Hello, art teachers,
I hope you are staying warm! What an unusual winter this has become. I've been enjoying watching birds, deer, and other wildlife venture out to search for food, and I love the patterns created by the snow cover. I hope you've found beauty, too, in this extreme weather.
 
A new AEI initiative is underway. Under the direction of the Department of Education, a team of Visual Art Instructors has been assembled to write a document that illustrates how the Visual Arts can teach the Iowa Core Curriculum. When our document is complete, the DoE will have another team combine several Fine Arts areas together into a single document. This is our opportunity to become a presence within the Iowa Core Curriculum, and to remind school administrators across the state that the Fine Arts are critical to preparing students for the 21st century.
 
The people on this writing team are serving as your voice, so if you have thoughts or concerns about what should be included, please contact one of the team members. The team includes Andrew McCormick, Becky Kobos, Cappie Dobyns, Chris Noel, Hannah Greve, Joel Franken, Kassi Nelson, Rachel Williams, Ronda Sternhagen, Shanise Brockshus, Suann Evans, Tammy Hoppe, and Wendy Miller.
 
So far we have only met online, using GoToMeetings.com, but we have face-to-face meetings scheduled for February. The DoE is hoping that each discipline's document can be finished by spring break, so work on the combined document can begin.
 
Our next meeting of the AEI Board of Directors is on January 30, 2010, 10:30 am, at the State Historical Building in Des Moines. The snow date is February 6. All members of the AEI are welcome to attend any of the board meetings, so please come and join us.

 
Maggie Parks
mparks1023@gmail.com