The Answer - A blog about Education, Preparation, and Commitment.

Moving Mountains and Minds in YES Prep North Central’s Art Class

March 15, 2011 by Jeremy Jones

Below is a guest blog post from YES Prep North Central Art teacher Manny Munoz.  Manny has been teaching art at YES Prep for three years and his students produce some wonderful works. 

"INSPIRE, MOTIVATE, CREATE!!!"

When walking through the hallways of YES Prep North Central one can’t help but notice the degree to which those words are put into action. Learning has taken on a life of its own, and no where can it more clearly be seen than in the eyes of our students; sitting amidst the shade of an old oak tree during a Tuesday morning art class.

Above, circled around each other in a manner befitting that of a family, sit a group of YES Prep 6th graders. The task at hand - a simple free hand drawing. The topic of discussion – nature and the inherent worth retained in those things that we commonly take for granted. How is nature beneficial? How is nature beautiful?

Those were just a few of the questions asked during the days lesson. Challenged, the task was simple – draw a tree from direct observation and attempt to illustrate it in its most beautiful light possible. Students were asked to pick what they felt to be the most appealing angle of the tree and draw it in a manner which pictorially conveyed that beauty. The true beauty of that day's lesson, however, becomes prevalent when standing from an outside perspective looking in. Unfaltered, determined, motivated, and inspired they sat - shoulder to shoulder in what had unintentionally become a unified circle of souls working in unison toward a common goal, which for me had only brought about one thought, “Together… they’re doing it together……. Moving mountains, one pencil stroke at a time.”
 

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