By Maureen Zegel
Last fall, Parkway South High School art teacher Stacey Larson, ’13, ’16, was about to begin an all-virtual semester, a first for both teachers and students. She had just received a huge order of clay for her students, who would now be asked to turn the clay into works of art at home.
“I kept telling myself that even if teaching looks totally different, my students will still benefit from this class,” she said. “We need to get creative and problem solve.” Unlike other school subjects, ceramics, with its specialized equipment such as pottery wheels and kilns that reach 1,800 degrees, doesn’t adapt well to virtual learning. Larson, who also teaches 3D design and sculpture, continued to improvise.
The first week, each student picked up a 25-pound bag of clay and a basic set of tools. “The students were such good sports,” she said. “I told them they needed to give their block of clay a personality … dress it up, give it a name. I needed an activity to break the ice, and they had way more fun with it than I expected.”
The Parkway students soon adjusted to Zoom meetings and asking for help through a screen. “Their projects had to be hand-built, and simple,” Larson said. “They made mugs, planters, vases. They had to find tools at home like spatulas or credit cards to smooth the clay out. Students used bottles and glass jars to roll clay into a slab. It was wild.”
Larson said the problem solving continued throughout the semester, with teachers and students using laptops, iPads and other devices equipped with cameras to teach at one end and learn at the other. Larson said she began to enjoy the changes.
“For the first time I was in the students’ homes, seeing how they live and what they have to deal with,“ she said. “I got to know a different side of my students. I learned the names of their pets, and even got to know siblings.”
This semester, everyone has returned to in-person learning at Parkway South. “My favorite part of teaching is when students are invested in their ideas and bring their own enthusiasm to the room, which was harder for them to convey over Zoom,” she said. “Our art department is a home for so many students. I am glad to be back in my room where I can love and support my students better academically and as a whole.”