I still remember the first time that I held a 35 mm camera in my hand. I was in college, taking a photography class for the first time. The feeling that I had when I developed those first pictures and saw the stories that they told was profound.
My students are fun, curious typical middle schoolers.
They think that photography is a selfie and that everyone is a photographer. I teach in an urban school in the middle of a rural area. Most of my kids are eligible for free and reduced lunch and have limited knowledge, access and unfortunately, interest in the arts.
My Project
Through photography, I hope to teach my students to look at their environment differently, in an artistic way. I want them to see that we all have stories to tell, no matter who or where we are. I hope to collaborate with my student's English-Language Arts teachers to motivate our students to write about the thing that they know the best-themselves and their world. Students will work individually or in pairs, students will learn about composition and taking thoughtful pictures, not just 'happy snaps'. I want them to be able to see that, as cliche' as it sounds, every picture truly does tell a story.
I hope that through their photographs, students will see the beauty in their world.
I want them to realize that their experiences are as valid as everyone else's and just as important. I want them to be able to express themselves through a new medium and to think about the things that they see every day in a different, artful way.
Nearly all students from low‑income households
Data about students' economic need comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education. Learn more
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