Going into my senior year of high school I had always hated doing icebreaker activities at the beginning of the year. I have never had any interest in students’ favorite color or animal. I’ve always been more interested in teachers’ lives outside of school. I mean we sit in their classrooms two to three days a week for an hour and a half and all we know is what they went to college for and how long they’ve been working at the high school. 

I think every department in the high school has some pretty interesting teachers but what department has the most underappreciated and most unique set of teachers you may wonder? The art department of course! I had the privilege to interview an art and photography teacher, Mrs. Duckworth, on her experience with art and its impact on her life in and out of school.

With 13 years under her belt and a previous 12 years working professionally with graphic design and advertising, Duckworth has clearly spent a good portion of her life surrounded by art. Though how did she know that art was going to be so prominent in her life? 

Well, Duckworth had already known at the age of 4. “…My mom and I were staying with some friends and I had a coloring book and crayons and I was in the guest bedroom … My mom went somewhere and when she came back I had colored with crayons on the wall and on the headboard of the bedroom where we were staying. My mom was so mad and she yelled at me a million times and she told me I was grounded from crayons for the rest of my life” 

Looks like Duckworth was a little rebellious! How’d she get those crayons back though? Well lucky for us she “…cried for four days” and “remembered laying under the coffee table and saying “I want my crayons!” and after four days she felt bad for me and gave me my crayons back”. 

Without her crayons us students might have not been privileged enough to have Mrs. Duckworth as one of our art teachers.

Mrs. Duckworth has learned a lot about herself and art throughout her years teaching though one thing stays consistent. Her positive attitude and her message to all new art students. Mrs. Duckworth tells her students that everyone can learn art if they’re willing to be taught. What good words Duckworth! 

I think that a lot of the teachers in the high school are underappreciated and dehumanized. So take some time to get to know your teachers and find a new love for something whether it be a sport or an art and make sure to say hello to Duckworth in the halls.