Written by AFA Intern Danaley Silan
May 6, 2022: Kindergarten Virtual Classroom with Teaching Artist Mélissa Smith at Renaissance Charter School: Jackson Heights
Teaching artist Mélissa Smith teaches Arts For All classes virtually via StreamYard, a live-streaming platform that allows her to connect with students face-to-face despite being in different places. Today, she taught a class for a school in Jackson Heights using this platform. The class will be learning about the United States of America all throughout the month of May, so in this art class, Mélissa taught students about the history of the White House and how it stands as a symbol for the American people.
First, Mélissa told the children about where the White House is located and how it came to be built. Then, she essentially gave the students a virtual tour of the White House, explaining the different rooms and noting fun facts about the building throughout. After having learned about the White House and some of its defining characteristics, the class then played a game. Mélissa would make a statement, and then students would have to decide whether said statement described the White House or Mélissa’s house. At the end of the class, students were given a White House coloring page to take home.
Mélissa is an energetic and extremely engaging art teacher who is able to captivate her students through just a screen. From the camera set in the classroom, I could see how eager the students were to listen to Mélissa and what she was teaching. I could feel the same amount of excitement among the kids that I did when observing classes in person. The physical barrier does not deter Arts For All from carrying out their mission. Observing how well the class was taught virtually and seeing how passionate Mélissa was in her ways of teaching serves as a reminder for just how determined and committed Arts For All is to bringing quality arts education to the children of New York.
