"What's So Great About Art, Anyway?": A Teacher's Odyssey

Rachel Branham

Jan. 2016 · Teachers College Press

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Inviting readers to examine schools and teaching with a critical lens, this visually and conceptually captivating graphic novel advocates for arts education in schools. At the center of this work is the author’s memoir as a young high school art teacher in the public school system. Through engaging (and frequently funny) anecdotes centered on classroom life, mixed with discussions of education policy and reform, readers explore teacher/student relationships, testing and accountability, 21st-century learning, and the history and purpose of art education. Branham’s personal narrative of challenges and triumphs demonstrate why art education should be preserved as a core subject if students are to understand the connection between creativity, critical thinking, and other higher-order skills. “What’s So Great About Art, Anyway?” is a refreshing book for everyone—particularly for in-service teachers—and is a smart foundational text in arts education and introduction to teaching courses.

“This delightful graphic novel will challenge all teachers and prospective educators to think more deeply about their practice—the craft, the science, and, yes, the art of teaching.”
—From the Foreword by William Ayers, author of To Teach: The Journey, in Comics (with Ryan Alexander-Tanner)

“With a contagious passion, a dynamic pen, and a generous wit, Rachel Braham returns art to its rightful place in our schools—the beating heart of the education our children deserve. ‘What's So Great About Art, Anyway?’ isn’t just for art educators; it’s for all of us.”
—Adam Bessie, Diablo Valley College, co-author of graphic report The Disaster Capitalism Curriculum (with Dan Archer)

“This visually and conceptually captivating book blazes new territory in the tradition of teacher memoirs, while reminding us of the vital importance of art education in our schools.”
—Gregory Michie, Chicago teacher, author of Holler If You Hear Me

“This book is refreshing! Branham's ideas are purposefully provocative, and she expresses them through a popular medium.”
—Laurel Campbell, Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne

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Rachel Branham is an art educator in the Marblehead Public Schools, Massachusetts.