WhyWhereWhenWhatWho

I started two new online Additional Qualification courses this week; Special Education Part 1 and Religion Part 1. The timing is tight, as I still have two weeks left in the Principal's Qualification Program Part 2 course to finish up, and my students/teacher candidates are finishing their Practicum and back in my classes next week. Nothing like a little pressure to get things done. The intro lesson in the Spec Ed course had us view Simon Simek's video "Start with Why". I have viewed this a number of times before, including in the PQP course, and Simon never disappoints. "Who, What, When, Where, Why" has been ingrained in my brain, my neocortex, by Language Arts and English teachers in my distant past, along with "i before e except after c," and "Richard of York gained battle in vain" from some British teacher, preceding "Roy G. Biv" by a Canadian counterpart. The last two were Art teachers, who in my case had more impact on me than my English teachers. Why? Well, I was lucky enough to have a little raw talent in art, but so do lots of people who never end up doing graduate studies in arts education. So these art teachers along the way provided me with something else. Art is intrinsically linked to emotion; our limbic brain. And they started with the "why." You should make art if it makes you happy. It's ok to be a little different; different is good. Visual imagery can communicate across language barriers. In working through the art process, you think creatively and problem solve, which are required skills for the 21st century. There are lots of other reasons why. The ones I received inspired me enough to stick with art and its education. Leading through inspiration and belief is beyond powerful.