…I drank the TAB Kool-Aid. George Szekely, Nan Hathaway, and Dale Zalmstra spoke of a magical land where students were the artists, they understood what artists do, and that the art room was their studio. I was hooked on TAB and knew that there would be no turning back. My head filled with plans on how I was going to reinvent my room and provide a studio space for all of my k-8 students at Belle Creek.
The first day back we abandoned all of our current projects, opened way too many studios, and failed miserably. The room was a mess (more than normal), students were producing crazy art (some were completely lost), and I was in love with the chaos.
From the chaos came a calm. I scaled back offerings, made some changes in how things were presented and ran, and we found our way. TAB has looked very different over the course of my teaching across three different schools, however, the three pillars have always stood. Students know what artists do. They know that they are the artists. They know that the art room is their studio.
As we approach this years CAEA Fall Conference, I look forward to connecting with new and old friends while hopefully inspiring others to look at education through a different lens.
TABing Mr. Beach 