Texas Trends in Art Education, Volume 3, Number 1, Fall 1985 Page: 7
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art specialists at the elementary level or to
include computers into the curriculum
next year.
As impossible as it seems at times like
these, our ability both to achieve our major
goals and to solve our immediate needs may
lie in our capacity to think and plan beyond
our individual classrooms and to work as a
team to have an impact on the decisions thata
n
d
There is no doubt that our philosophy is
sound and that our goals are worthy; how-
ever, if we are going to convince decision-
makers to make the changes that will put
these philosophies into effect, we should
learn a new language and some new tech-
niques. This language and technique is often
referred to as "advocacy". We must not only
know what we are teaching and why, butIbl
e
Y
Carolyn Pasterchik
will bring changes in both areas. The task
will not be an easy one. It will require that
we (1) overcome our natural inclinations as
artist/teachers to operate as individuals,
(2) project our concerns and energies be-
yond the daily operation of our classrooms,
and (3) learn some new approaches to
achieving our objectives.
The alternative is to be content with
the progress we have made thus far, hope
that our fairy godmothers, or the elusive
"They", will make things happen for us, and,
meanwhile, continue to cope with the same
old problems year after year. If we find this
alternative unacceptable, the first step to
achieve successful change is to recognize
that people working together as a team to-
ward common objectives are inherently more
successful than individuals working alone.
Local associations of art educators, even if
their numbers are small, can play a vital and
decisive role in shaping policy-making in
their districts and communities. A recent ar-
ticle ("Survey Shows," 1985) in the NAEA
News suggests that art educators working
together at the district level have the great-
est impact in changing educational policy on
graduation requirements and curriculum.
The report also states that local school
boards have been the motivating force for
more changes made in the curriculum than
legislatures, state boards, or national educa-
tion reports.
Active, informed, local associations of
art educators formed to identify common
goals and concerns, to pool information, to
plan strategy, and to share responsibilities
can be an effective force for bringing about
change whether we are working to ensure,
an adequate supply of white paint or to
strengthen graduation requirements.
Success depends, to a large extent,
on effective communication with deci-
makers. In the past one of the major public
criticisms of people in the arts has been that
they are perceived as communicating only
with other people in the arts. Perhaps this
perception is valid to the extent that we
have done a wonderful job of convincing our-
selves of the value of our programs. We have
to admit, however, that we have a somewhat
lower rate of success outside the profession.also we must be able to translate and com-
municate this information to decision-makers
at all levels in terms which they understand
and to which they can relate.
The following are some of the general
rules and techniques used in the language of
successful advocacy:
* Be fair, informative, and courteous.
Most of the people you deal with are honest,
intelligent, and want to do the right thing.
Your purpose is to inform them of what you
think and why it is right.
* Know the structure of the organization
so that you will know with whom to talk
about what decision. Respect the chain of
command. Start your campaign with the
chain of command. Start your campaign with
the person who normally deals with the
subject.
* Be understanding and perceptive. You
are much more likely to be persuasive if you
can put yourself in the other person's place,
know his problems, outlook and objectives.
Principals and superintendents are not as
concerned with philosophy as they are with
the facts and figures. Their jobs demand this
orientation. Plan and organize your requests
to give them the kind of data they need in
order to support you.
* Maintain contact. Stay in touch. Don't
limit your relationship to the times you need
help. Invite everyone who is in a position to
influence your project to all art functions.
Include them in your publicity. Offer help to
them.
* Be reasonable and objective. Separate
your emotional involvement from the project.
Again, deal primarily in facts and figures.
* Recognize that there will be legitimate
differences of opinion. Deal with conflict
without threats or recriminations.
* Be positive, calm, and assertive; but
not aggressive. Desk-pounding is a sure
route to failure. Have alternate solutions and
suggestions planned in advance.
* Be thoughtful in thanking people for
their help and consideration, whether or not
they have always agreed with you. Consider
the possibility that you may not have suc-
ceeded as well as you could have in prepar-
ing and presenting your case.
* Be practical and realistic. Know whenit is timely to make your requests. Changes
in budgets are not likely to be granted after
deadlines have been passed.
* Be persistent. Do not give up on the
first try. Do not take defeats personally. Re-
group, re-think, and re-plan your strategy
for a different approach.
Thomas Hatfield (1983) provides excellent
examples of how these guidelines have been
placed in practice, as well as many other
useful ideas, in An Art Teacher in Every
School. We are fortunate in Texas because
through the persistent efforts of many dedi-
cated art educators, the visual arts have
received legislative recognition as a funda-
mental ingredient of the basic curriculum.
We now have a firm foundation from which
to pursue the remaining goals of certified art
specialists in every school, a fully developed,
sequential K through 12 visual arts program,
plus adequate financing, equipment, and fa-
cilities for the implementation and support of
our curriculum. If we are willing to organize
our efforts through active participation in lo-
cal organizations, to learn more successful
methods of communication, and to add our
strength to our professional organizations at
the state and national levels, then we cannot
help but succeed in attaining a truly excel-
lent state of health in visual arts education.
REFERENCES
Hatfield, T. A. (1983). An art teacher in every
school: A political leadership resource for art
educators. Columbia, SC: Whitehall
Publishers.
House Bill 246, Texas Legislature. TAC section
21.101 (1981).
House Bill 72, Texas Legislature. TEC Section
13.032 (1984).
Some results of state art education association in-
fluence. (1985, February). NAEA News,
p. 5.
Survey shows you can influence changes in the
curriculum. (1985, April). NAEA News, p. 7.
Carolyn Pasterchik is an art teacher at
Round Rock High School, Round Rock,
Texas.TRENDS / fall 1985
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Texas Art Education Association. Texas Trends in Art Education, Volume 3, Number 1, Fall 1985, periodical, Autumn 1985; Dallas, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth279681/m1/9/?q=architectural+drawings: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas Art Education Association.