Award Winner Insists 'you Gotta Have Art'

Years ago, Ruth Beatty melted down bits of crayons her elementary art pupils had discarded and formed them into mulü-colored pencils that made rainbows with one magical whisk and transformed everything into a zoo of color. Since then, high-paid industrial idea men have devised just such a crayon, now sold commercially by a leading firm. I Mrs. Beatty laughs a little over that. Perhaps if she had been a better business woman she'd be marketing cra1 yons now. Instead, she is art coördinator for the Ann Arbor Public Schools and the recent recipiënt of an award from the Michigan Art Education Association as one of the state's five outstanding art teachers of the year. She also is a delightful woman who has made a career out of trying to teach people to think more creatively. Born and raised in Bucks County Pa., Mrs. Beatty graduated from Penn State and taught for more than 21 years in Pennsylvania schools. Six years ago she came to Ann Arbor at the urging of friehds. She earned a master's degree at the University and began teaching in Ann Arbor public schools. She has never regretted the move. "Ann Arbor is a thousand light years away from Philadelphia," Mrs. Beatty says emphatically. "You don't get the same sort of phony southern hospitality you do in Philadelphia, but you do see more open smiles. Ann Arbor has given me . the encouragement to think of new ideas and to be receptive to new ideas." Mrs. Beatty operates out of a pleasant clutter of paper and books in an office at the school administration building. Under a sign which says, "Defer Judgment," she oversees the art programs of the schools and attempts to be an ombudsman to her staff. It is well-known, however, that Mrs. Beatty can be lured away to take over a class as a substitute teacher without a moment's notice. "I say, if you're an administrator, you should be with kids at least one day a month - and no way out," she reasons. Sporting her "You Gotta Have Art" button, Mrs. Beatty is likely to be seen hiking or taking pictures, accompanied by her husband Donald. On one trip, Mrs. Beatty, a confirmed naturalist who loves weeds and wildflowers, absconded with a puffball that was growing unnoticed behind a downtown store. Her real love, however, is you " pie and how to prod them into realizing I their creative abilities. "So many people are killed by one ■ - - - ■ negative response," she says, shaking her head. "Instead, we should instill a love of learning at an early age. Children should love to learn, no matter what grades they get." Art education, to Mrs. Beatty's way of thinking, is the key to opening children's minds to the world around them. Children are taught to "shut up and listen" from the second grade on, she says. "We're taught that there's only one way to do things. Rules, rules, rules," she says disapprovingly, as though recalling her own schoolgirl days. "We get habits that impede our creativity. We develop excuses for not doing things. We don't teach the courage to explore. "I think you gain greater faith if you're allowed to question. I think you have to search and invite search." Mrs. Beatty would be the first to admit that art is often taught according to the rules, rules, rules she complains about. But if she hád her way, things would be different. "Art to me is the basis for basic education. You can teach English, math and all the social sciences in the art lab," she explains. "When a young child draws a picture, he wants to teil you about it or read about it. Instead of planting a story in his mind, we should let him give." Rather than teach children to regurgitate facts, Mrs. Beatty thinks teachers should be equipping students with the tools to be creative problem-solvers. To her, that means teaching a method of creative thinking that involves openended questioning, brainstorming, factfinding and the judicious use of silence. She thinks teachers should not be afraid of long silences in the classroom - silences which allow pupils to ponder a subject. Of course, the ability to "defer judgment" is an integral part of the method. The motto implies that one must try to avoid the shopworn solutions to problems. ''We're too slow to experiment because we're too afraid it won't work," Mrs. Beatty says. An example of this is the compulsión schools feel about grading. Grading an art project is one of the most difficult assignments for a teacher. "We always fight not to grade," says Mrs. Beatty. "But if we don't grade, we're considered a frill subject. So we give grades." Compromise is the name of the game if you're an art teacher, because there I are those who woulü just as soon do I away with the subject. "We still haven't 'sold' art, mainly ' ecause we haven't taujfht art teachers how to be verbal," Mrs. Beatty notes. "People think it costs money and they don't understand what it has to give. Art is one of the few subjects where a child can achieve despite intellect or economie situation." To Mrs. Beatty, education is teaching children how to do the things they will do on the outside world in a better way. This means the teacher must straddle the line between domination of a child's mind and extreme permissiveness. "Teaching is the most dangerous profession anyone can be in," says Mrs. Beatty, her long years of experience glinting in her eyes. "You walk a tightrope in the classroom. Regardless of what teachers say, you're going to manipúlate minds. It's a dangerous game." Instead of being a "sage on the stage," Mrs. Beatty says the teacher should be a "guide on the side." She encourages her teachers not to have desks in the room and to work unobtrusively. Above all, Mrs. Beatty seems to like teachers who have enthusiasm and who can stir things up. That requirement is probably a throwback to her own stormy fouüi which is laced with examples of I tier bouts with the establishment. Her graying hair, grandmother status I and frank admission of birth date are I the only clues to Mrs. Beatty's 50 years. I In philosophy, she is under-30 and I ly spanning the generation gap. A health food advocate, Mrs. Beatty I belongs to the "you are what you eat" I school. She opts for whole foods and I brown breads. I An injury to her right hand has all but forced Mrs. Beatty to givTTïpnerper sonal art work. Etching had been her I favorite medium. "Besides," she laughs, "years ago I I looked at m y work and decided I museums could do without it." Not so easily swayed on other I ters, however, she has pledged undying I allegiance to the cause of art education. "I'm just nasty enough to live long I enough to see some of my ideas imple-l mented." m (picture on next page)