Today is Jaon Mraz‘s birthday and, as his blog post suggests, today is also a great day to give out some well deserved gratitude. Today I’d like to send out some huge thanks to two teachers from my yester-years. When I was in Ontario two weeks ago, I stopped in to see these two – still working hard in my old high school.
Andy McClure: Media Art / Photography Teacher Extraordinaire.
I spent more hours inhaling fumes in a darkroom or creating art pieces by combining print ads thanks to him than I’m sure any of my other teachers would have liked me to. He warned me though – “If you take my class you will never enjoy TV, magazines, or movies the same way again.” Maybe it was the fumes, but his warning was quite accurate. He made my brain look for patterns in images and people, find colours in film noirs, and think about what good “branding” really means. He pushed me to create art, not just to be creative with art. A big thanks to him for opening up my mind.
Shawn Perry: Math Teacher -slash- twin?
While art is expected to get us thinking outside the box, you would expect that math would keep one’s mind inside it. Not with Perry over here. My best memory of his efforts to infuse creativity in Math was to give us writing assignments to further our understanding of mathematical equations. Who knew that y=mx+b could be the inspiration for a comedic script! He was young, energetic and looked strangely like he could have been my older brother. After checking in recently, the similarities and resemblance still exist. And now he is a social media addict! Weird, but cool all at the same time. He was always a great example of the power of being authentic and embracing your creative side (even when faced with confining parameters). A big thanks to him for demonstrating how to add personality to your profession.
Click below to read this awesome cartoon he found:
Even though this gratitude is long overdue, know that I think this two gents are exemplary teachers that I wish more students could have in their educational experience.
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