Teacher Erin Dilisio said the new elementary school offers a larger space for art lessons and exploration that is a “game changer” for students.
Elementary school students have art class with Dilisio or Rachel Eisenberg once a week for 40 minutes. From kindergarten through fourth grade, the teachers cover the “basics,” including color wheels, painting, pastels, art supplies, collage, 3D art and the principles of art.
“There’s an infinite number of things you can do with the principles of art, which makes this a fun job,” Eisenberg said. “I’ve always felt very supported in Swampscott, specifically from the families.”
Now in only its second school year as a single elementary school, Eisenberg said the “beautiful new art rooms” are exciting. Dilisio previously taught at the Stanley School, which was located at the current elementary school site, while Eisenberg split her time between Hadley Elementary and Clarke School.
“One of the cool things about the new room is that it has four sinks, which is a big deal to our teaching,” Dilisio said. “We each have a kiln. It’s pretty cool.”
Dilisio had a kiln at the Stanley School, but during construction of the new elementary school and throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, “we went without, so a lot of kids didn’t have it for a while.”
With the kiln now more accessible, the teachers were able to offer an after-school clay club program.
“It’s exciting because I did it in grad school,” Eisenberg said. “Even being able to offer it as an extra, or even at Clarke I wasn’t doing it at all because I was teaching out of a portable classroom, so it wasn’t even an option to do that kind of project with them. But with the space, we’re able to do 3D projects more…We just have a great, big beautiful space and we’re able to do just more large-scale projects.”
For elementary school students, the art teachers said the space offers a reprieve of kinds.
“Especailly at the elementary school age, even at a young age now, there’s a lot more stress, even in academics, and definitely at the older age,” Eisenberg said. “But (art) is a discipline that teaches patience and critical thinking but in an environment that is fun and experimental.”
A report from Americans for the Arts shows that young people who participate in arts education for at least three hours a day, three days a week throughout a full year are four times more likely to be recognized for academic achievement, participate in math and science fairs, or win awards for essays or poems compared to children who do not participate. A 2010 study of Missouri public schools also found that arts education resulted in fewer disciplinary infractions and led to higher test scores and graduation rates.
Art instruction has been shown to help children develop motor, social, decision-making, risk-taking and language skills.
“It’s like a universal language,” Dilisio said. “If you don’t have the language skills, you can communicate through your art and express your emotions. I think that’s so important for children at this age.”
Dilisio added that art allows children to make mistakes in a safe space, as projects can go in any direction they choose.
“It’s a safe space for them to just be themselves,” Eisenberg said. “There’s not this pressure that there needs to be a right way…Life is so stressful. It’s a time when kids spend a lot of time on screens. For us, we definitely really value hands-on experience.”
The growth the teachers see in students from kindergarten through fourth grade is “the most magical thing in the whole entire world,” Eisenberg said. Because the art teachers work with students for multiple years rather than just one, “we watch them grow up.”
Eisenberg and Dilisio also keep a portfolio of students’ self-portraits over the years. Kindergarten drawings are “like a little potato,” with heads and arms emerging, progressing through stick figures. By fourth grade, the portraits appear more realistic and human-like.
“I get the best part of these kids’ childhood, and I get to watch it and do art projects.” Eisenberg said. “It’s so amazing.”
