Episode Details

Anthony Godfrey:
Hello and welcome to the Supercast. I'm your host, Superintendent Anthony Godfrey. She's bringing out the inner artist in young students with creativity and confidence. On this episode of the Supercast, we meet an amazing visual arts teacher at Westvale Elementary School, helping students realize their potential and possibilities by engaging them in art projects that are both fun and exciting. We're here with Mrs. Rachel Henderson, who is the visual arts educator for Westvale Elementary. Thanks for spending time with us today.

Rachel Henderson:
Thanks for coming, appreciate it.

Anthony Godfrey:
The reason I'm here is because I was at the school for some other reasons, walking around, and I saw your room. I couldn't resist it and I wanted to know more about it. So we're back and I just want to find out, first of all, tell us a little bit about your background in coming to this position. Then let's talk about what you do here and why it's so important.

Rachel Henderson:
Okay, great. So I have my degree in fine arts, so I have a BFA. I got that in Idaho and moved here with my husband's job. When you get your kids into the school system, they ask you to come and do PTA. So we do PTA. They ask you to come volunteer. So I did all those things. Then all of a sudden they're like, “Hey, you have a teaching degree, come teach for us.” So it kind of just fell into my lap. I've been teaching art here for about eight years now. My degree is in secondary, but I have a certification for elementary. So they hired me through the BTS, Beverley Taylor Sorenson Learning Arts Program. They hired me through that program, which is amazing. I've been doing it ever since, and I just love it the best job ever. I can't think of anything I'd rather do.

Anthony Godfrey:
The BTS program is really exciting because it has allowed us to expand the art offerings, performing and visual, in all of our elementary schools so that everyone has a specialist or a teacher that can help out. I love your enthusiasm for it. Your enthusiasm is obvious as you look around the classroom. There is not a square inch that isn't covered with something related to art, and yet it all feels very calm and very inviting. Can you tell me a little bit about what you have up around the classroom here to draw kids in?

Rachel Henderson:
So I figure you better be, you know, inspired by the art room. I've got hard work cut out for me. So I just like to make it colorful. I want it happy. No matter what's going on with the kids during the day, I want them to come into the art room and be happy. Kind of have that aha moment like, ‘oh, I can breathe. I can relax. I can just be’. So the happier I can make it the better. The more inspiring I can make it the better. So color to me is the obvious choice. We take advantage of the rainbow for sure.

Anthony Godfrey:
Everything is color-coded and there are lots of messages that jump out. One of them, ‘The growth mindset versus the fixed mindset’. I suppose you probably run into that when teaching art. “I'm not an artist, so I don't, you know, I'm not good at art.” How do you address that?

Rachel Henderson:
So our first project, this year, addresses that head on. We did a little project by Peter Reynolds, The Dot. It's about a little girl who's very, very unsure of herself. Doesn't think she's an artist. Doesn't think she can draw or do anything. Her teacher just gives her great advic