Creative Teachers Inspire and Empower Creative Students, a Teacher's Perspective

Please enjoy this post from guest blogger Philip Razem - 7th grade teacher at Martin Behrman Charter School

Philip Razem in his classroom

It’s quite fashionable for leaders to say that there is no “silver bullet” to fix America’s education pitfalls, and they might be right, but I believe the best medicine we possess as educators in the most innovative country in the world is our understanding that creative teachers inspire and empower creative students.  In other words, the best lessons are not learned from memorizing facts from a textbook, but facilitated by teachers and students using Art with a capital “A”.  I know my classroom will benefit from joining Louisiana’s A+ network in the same way a bowl of rich bread pudding will benefit from a drizzle of warm, sweet rum sauce: on its own, its an engaging environment rich in student engagement and “a-ha” moments, but with that extra kick – arts integration – it will be the most popular place for anyone with a sweet tooth, or in this case, with an inquisitive mind yearning to learn in new, exciting ways.  I look forward to surrounding myself with educators who love teaching with an art form and displaying their work for the whole school, city, country, and world to see.  I have seen how arts integration works in the middle school classroom, and hope to further my knowledge and application of it for future students. 

Mr. Razem's students try foods listed in a
novel read in class, Theodore Taylor's The Cay

I think the most exciting A+ Essential is “Climate” because when a student feels excited about attending a specific class due to how it is taught, his or her positive outlook will spill over onto every other aspect of his or her life.  Not only will students be engaged, but teachers’ attitudes will improve and the school en masse will function more efficiently and consistently. After arts integration is incorporated in every classroom, students’ behavior will improve and lessons will be described more as “fun” than the dreaded “boring.”

Debate team victory at a
Tulane University Debate Competition.

I have been teaching 7^th grade English Language Arts and Reading at Martin Behrman Charter School for the past 3 years.  Before that, I was a United States Peace Corps Volunteer in the People’s Republic of China where I taught English to Chinese university students in Beibei, Chongqing.  This experience – learning a new language, integrating into a foreign culture, and comparing educational systems - was so impactful that when I returned to America, I promised myself to always prioritize the two elements of education essential in creating 21^st century world citizens: creativity and critical thinking.  So, for the last three years, I’ve tried to teach meaningful, inspiring lessons that force students to get up out of their chairs and literally act out otherwise mundane material in a meaningful way, all while the audience provides constructive criticism.  My love of using technology in the classroom inspired me to start a class blog – razembehrmancharter.blogspot.com – where I’ve documented my students’ 
achievements using arts integration.  This blog’s materials represent 
exactly why I love teaching.