Wiley PTA Welcomes Mary Jane Thompson
We are so excited to welcome several new teachers who are joining the Wiley team this year! Our parent volunteers have interviewed each new teacher so we can learn a little more about who they are and what makes them so passionate about teaching. Please help us welcome them to the Wiley family!
In this interview, Wiley mom Tift Merritt speaks to Wiley’s new art teacher, Mary Jane Thompson.
Will you tell us a little bit about who you are and where you were before you came to Wiley?
This is my fifteenth year teaching in Wake County! My previous school was Milbrook Elementary which is an Environmental Connections Magnet. I was there for seven years. Before that I taught at Sanford Creek Elementary which is a year round school in Rolesville. I was there for 7 years as well. Wiley is my base school so my son has already gone through K-5, now starting 7th grade. My daughter is going into 3rd grade this year at Wiley! Wiley feels like home.
Will you tell us about what you do and your art when you are not teaching kids?
I have my two children, two dogs, and two parakeets! And my children have fish. I don’t know the numbers all the time. I went to school to teach art and sculpture, both undergraduate and graduate. Sculpture takes up a lot of room!
Storage is a problem.
It is. In the past two or three years, I’ve started to teach myself to paint. I avoided that in art school because I just wanted to build things and make things. Most recently, I’ve been trying to tackle watercolors. I’m enjoying the challenge and it takes up a lot less space. I’m also an avid gardener. I also have a vegetable garden and last year I turned my beds into little green houses so I could have a winter garden, which was actually more successful that my summer garden! I also grow orchids inside.
How are you doing all of this?
I don’t know. I don’t sleep a lot. We are very busy!
It sounds wonderful. When you were a kid, what was your entry point into art? How did that unfold?
I went to a very small parochial school and we did not have a dedicated art teacher until my last year in eighth grade. I didn’t like that! My grandmother is a ceramics artist, so I grew up spending time with her doing ceramics. She taught me how to hand build and she did a lot of mold pouring so I learned that from her. She also taught me to sew. Not having art earlier in school — it’s so important — I want to make sure everybody has that because I feel like I missed out!
Will you tell us about some of your favorite teachers and what they taught you?
I went to the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn. One of my student teaching experiences was on the upper east side, with Olivia Bean. She was a practicing artist, she had her studio, she was putting on shows. Her presence in her classroom — she didn’t talk to the kids like they were students. She was collaborating with artists and critiquing artists. I loved that and I try to do the same thing. You know just as much as I do about this piece of art we are looking at, so let’s talk about it. I think of her a lot.
Can you tell us about some of your favorite artists and works of art?
I tend to move towards female artists. My most favorite living artist is Yayoi Kusama. I love everything she does. I hope that when I am 91 years old I am still making art like she is. Some of the classics —- Freida, Georgia O’Keefe — I try to bring them into the classroom. Anish Kapoor. The Bean in Chicago — I’m from Chicago.
How do you think art helps kids with other kinds of learning and other subjects?
Art is all about decision-making and critical thinking. Everything is encompassed in art. It’s hard for kids sometimes —they’ve been told what to do and they want to do it, and then they come to art class and have to decide what to do. That’s a challenge but it is really important no matter what they are going to do when they grow up. You are not going to be able to have any job without being able to think creatively! It gives kids the space to move away from reading and writing and math — even though we do ALL of those things in the art room. It gives them a space to be comfortable and successful and themselves.
What’s your favorite thing about teaching art?
Seeing what the kids come up with, watching their creativity unfold. I’ve presented you with a problem or a task — after fifteen years, a kid will bring in a new idea I’ve never thought of, and it’s amazing! I love seeing that.
What’s the most important thing that kids can bring to your class this year?
Willingness to try new things and being open-minded!
My last question is from my daughter Jean. What are we going to do in art class this year? She’s in first grade!
In first grade, we have Art In Play. We are just going to be exploring artists and materials and trying to be playful! And also Storytelling in Art — not only stories that have already been written but how kids can tell their own visual stories. In fifth grade, we will be doing clay and wool — I’m really excited to get my hands on that.
Well, I wish I were coming to your class! Welcome to Wiley!!