Autumn Roe is in her sixth year of teaching art at Anderson Elementary School in Bristol, Tennessee, and was named Tennessee Elementary Art Teacher of the Year in 2021. As an artist who regularly displays her own work, her goal is to educate her community about the art world.
Imagine an elementary school with a gallery space curated by students; plus, a Fine Arts Week in March featuring music, art, creative thinking in the regular classroom, meeting professionals in the arts community, watching ballet performances, participating in master classes and experiencing Lunch with a Show, starring many musical and artistic teachers. These innovative programs are ways that Roe involves her students and faculty in a school-wide approach to art education.
Roe wants her students to understand that technology is also a tool for creating art. Her grant writing team was awarded a TVA grant for STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and math), allowing her to implement 3D printing, 3D drawing and t-shirt design as a part of her curriculum.
“Bristol Tennessee City Schools is a tremendous supporter of the arts, providing a curriculum for all their art and music classes,” Roe says. “The state also provides standards that we are required to teach. When I teach, I use an approach called Choice-Based Learning. This way of teaching allows the students to drive what they are making instead of having them reproduce an example that I have created for them.
“A typical art class starts with a demo of a new technique, for example, ‘Watercolor Resists.’ I will show them how to use the tools properly and the best way to achieve different effects, then set them free. They have access to all the materials and every tool they need. But they drive their creation. This method gives the students a voice, allowing them to communicate what they want or need. While students are working, I will help them as needed, but they must ask three of their peers before they ever ask me. This process allows for creative collaboration, problem-solving and sometimes frustration. However, once they figure out that problem independently, they are proud of themselves and have a newfound confidence that they did not have before.”
A teaching philosophy that emphasizes allowing students time to learn how to solve problems by asking the right questions and collaborating with peers guides Roe’s instruction. She believes visual art, music and dance programs cultivate the creative thinkers that our society desperately needs. In Roe’s classroom the student is encouraged to ask questions, learn from their peers and embrace failure.
Roe credits her own teachers and colleagues as valuable contributors to her success. She mentions art teachers such as Manda Remmen, an artist and educator; Professor Charles Gooslby, an artist and educator; Jamie Hyder, her middle school art teacher; and Samantha Null, an art teacher and mentor.
“Faculty at Anderson Elementary who have served as collaborators and mentors include Joe Dixon and Dr. Ginger Christian, my first principal. They collectively played pivotal roles in shaping me into the educator I am today,” Roe states. “However, the one person who has helped shape who I am as an educator is Colleen Semones. She is the music teacher at Anderson Elementary School who has created a fantastic program where students perform at the state capital. She produces assemblies where families get involved with their child’s musical education. She was my mentor, when I was a first-year teacher in 2018. And she taught me so many things about how to teach the arts effectively. I am blessed to have had her along the way.”
Roe has received much recognition for her innovative approach to teaching art. In addition to her 2021 Tennessee Elementary Art Teacher of the Year award, she was a presenter at the National Art Educators Association Conference in 2019; was a lecturer at the Tennessee Arts Academy in 2020; was a lecturer in 2020 at the Tennessee Arts Education Association Conference. She has also posted several blogspots related to teaching elementary art.
