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The fact that so few creative art programs are available to children today has been the driving force behind the development of these art education programs. Extensive research has gone into the “Created By ME” curriculum in order to offer children who are especially interested in and enjoy art a creative outlet and exceptional instruction. I have a Bachelors of Fine Arts degree with an Art History minor from Washington University in St. Louis, MO and have been a practicing designer for 20 years. While I enjoy design work and have been very blessed to work on some amazing creative projects over the years, I have found that I prefer introducing children to the world of art. There is no greater reward than seeing the surprise and pride in each student when they realize that they CAN create incredible and wonderful pieces of real art. Their eyes shine so brightly and they simply cannot wait for me to hold their work up and show it off to the entire class.
My daughter has taken the art class all year and enjoyed it so much. Her drawing and other art skills have increased dramatically as the year has progressed. She now spends a lot of her spare time drawing and has a lot more confidence in her abilities. Whenever they learn something new, like sculpting, Mrs. Strickler teaches it so well that my daughter is able to explore the new concept more at home. Mrs. Strickler is so knowledgeable and enthusiastic and the entire experience has been so rewarding. My daughter looks forward to art class all week. Treva My son Kody is in the art classes on Wednesdays and he loves it. They do a lot of really awesome work. It is so neat to see all the different imaginations at work. Jennifer is great and always puts her all in to it and spends time with everyone individually. Kody is really enjoying the classes and we will definitely take it again. Amy My daughter LOVES this art class!!! She can't wait for Friday afternoons! Mrs Strickler is wonderful, she has creative and fun projects for the group and even includes learning about the kind of art and artists!!! Donna As a parent, I feel it is important for my child to be involved in extra-curricular activites. It helps to "round out" the child. We tried Girl Scouts, ballet and soccer, but Isabel never really got into any of those. Art class, however, has been different. She has thoroghly enjoyed every project they've done. She LOVED the trip to the art museum and has shared with us what she's learned about Van Gogh. Each week she's anxious to go to class and learn about the medium they will use next. I think we've finally found her niche! Thank you, Jennifer. Your passion for art has ignited the same in Isabel. Ceri As a mom of an ADHD child, it has been hard to find an extracurricular activity or a place of calming and peace for my hyper child. My son has tried soccer, karate and numerous other activities that did not pique his interest. When I saw that an art class was offered, I was skeptical to say the least. Thinking this would be another thing I would waste my time and money on -- just to be disappointed when he said he did not want to go again. I was so wrong! My child came home the very first day going on and on about how wonderful class was, how he wanted to be an artist and how he had found his place in life. For the first time he voiced ambition -- he proclaimed his calling was to be an artist. Now, instead of Mom can we go to Toys R Us, he states, "mom can we go to Michael's for more paint and art supplies? That is a wonderful feeling! Mrs. Jennifer is a stupendous Art teacher and an inspiration to my son. I could not ask for more... Thank you, From a Mothers Heart Both of my daughters (ages 8 & 10) have been in Jennifer Strickler's art classes all year long. I signed them up for the first semester without asking them, but they BEGGED for the second semester. They have thoroughly enjoyed anything and everything that has been done in class. The number of projects has been astounding. My girls have experienced a variety of art that I could never have shown them at home (such as sculpture, collage, several different & messy painting techniques, even charcoal and pastel drawings). As we approach the end of the year, I can say with confidence that both my girls know far more about art technique and art history than I ever learned in school. You won't find this level of expertise and love of children anywhere else in the area. Jennifer Strickler truly offers the best bargain in town. If she teaches it, we will come! Barbara Alyssa really loves Art Class. It gives her a hands-on chance to experience different mediums of art, which fills a huge void in our current school curriculum. Thanks for all your patience with the kids! They have fun and are learning too. Kathy "My 2nd grader just loves the after school Art Class. She can not wait to tell me and her dad what she did and what technique she used to create the project. She would love to have class more than once a week. We are so looking forward to the Art Show!" Thanks for all you do! Angie My child has been in the after school