The real reason why I failed art in school

[BrianPowley]

Believe it or not, but my art teacher in school actually failed me because I couldn't learn and I had absolutely no vision for imagination.
Now that's how you motivate your students!!!!

 

[Roger Bleile]

Don't feel bad Brian. Just look at the horrid tripe that is praised to the heavens by the academic art establishment

I was two years ahead of my brother Carl in high school. We both had the same art teacher. After two years in art class, the teacher refused to let my brother take a third year because he said Carl had no talent. My brother is probably the only person who was ever in that class who has made a lifelong living from various art forms.

I'm sure that Ray Cover and Mike Dubber are a different breed of art teacher but in the early 1960's it was all about post modern, avant garde, abstract expressionalism. That is one reason that I didn't study art in college. I was sure that they weren't going to teach me anything that I wanted to know. I think the tide is turning a little these days.

Roger

 

[Marrinan]

"I dare you to believe in yourself. You have no idea how many wonderful things you are capable of doing."---Brian Powley

your so right- Glade you did not color in the lines! Fred

 

[DakotaDocMartin]

Motivation of students...

Believe it or not, but my art teacher in school actually failed me because I couldn't learn and I had absolutely no vision for imagination.
Now that's how you motivate your students!!!!

That sort of thing can break a person for life. Luckily, you didn't believe the teacher and went on and learned in spite of the comments. I was told I couldn't sing when I was a kid and I still can't sing around other people to this day.

 

[Haraga.com]

Send your art teacher the picture and when you see him in public politely humiliate him.

 

[Andrew Biggs]

I had a pretty good art teacher in high school. He didn't really teach us anything useful from memory but his classes were always enjoyable. He used to "tut tut" a lot and purse his lips occasionally but that was about all. Most of the assignments I did the night before the deadline and still managed to pass.

Our teacher at the Tech sign school was different altogether. He was inspirational and really got us going. Unfortunately we only had him for 3 weeks a year but it was enough. He used to get all excited telling us about anything and everything to do with painting and art. He had all these magical formulas for Japan Black and Gold Size. It was real "eye of newt and pizzle of bat" type stuff but it was fun and interesting. He was also a harsh critic and when we under performed he would lower his head and glower at us over the top of his half moon glasses and in his best Dutch accent tell us exactly what he thought of the work......................... with a few choice swear words thrown in for good measure. He was a great teacher and his excitement was contagious. His classes were always a lot of fun.

Oh yeah, my music teacher told me I couldn't sing or play a musical instrument to save myself............... And he was right!!!!

Cheers
Andrew

 

[BrianPowley]

My school years are from 1963 to 1975. (No college---well, there was a little time spent at Ohio State, but I never graduated)
In those early days, I was constantly getting swatted because I was using my left hand to write and draw.
Being a "Lefty" or a "Southpaw" was almost criminal....and the fact that I preferred music and art to sports was blasphemous.
Ain't it funny how those "Jocks" ended up working at a retail outlets and the "Southpaw" gets invited to hang out with President George W. Bush?
Truth is, I always did enjoy Stirrin' the Pudding!

 

[FANCYGUN]

Brian
In 33 years of teaching art, when someone said "I can't draw" I always countered with ." No. you just don't know how to draw". Now grant you, some were very slow learners but everyone in their own way has some visual talent. The trick is trying to find out what it is. Once you learn how to look it is amazing how you then can look into your own imagination images and then do something with them. We all see things differently. It's a life long learning process

 

[FANCYGUN]

I might also add.I did fail some students...........thats because they did not try.

 

[BrianPowley]

Marty, you're 100% right....and that was all I really wanted: Someone to teach me how to draw.
Once I learned how, I never looked at a pencil the way I used to.
What a marvelous, under appreciated extension of the mind.

 

[graniteguy52]

Isn't it great to prove one of "those" teachers wrong. Always swore that I would prove it to an English professor - but I have never ritten anything since!

 

[Ray Cover]

Brian
In 33 years of teaching art, when someone said "I can't draw" I always countered with ." No. you just don't know how to draw". Now grant you, some were very slow learners but everyone in their own way has some visual talent. The trick is trying to find out what it is. Once you learn how to look it is amazing how you then can look into your own imagination images and then do something with them. We all see things differently. It's a life long learning process

Amen, Amen, Amen!!!!!!

Of coarse, natural aptitude helps and will push a student along a little faster but art skills are learned skills that can be learned.

