YALA Celebrates Teaching Artists for National Arts in Education Week: Find out how you can celebrate them, too!
Young Audiences of Louisiana Celebrates National Arts in Education Week 2021.
Young Audiences of Louisiana (YALA) joins the celebration of the arts this week for National Arts in Education Week. National Arts in Education Week is a national celebration recognizing the transformative power of the arts in education. Passed by Congress in 2010 through House Resolution 275, the celebration is designated to bring attention to this cause for elected officials and educational decision makers across the country and to support equitable access to the arts for all students.
This year, Arts in Education Week is September 12-18 and YALA chooses to spend this time thanking our teaching artists for the gifts they give to educators and students. Our teaching artists are professional artists and educators who teach their art form in school classrooms, afterschool and summer programs, and community workshops. Parents and educators alike notice the difference in their young learners.
“We’re working on narrative writing,” said a fifth grade teacher in YALA’s Comprehensive Arts-Integrated School Model (CAISM) Program. “Mr. Jon taught my afternoon class. My morning class was working on the same thing but they had Jon for science. After looking at the data between the two classes, my afternoon class had 88% mastery of their narrative writings versus 52% mastery in the morning class who did not get Mr. Jon for their narrative writing! I was so happy with these results.”
Even educators who participated in virtual residencies noticed the difference. “The children in my classroom still talk about the animals that they chose for the program and I learned a lot from Nanette,” said a special education teacher in the CAISM Program. “I feel it was more effective when Nanette was in person as she was for last year, but I understand it was necessary to have it virtual due to COVID. The children did enjoy the class and did look forward to having her come.”
Although some teaching artists planned to return to the classroom this year, most are still waiting to do so due to the aftermath of Hurricane Ida. As we wait, we reflect on their impact in photos and quotes from our program participants. Take a look at our gallery and help us celebrate teaching artists by contributing to our Hurricane Ida Relief Fund for YALA Teaching Artists!
YALA Teaching Artist worked within public health safety protocols and co-taught virtual residencies for much 2020. As protocols relaxed, some teaching artists were able to return to the classroom in 2021.
“I just wanted to thank you all for being so flexible with our crazy schedules and helping my students. I hope we get the opportunity to work with Young Audiences next year!”
“When you’re doing sequencing for comprehension and allowing the kids
to make up different movements to it....they remember those movements. So, the retention span with them learning a story and remembering a story is
higher when we integrate arts versus just reading a story.”
“The children in my classroom still talk about the animals that they chose for the program and I learned a lot from Nanette. It would be great if it was a weekly class for the whole year! My students did miss it when the week was over and so did I. ”
“Your class is such a beautiful treat to our Saturday and a celebration of sweetness and fresh water and LIFE! Vivi is so funny— as soon as we hang up the video, she starts singing! And when we were looking at the sky this evening, she brought up the painting and buffalo soldiers. You are making quite an impression on her. That’s probably why she’s studying so intensely throughout your class! ”