art program at Westview Elementary all year and continually cites it as the best part of the day at school. Our only request would be that it could be every day! The amount of topics and artists covered has been tremendous as well as the variety of projects and techniques. We will definitely continue next year and can't wait to see the summer camp schedule! Thanks for all your hard work! My daughter has transformed since beginning taking art classes here. She believes she can create beautiful art now & so she really does. It's also helped her to gain confidence in her other studies & with her friends. I love that she calls herself an artist & believes she can learn anything. Thank you for creating a fun & safe place for her to just be herself and love what she is! Meghan Mrs. Strickler, Jennifer, did a fabulous job in the teaching of Art to my children. The school is unable to offer Art as a class so Jennifer stepped up and with her Art background taught our children. She is an incredible role model and teacher for our children. Thank you for all your hard work and dedication. The Dubendorfer Family
When school budgets are continually being cut in all communities across our country, visual art education is usually one of the first programs sacrificed. On the surface it simply doesn’t seem as important as reading, writing and math. There is certainly no art achievement test at the end of the school year. This may be true, but what is often overlooked is the underlying importance of the arts in helping children to fully understand math and to develop those very same reading and writing skills. Study after study has shown the correlation between exposure to the visual arts and success on standardized reading and math tests.
More Good News About The Arts: Positive information rolls in daily about the effects of the arts. A study on more than 25,000 students from the U.S. Department of Education’s National Longitudinal Study found that those with high levels of art involvement did better than students without art stimulation on several academic measures, regardless of students’ social or economic status. The above information is taken from the Partnership for Learning website The benefits of being exposed to the arts early in childhood are just as exciting. It is for that reason that we have developed a rich and stimulating curriculum for children ages two through kindergarten. Call for more information about our Pre-School Program.
8 Important Skills That Art Classes Teach :
Though far more difficult to quantify on a test than reading comprehension or math computation, each has a high value as a learning tool, both in school and elsewhere in life. For students living in a rapidly changing world, the arts teach vital modes of seeing, imagining, inventing, and thinking. If our primary demand of students is that they recall established facts, the children we educate today will find themselves ill-equipped to deal with problems like global warming, terrorism, and pandemics. Those who have learned the lessons of the arts, however - how to see new patterns, how to learn from mistakes, and how to envision solutions - are the ones likely to come up with the novel answers needed most for the future. Ellen Winner is a professor of psychology at Boston College. Lois Hetland is an associate professor of art education at the Massachusetts College of Art. Both are also researchers at Project Zero at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and co-authors, with Shirley Veenema and Kimberly Sheridan, of ``Studio Thinking: The Real Benefits of Visual Arts Education," published by Teachers College Press. For the entire article written about this book go to:
“Learning through the arts promotes the idea that there is more than one solution to a problem, or more than one answer to a question.”Elliot Eisner, a professor emeritus of education at Stanford University
In 2001 the non-profit organization Americans for the Arts, conducted a public awareness campaign. The campaign included a nationwide survey regarding the importance of the arts in education. Americans for the Arts says, “We found that 95% of parents believe the arts are important in preparing children for the future. Parents view the arts as contributing positive attributes to their children, and 91% thought the arts were an important part of a well-rounded education” (2005) Americans for the Arts. (2005) The PSA survey findings. Washington, DC: Americans for the Arts. Albert Einstein once said, “When I examine myself and my method of thought, I come to the conclusion that the gift of fantasy has meant more to me than my talent for absorbing knowledge.” Einstein also said that he thought in images. “Cutting school arts programs in an effort to boost student academic achievement is counterproductive. In fact, the research outlined in Critical Evidence suggests that eliminating the arts in schools denies students the opportunity to develop crucial cognitive skills and motivations they need to achieve at high levels.” AEP (Arts Education Partnership) Director Richard J. Deasy
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