Ceramics at Home

Ceramics+tools

Ceramics tools

Katie Barrow, Writer

Ceramics students are using their homes as art studios.

Before online school began, Ms. Johnson, Franklin High School’s ceramics teacher, prepared boxes of materials for students in ceramics I, II, and III and AP 3D to pick up at the high school. These included 4 pounds of clay, a clay mat, and various tools to make their projects at home. 

Ceramics II students have completed teapots and are in the process of dropping them off at the high school for Ms. Johnson to fire them in the kiln.

Ms. Johnson believes that it is important for students to continue working with clay during online school to honor the course that they signed up for and fulfill the clay program. This gives them the opportunity of learning the same things that they would have learned if they were working with clay in-school full-time. 

Ms. Johnson expects some challenges this semester. She explains how the classroom environment inspires work, so it may be hard for students to find motivation working at home. 

She describes herself as an “interactive teacher” because during a typical in-school class, she is constantly talking to students about their projects, and helping them make their pieces stronger. Helping students is more difficult during online school, but Ms. Johnson and ceramics students are making the best out of the situation and collaborating over Google Meet. 

With hybrid-school approaching, Ms. Johnson is looking forward to returning to the normality of students working in the classroom. Students will continue to work with clay at home, while glazing their pieces in class.