were not for my students and my colleagues, with whom I connect
purposefully, I would never have looked within to see my own biases. Face it,
we all have them, but not all of us are aware of them. Being connected to my
students and other educators enables me to reach within and be conscious of not
living by these biases. As a result, this year, my students and colleague and I
co-created a group for students of color at our middle school. After twenty-eight
years in the classroom, this is by far one of my proudest achievements. Were it
not for the connections made with other educators and students within my
building, this group may never have come about.
How have the students responded to this collaboration? They have
flourished! It is the largest seminar I teach, with nearly forty students who
joined this year alone. Due to the small size of the classroom, we had to limit
the enrollment of the group. Next year, we plan on meeting in the media center,
to accommodate the growing number of students who have expressed interest in
joining in the fall. The students, all middle-schoolers, want to connect with
high school groups, like Delta Scholars and Alpha Achievers and expand their network, too. Their spark is
contagious, and I would never have experienced it had I decided not to connect, not to
collaborate, not to co-create.
Being connected as an artist, educator, and human being is what
leads to understanding. Understanding leads to empathy, and empathy to love.
Living in love is the greatest gift we can give our students, for with love all
things are possible. Being connected all starts with reaching out one hand, one
heart, one soul to another in love, not fear.