Brian, your teacher stank. I can relate to being the Art Geek who was looked past in favor of the jocks.

To be honest the very best and the very worse teachers I had were in college. The worse one I had was a real piece of work. He would announce that the next class meeting was canceled. Then he would go around the art dept and tell the students he liked that it was back on so they would show up and dock the grade of the folks who never showed up (you know the ones he never told). I had to take two of this guys classes. I made an A in the first class he taught in spite of his efforts. In the second class the following semester I had a 95% and he gave me a B. I called him on it and was told,"Its my discretion to change a students grade if I don't' feel it properly represents his abilities."

To top it off he was one of the worse draftsmen I have ever seen. The university would have a faculty art show every semester. I have unwadded used toilet paper that was more worthy of framing than the sketches this guy would submit to the faculty show. I never could understand how he kept that job.

Ray

 

[BrianPowley]

We all can relate to some version of Ray's experiences in his college years. I keep telling my kids: "Life won't be as kind to you as I am".
My dad used to say, "Just because somebody is teaching, doesn't necessarily mean that anybody is learning."

 

[JJ Roberts]

I got A's in art thanks to my hero Jon Gnagy TV artist from the 1950's,my dollar allowance went for art supplys each week drawing pads,charcoal, pencils.Art school was what I really wanted to do but Mom said Jimmy you need to get a trade.Printing was my choise,spent over forty years in the trade made good money was never with out work.Went to the Art Student League part time,studied with artist Joe Hing Lowe,Daniel Green & Jon Rummelhoff.Marty said it's a life long learning process,how true.What I tell student is someone did before you how hard can it be.J.J.

 

[Jake Freese]

That looks awesome.

 

[Fred Bowen]

I don't recall anything about art classes in high school, but my 8th grade art teacher was great. Not much art in class; he read James Thurber stories mostly. I've been a Thurber fan ever since.
My grade school music teacher told me I had no musical talent at all. I've enjoyed entertaining people, playing guitar & bass ever since. Take that Miss Fern!

 

[James_Ehlers]

I wouldn’t have taken too well to a school that didn’t have a strong core in drawing fundamentals. Telling someone they failed because they have no vision is bizarre to me. I suppose there are still some schools that are primarily concept oriented. The only people I have ever failed were the ones that either didn’t show up (I’ve have people miss half the semester and expect to pass) or didn’t do the work. With tuition on the rise, this baffles me. I can see though that these negative experiences motivated people into becoming great artists.

 

[BrianPowley]

James, my experiences were grades 1-12 in public schools from 1963-1975. Reading, Ritin', and Rithmetic.....and football.
I can see where those circumstances would create a "short circuit" from your vantage point. It was a different time and place.
You got your basics and then went to work in the steel mills or coal mines or the farm. Pick one.

 

[Mike Fennell]

Brian, I had similar experiences but am still an inveterate lefty in spite of everything the teachers did to discourage that "defect".

As for class attendance affecting a student's grade, I have always had objections to that.

I once earned an unexpectedly high grade in tax law at Northwestern University School of Law by attending the first class then skipping the rest of the three-month course, then attending the last class and the 100 minute final exam. I had no intention of practicing tax law, but needed the grade for my degree and my license to litigate.

It was my opinion that it is the student's time and money and he should have the option of testing out of the required courses he doesn't need for his specialty, particularly if he and can teach himself in less time than the classes require. Luckily that professor, an active attorney as well as tenured professor, was of the same opinion.

That said, I also understand that a good teacher is a valued gem and I will do whatever it takes to learn from the best.

 

[James_Ehlers]

For a lecture course with a book provided that covers all the information to memorize, I can see attendance being less of an issue. Three hour studio courses that are twice a week are a bit of different animal. The learning outcomes are based off of experiential knowledge and not off of memorization. I also don’t require a book, as the students spend enough on art supplies as is. When a student misses a lot, it’s disruptive to the student dynamic in class, and I have to basically reteach the previous classes over again – which interferes with what’s currently going on in class. Were I to have a student that were proactive enough to learn all that I am teaching outside of the class, perhaps it would be less of an issue - but since 2001, I have never met a student with the work ethic to pull that off in a studio course. They would also miss out on critical discussions in class and learning from seeing what others do in terms of artistic problem solving. Since they are in the art department, I also try to instill in them a sense of camaraderie. When the students work together, they tend challenge each other to become better. I do warn them at the beginning, that if attendance is an issue for them, maybe this isn’t the class for them.