MANAGING THE ART ROOM

Noah S., Papa Bear. A memorial artwork honoring the student’s grandfather.

Eric Gibbons

We know that art can connect to core content and help students succeed in school, but art, especially with a social-emotional learning (SEL) focus, can also be therapeutic for students, particularly during stressful times.

  It is important to remember that art teachers are not usually licensed therapists, so you need to know your limits and report work that may indicate a student is in crisis. This has happened on a few occasions in my thirty years of teaching. The issues addressed were revealed by SEL exploration, and in all cases, the students were far better off because of it. 

Providing Flexible Options
As I explore SEL-based lessons, I always include an “out” for students who are not ready to address certain emotions or experiences. Sometimes students have not had to deal with certain emotional issues yet in their lives. For example, in my lesson on memorials, I ask students to reflect on someone they have lost in their lives through death or separation. There will be some students who aren’t ready to explore these feelings, and some who have not had these experiences, so I’ll provide a list of options. Students who are ready can explore the issue, and those who aren’t ready have viable options that allows them to feel safe. Here’s an example of options for memorials:

• Someone you have lost who has passed away.
• Someone who has moved away.
• Someone you admire who has passed away.
• A historical figure who should have a memorial.
• An event where people lost their lives.

Art, especially with an SEL focus, can be therapeutic for students, particularly during stressful times.

Addressing Concerns
I always have students conclude projects by writing about their work, but I make it clear that they may be as vague or specific as they wish. If they want to keep their subject anonymous and say, “This color represents a difficult time I experienced,” I don’t ask for specifics.

I may, however, send an email to the school therapist and mention the artwork to them if I have concerns. Once I’ve done that, I let it go because it’s not appropriate for me to know more. Your email will serve as documentation that you reported a possible issue. Unless you’re a licensed therapist approved by your district, doing more may be unethical and open you up to liability. When in doubt, refer. 

Additional Resources 
I find it useful to encourage students to use codes when creating works like this. I use my book The Emotional Color Wheel to give them a symbolic visual vocabulary that enables them to express feelings and situations through color, shape, and form. Instead of saying they are angry, they could use the color red, or a sharp jagged shape to represent that feeling. I show them examples of Abstract Expressionists who do this, and we break down their works to understand how we can do the same.

Watch my video on my SEL-based projects (see video below). If this is new to you, try something simple in a media you are comfortable with. Be open to revealing a bit about yourself as an example for students. When I speak of memorials, I share the experience I had with the death of my father, so students know they are not alone if they too have experienced a death. Over the years, these are the lessons students keep and cherish long after they have forgotten color wheels and gridded portraits. I hope you’ll give it a try.

Eric Gibbons is an art teacher at VMCCA High School in Raleigh, North Carolina, author of the blog Art Ed Guru, and a contributing editor for SchoolArts. lovsart@aol.com