Share
Display Dilemma!
If I display artwork, I display the whole class. All kids deserve to have their art displayed and deserve to feel great about seeing their artwork in the hallways, no matter what it looks like. The same few kids always get picked and tagged as “the best”… But who is helping to boost the confidence of the kids who don’t normally get the spotlight?
I think it’s the job of the art teacher to show the creativity and skills of all students.
Some teachers only choose the best out of each class to display. This practice always makes me feel uneasy, but I am always impressed at how nice their bulletin boards look and grapple with this moral dilemma.
This board I recently put up displayed the whole class’s artwork:
However, on this board, I choose my favorites from each class (for the first time ever):
Both look great. But one makes me feel really good about myself, and the other makes me feel guilty for leaving kids out. So, I am faced with a “Display Dilemma!”
Should you display the whole class or pick the best out of each class?
What do you do?
Magazine articles and podcasts are opinions of professional education contributors and do not necessarily represent the position of the Art of Education University (AOEU) or its academic offerings. Contributors use terms in the way they are most often talked about in the scope of their educational experiences.
Jessica Balsley is AOEU’s Founder and a former AOEU Writer and elementary art educator. She is passionate about helping art teachers enhance their lives and careers through relevant professional development.
