This episode is part of the former Art Class Curator podcast and is targeted specifically for art teachers. 

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Believe it or not, the pandemic had its bright side. During this tumultuous year, we’ve had so many teachers across the nation successfully use our SPARK Hybrid curriculum. They're sharing amazing stories about how they are SPARKing interest with art students and connecting with works of art. Today, I interviewed one of those teachers, Staci Sterenberg, who’s taught grades K-8 at a Chicago parochial school for 19 years.

Staci Sterenberg is a teaching artist living in Chicago. Her work as an art educator has brought her into classrooms and learning spaces for all ages and her art practice ranges in media from mosaic to sculpture to crochet. Her mission as an educator is to promote and value the creative experience while facilitating exploration in a variety of media. Her perfect world is a place where curiosity and creativity are free to discover and where mistakes are detours and not dead ends. Staci holds a Bachelor's in Studio Art from Michigan State University and a Master's of Art Education from the School of the Art institute of Chicago.

In this episode, she and I discuss her feelings about being an artist, how the Coronavirus impacted her classroom, and the unexpected gifts she received from the pandemic. We also dive into some of the amazing lessons from SPARK that her kids participated in and greatly enjoyed this past school year.

4:18​ - How Staci’s history lead her to teach art

6:19 - How SPARK influenced Staci’s education philosophy in the classroom

8:27 - Why Staci felt with her district and administration at the start of the school year
13:09 - A SPARK lesson that went particularly well with Staci’s 4th graders
17:24 - What made the lesson Staci found for her 7th and 8th grade classes so timely

23:01 - The art piece that proved to be a misstep for Staci’s e-learning students

30:23 - How the art teacher community online came together at the start of lockdown

32:16 - Staci’s big, one-word takeaway from this year to use in future years

35:54 - A false belief many people have about being a good artist

38:29 - How art got Staci through the pandemic and her identity crisis as COVID hit

44:42 - The blanket decision that prompted Staci to leave her school district

47:13 - A life philosophy that Staci learned from an old boss and wants to pass down

Transcript at https://artclasscurator.com/68