Vicki Hoffman: applying creativity to a complex challenge
February 27th, 2010 | By: Fred Nystrom
What do you do when you confront a challenging situation, with no easy solution in sight? Most people rant for a bit and then walk away figuring that nothing can be done. Many say, “The problem is too big and I am too small to make a difference.”
Vicki Hoffman (green sweater) and fellow art docent Shelly Vollstedt lead a teacher workshop.
Fortunately for our community, Vicki Hoffman had a different perspective when she arrived in Issaquah 14 years ago and found our school district had been forced to make significant cutbacks in funding of arts education, due in great part to the unequal funding of education by our state.
Although May is Arts Education Month in Washington and politicians tout the value of art as part of a well-rounded education, they seem to do little to support it. Washington state legislature passed a mandate all students receive a comprehensive sequential K-12 education in the arts, but like many education programs, they left the mandate unfunded.
While this is a nationwide issue, the Issaquah school district has only one elementary school with an art specialist. In middle schools, art is an elective taught by teachers who are also teaching a primary subject such as math, which means they may not even have any background in art. There are art teachers in high schools where it is also an elective, but is a required credit needed for high school graduation. This leaves the majority of students passing through the district from kindergarten to high school with few opportunities to engage in the arts.
Vicki Hoffman has a passion for the arts (defined as visual, dance, drama and music) and the advantages for students of learning arts. Her training as an art therapist reinforces her belief in the value of the arts in the educational process. She is quick to point out how art and music are tied to higher test scores and suggests that parents make sure their children’s education includes art to equip them with the 21st century learning skills they need to succeed.
After a two-year term as PTA president at Clark Elementary, Vicki made the decision to throw her bountiful energy into helping Issaquah School District students receive more arts education. While she is the first to say that it was not a one-woman effort, Vicki is a great motivator and has encouraged hundreds of people to join her efforts.
Slowly, Vicki and her colleagues began to revive the district’s volunteer Art Docent program with support and funding from local PTA groups. Today, there are trained art docents in almost every elementary school in the district. This year, thanks to Donna Gelinas, grade level lesson plans are available on the PTSA Council website for docents and teachers to utilize. There are now docents volunteering at Tiger Mountain High School and Echo Glen. Most any teacher who wants a docent can be partnered with one.
A training program is in place to equip docents with the knowledge of various techniques and materials to tie art lessons with applicable academic subjects.
To fund this expansive and vital program, Vicki and others, such as fellow art docent Connie Rawson, spend a good deal of time writing grant requests and hunting for art supplies and materials. Vicki has been described as squeezing the most out of each dime from her Issaquah Arts Commission Grants.
Vicki helps coordinate the volunteer program using Art Docent Chairs at each school and acts as the Art Liaison to the PTA Council Board, keeping them up to date on the successes and challenges. She is also coordinating art opportunities within the Issaquah Community, such as ArtEast classes and Students Show.
Thanks to another grant from the Issaquah Arts Commission, in 2009 Vicki spearheaded a middle school art program at the drop in center run by Katie Hirshberg at the Issaquah Community Center.
In the future, Vicki wants to partner with the school district. Her vision is to “make hands-on art training available to any of our wonderful teachers that would like to integrate more art into their everyday classroom curriculum.”
As a community, we are all benefiting because Vicki did not walk away from the unfunded state mandate for art education. Her vision, tenacity and positive outlook has improved the educational experience for all our students.
