This semester, I (or Mx. Zoey, as my students know me), completed my student teaching apprenticeship at the Grand Rapids Child Discovery Center (GRCDC) in their art studio. Alongside GRCDC’s wonderful art teachers, I taught all kinds of art to students in kindergarten through fifth grade. I quickly took the lead with the fourth grade classes, as they went on a journey into comic art. Comic creation is one of my interests and I was especially enthusiastic about sharing that passion with my students.
The fourth graders at GRCDC are an incredibly creative group of artists, and are always exploring new ways to express themselves. Their first project of the winter semester was to create superhero self-portraits, where each student illustrated themselves as both their everyday self and their superhero counterpart. This project was an exciting way for students to tap into their imaginations while also reflecting their own identities. Through these portraits, their unique personalities and art styles were able to shine brightly.
Their superhero self-portraits were then selected to be part of the Art Education Showcase at Grand Valley State University’s Calder Fine Arts Center. The showcase highlighted the work of teacher apprentices and interns by featuring student artwork generated from lessons they had taught. It was a fantastic opportunity for my fourth graders to have their work displayed in a professional setting, and for me to showcase their talents.
After the showcase, students built upon the skills they developed in character creation and design to begin a new project: a short-form, three-panel comic strip. With this project, they explored visual storytelling. I guided them through understanding the parts of a comic and emphasized how the elements work together to create interesting stories. The panel comics created by fourth graders at GRCDC will be posted for viewing here.
The experience and knowledge that students developed from making their three-panel comics will serve them well as they transition into their next project: team comics. In this project, each student will become part of a collaborative team responsible for creating a full-page comic. This exercise is designed to simulate the comic creation process, where artists work together to create a final product. Within their teams, each student will be assigned a specific job title and a set of tasks, encouraging them to focus on different parts of comic production. Whether they are in charge of story writing, panel layout, character design or background art, each team member will play an important role in bringing the team’s vision to life.
The fourth graders at GRCDC are incredibly dedicated to their artistic vision and work with meticulous attention to detail. I have been consistently impressed by their ability to think critically and find creative solutions when faced with challenges. While I’ve been teaching the them about comic creation, they have been teaching me too. They consistently demonstrate fresh perspectives, unique storytelling approaches and an eagerness to push artistic boundaries. This exchange of knowledge has been a rewarding aspect of my student teaching experience, always reminding them and myself that learning is a two-way street.
This semester at GRCDC has been a truly memorable experience, filled with creativity, collaboration and inspiration. The fourth graders have shown just how much heart and dedication can go into comic creation, proving that storytelling through art is not only fun, but also deeply meaningful. As they move forward with their artistic endeavors, one thing is certain: these young artists have a bright and imaginative future ahead of them.
I want all GRCDC students to know I have loved every moment of student teaching; I am so proud of the artwork and growth that I was lucky enough to witness.
