Special Reunion of Former Students from SMU:

26 Amazing Master Teachers Who Made the Magic in the Experimental Arts Program that Won International Acclaim in 1968-74!

On Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 3^rd, the TreeHouse was filled with joyful creative energy and amazing stories from 26 former students who taught me so much during their student years at Southern Methodist University.  I was an assistant professor of Art Education and together with Charley Helfert, who was head of the Theatre Education Department; Dr. Marcia Schramm, Head of Dance Education, Dr. Barbara Beggs, Head of Special Education and the Music Education faculty we created a fun and exciting experience for youngsters centered in the arts. 

Five former students called in by Skype and all shared their stories of what they learned in those extraordinary days and how they had invested these learnings into their lives over the 40 years since.  Clearly this gave me such healing energy as I heard inspiring stories of setting high goals, doing a great deal in spite of limited resources, teaming with unlikely yet highly synergistic partners, daring to attempt the impossible (and succeeding most of the time) and finding one’s personal, unique Calling .

What I realized was that my early roots in servant leadership grew out of this time in my teaching career.  I hadn’t sought the move from teaching in public schools (DISD) to becoming a university professor.  In fact, I had resisted it for several years, always feeling that I had so much more to learn from children in the classroom.  I didn’t feel ready.  But one day in the Spring of 1968, my principal, Wade Thompson called me in for another one of his coaching sessions on, “It’s time to think about teaching teachers at the university level.”  When I countered that I needed more time in the classroom he said, “Let me explain it this way.  You are a very creative and non-traditional teacher who has a special gift in that you are able to reach the creative spirit of any child no matter how troubled, disabled or withdrawn they might be.  I’m retiring at the end of this year and I am not sure I can find another principal who will run interference for you and the highly creative program you have designed.  We need many more teachers like you who know how to awaken the curiosity and joy to learn in the heart of every child.  You need to go to the university level and recruit a different kind of person into the teaching profession.”  And so I did.  I had offers from five colleges and universities.  SMU was the one that approved my plan to found The Experimental Arts Program, a place where college students could participate with children all four years while in college to discover the art of teaching and whether teaching was their true passion.  I had probably at least a dozen student teachers over the ten years of my teaching career in public schools and a few discovered in their senior year while student teaching that teaching was not for them.  Yet because they had invested four years earning their teaching degree they felt stuck and went on to teach.  To me this was a tragedy for the children.  A teacher gets to decide whether to teach or not.  Children don’t get to choose their teacher and can’t trade teachers if their teacher really doesn’t like students or the challenges of teaching.  So this was how I found myself at SMU in the fall of 1968, teaching two classes of youngsters on Saturdays with my college students who were enrolled in Art Education.  And this is how I attracted the most amazing team of soon-to-become highly gifted master teachers who would run the Experimental Arts Program including 13 Community Learning Labs and several Interterm Practicums which took them to some of the most innovative educational settings in the nation.

Thanks to the dedication of our AMCA Summer Intern, Stephen Hayes, (who spear-headed the I.T. efforts), Luis Duran Aparicio (who served as technology mentor), former students, Mary Hayes, Margie Flora Allen and Karen Crocombe Guerin, this team invested huge numbers of hours scanning, sorting and organizing a closet full of slides, catalogues, newspaper stories and other memorabilia for viewing.  We have dedicated a section of our website to share what we learned during these amazingly synergistic years of teaming with professionals all over the city from Children’s Medical Center, Texas Scottish Rite Hospital, Callier Speech and Hearing Center, West Dallas Community Center, Rhoades Terrace Early Childhood Center, Highland Park Presbyterian Day School, Booker T. Washington School for Dyslexic Children and several more.

The first phase is a gallery of over 1,500 slides you can easily access and download or view as slide shows.  We will be adding stories to many of these.  Soon we will share the personal stories from several of those early student teachers who have gone on to become nationally recognized for their art as painters, sculptors, jewelers and gallery owners, play writes, a Teacher of the Year for her state at both the Jr. and Sr. High Level, Director of Arts Education for his school district, teachers in religious institutions, mom’s with the creative courage to home school their families, an attorney working as a social advocate and many others.

You can browse through the early catalogues and enjoy some of the early photographs, creative names of classes and descriptions and narrative of why and how this program was unique and pace-setting in the field.  Indeed it was servant leadership in many ways.  We believe that the most effective teaching means listening deeply to and learning from each child as they discover their special interests.  Opening doors of opportunity for them to express their creative muse and discover a need for learning to become the powerful, innovative person they long to grow into.  Our role was to create a rich environment and unique motivations that unlocked the imagination of each youngster.  It was about developing mutual trust for the creative spirit within each of us and creating a safe place for it to blossom and mature. We called our work, Imagination’s Growing Place….and indeed it was for us all!

Robert K. Greenleaf said, “Nothing much happens without a dream.  And for something great to happen it takes a great dream.”  This was truly an incubator for the great dreams for many young future teachers and the students of all ages and backgrounds who taught us all so much about the dignity and hunger to find one’s voice and speak one’s truth.   I suggest that this is servant leadership alive within the art of teaching.