Robert Bresson said, “Make visible what, without you, might never have been seen.” What might have never been seen if you, my dear art teacher, had not made it visible? Photography was my first love as an artist. Photographs can validate our existence. They convey messages. They tell our stories and show us places, people, moods, and moments. Placing cameras in the hands of children is like giving them a permission slip to choose moments to freeze forever, by their own design. It’s empowering. I have also observed that photography can bring people together.
Art teachers advocate for their programs, their students, and themselves. Young students foster positivity and intergenerational connection through mandala displays, elementary students collaborate with a local artist to problem-solve and construct papier-mâché houses, middle-school students create illustrated dictionary pages to share with the community, high-school photography club students use their voices to advocate for a full class, and more.
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