As we witness a growing need to teach empathy, we as teachers need first to awaken our own empathy for students' learning challenges and experiences. In my district, that opportunity for professional growth came from a nontraditional source: watercolor painting workshops. Stepping into the art room, a new and unfamiliar education setting for most of them, teachers and administrators experienced feelings ranging from anxiety and fear to joy and exhilaration. During their weeks studying this new subject, they reflected deeply on their teaching practices, while empathy for their students blossomed.
A Blank Canvas
When I first proposed workshops on watercolor painting as a district professional learning program, I could not have predicted just how many areas of the teachers' and administrators' lives would be influenced. Initial expectations were that, over the course of four workshop sessions, participants would gain insight into fine arts curriculum and pedagogy and generally strengthen their visual literacy acumen. Watercolor is one of the most challenging of all the painting mediums, so I immediately introduced specific techniques and skills. I challenged the educators in the workshop to select meaningful subjects for their paintings and supported their decisions with lessons in composition, color theory, and individual conferencing. Through this creative process, educators grew in more ways than in depth of content knowledge. Powerful personal revelations occurred that neither I nor the participants had anticipated.
The unfamiliar subject matter, instructor, classroom, materials, and techniques—and the comparative artistic abilities of their colleagues—were sources of anxiety for many of the teachers and administrators. They also learned that the artistic process is intensely demanding. Watercolor in particular requires planning and technical control. At the same time, one must learn to let go of cognitive order to allow the composition to have its own spontaneity and flow. For educators, who may feel the need to be in control of their classrooms, creating a balance between constraint and letting go can be a challenge. Participants also learned to create personally meaningful images rather than simply produce pictures. For many, the idea of showing sensory memories and images that raise consciousness and feelings about their personal lives required both mental and spiritual effort.
Kid Fears
These workshops evoked many emotional challenges for the participants. The greatest was fear of failure. How would these educators overcome artist's block and fill an empty page? What if they made mistakes? Many teachers identified with how their own students must feel when faced with new activities and challenges. One teacher described these feelings:
"I am well outside of my comfort zone. As a result, I am slow. I am cautious. I am overly cautious, afraid to make a mistake. I have become one of my students. The one who is unsure about what we are learning in class. The one who didn't quite follow the passage we just read. The one who missed the connection to the present. The one who wonders, 'Why don't I get it like everyone else?' And then the teacher comes to look at my work. The teacher takes it in, talks to me, provides thoughtful comments, and, most importantly, says some really supportive, encouraging words. I am motivated. I will try, and I will learn."Some teachers felt insecure and yearned for continual feedback from me, as their instructor. Again, this helped them identify with their students. They were experiencing the crucial need for safe and supportive classroom environments. This teacher-as-a-student forum is a powerful tool for keeping awake a deep empathy for our students' experiences. These educators had to cultivate many traits that we ask of students: patience, perseverance, humility, self-forgiveness, appreciation for improvement, acceptance of ambiguity, risk taking, courage, and questioning. In addition, these educators had to respect and collaborate with an instructor's vision while having confidence in their own.
An Exercise in Empathy
As participants' technical skills grew in tandem with their skills for making aesthetic judgments, they also learned to create their own visual languages and to interpret the images created by classmates. Administrators and teachers worked side by side, equally, as both students and supportive, empathetic colleagues.
Remembering their students, the educators reflected on their entire journey. One teacher aptly commented:
"So what does my playing around with paint mean for our students and my own professional growth? Just this—my time in the workshop was an important reminder of what we expect our students to do each day. We expect them to master new concepts and skills every time they set foot into our classrooms. We expect them to persist even when it is difficult. We expect them to have positive attitudes throughout the process. I felt again firsthand just what it feels like to be frustrated and to struggle. I was reminded of how challenging it can be to stop, be patient, reflect, and truly work to improve. And I experienced the joy of my successful efforts. This all was an exercise in empathy. My time in the watercolor workshop was one of the most significant professional development experiences I have had, because it authentically put me back in the shoes of our students. I cannot imagine many things more impactful than that."
Professional learning should encourage us to step out of our comfort zones and risk learning something new. By learning the fine art of watercolors, educators tapped into their inner artists, found new value in arts education, and learned a new way to relate to novice learners in their classrooms. These new perspectives and attitudes will bring energy, understanding, empathy, and joy into classrooms across our district this school year.