Yesterday a student asked to speak with me to thank us for creating Max the Mutt. He was excited about what he is learning, especially about painting which he’d been wary of and resistant to. Now, he told me, he was finding painting a great adventure and very exciting. He is a Concept Art student in year one, and that group has “bought in” to our philosophy. We believe that focus, concentration and attention are required to develop talent. Talking in studios is not permitted. Students can leave the class if they need to, or want to chat with someone, but while in the studio silence is the rule. The learning curve for any group that can harness and direct the energy of its members is impressive.
Later in the day, I heard comments that weren’t as positive from students who are having difficulties with the course work and don’t seem to buy in to the fact that studios need to be quiet places where one is focused on the work at hand.
They’ll learn something. Most of them will “pass,” even if it’s by the skin of their teeth, but they won’t get the pleasure of really feeling their own potential They’ll also impact the level of work they’ll be capable of in year two. If they catch on by year two to the need for serious focus, they may be able to work double hard, change their ‘habits of mind,’ and unleash their creative potential, but they’ll be struggling because their skill base won’t be as strong as it should be and they may not be able to pass all their courses. They’ll also impact the serious students in their group. They become an impediment.
You have to care to succeed. You have to be driven to do the best you are capable of, not just get by.
We have students who will need to repeat some or all of year one who have a good chance of success because they ARE serious, they do focus and they are giving it their best shot. They just need more time. We have one student who probably should switch to another school for a different type of program, but values what he’s learning this year and he too is giving it his best shot. One has to respect this kind of integrity of effort.
My belief is that integrity is what counts. All we can ask of ourselves, faculty, administration, students, is that we are doing our best. Usually it turns out that we are capable of more than we imagined. Why do so many students leave secondary school without understanding these basic truths?
There are important qualities necessary for success in life: focus, determination, consistent effort, the ability to deal with frustration. We also need to recognize that we are human. Sometimes we slip, or don’t live up to our own standards. Its our general mind set and intention and our ability to accept responsibility when we do slip that are most important. However, if we fail to understand what qualities, what mind set, is necessary in order to create a productive environment, how can we succeed?
Those students who are not applying themselves to learning to focus on their work, are not finding out what they are capable of. They have not given the work their best effort, and, worse, their lack of attention can affect the focus of students who really are trying. It’s the attitude, the pattern they are creating in their minds, that will block their success and is also an impediment to others. It can even impact the quality of instruction. Instructors are human: interested, hard working, motivated students inspire us to give more than is required.
We will work with students to help them to learn how to apply themselves, but if there is no change those students who are not seriously engaged will have to be asked to leave. We have no choice.
I have a hunch that some people believe you come to school, listen to the instructor and then, magically, you do great work. They just don’t seem to understand the amount of sheer hard work, practice and determination, that is involved in developing skills. They don’t seem to understand that in the end at least 75% of what happens is up to them. If you are studying something you have a real passion to do, you will embrace the hard work and live through the ups and downs we all experience. If you can’t take responsibility for educating yourself, you won’t develop. Development is a lifetime’s work, and a lifetime’s pleasure.
Most of what I’ve written today should have been communicated to students long before they graduated from high school! It’s essential preparation for any post secondary education.
Today I am frustrated. I like many of these students and I know the pleasures they are denying themselves. I also feel badly that their previous life experience and education didn’t teach them the basics necessary for personal growth.
We have half a semester left to turn this group around. If we can’t, we’ll have to ask them to withdraw. That’s the hard part of our job, but it’s what it means to run a school that values professional behavior and excellence.
Now I’ll try to think about all the truly excellent work that is being produced, all the students who value what we are trying to do. Very soon now I’ll be posting work from year 2 and 3 illustration students. They are getting the pleasure of reaping the rewards of their discipline and hard work.
