Press Release - July 15, 2005 - Teachers, Learning Together
Teachers Go Back to School with "Teachers, Learning Together"
The Brookline Arts Center has announced that it will offer a free program for educators and community volunteers entitled "Teachers, Learning Together" on Friday, August 19, 2005, at 10 a.m. This free two-hour workshop will focus on developing new skills for teachers, volunteers, and team leaders.
Under the guidance of BAC faculty member Jennifer Varela, participants will be able to share stories and strategies about how to teach people with mental illness, developmental disabilities or learning disabilities. This program will also be useful for others whose job requires the ability to work with a diverse clientele, such as professionals in customer service or management.
This program allows educational professionals to meet their peers, while sharpening educational skills, just in time for the beginning of the fall semester. The workshop is structured to emphasize real-life examples and creative brainstorming. There will be ample time for discussion and socializing, including a casual lunch of pizza offered after the workshop.
This program is led by BAC faculty member Jennifer Varela, who has a BFA from the Pratt Institute and completing graduate study in Counseling, Marriage and Family Therapy at California State University at Sonoma. She has taught art to at-risk populations, students with Alzheimer's disease, and the disabled at Elders Share the Arts, Helen Keller Services for the Blind, and the International Children's Art Museum of San Francisco, among others.
"Each of us has our strengths and weaknesses when working with students who challenge us to teach and communicate in new ways," says Varela. "This class will offer information about various physical and mental challenges that our students may face, and strategies for handling these situations empathetically and successfully."
To RSVP, or for more information, call 617-566-5715 or write bac@brooklineartscenter.com.
This program is free and open to the public. It is presented by the Brookline Arts Center, in its art studios at 86 Monmouth Street, Brookline. This program is supported in part by a grant from the Brookline Commission for the Arts, a local agency which is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency.
For more information, call 617-566-5715 or visit www.brooklineartscenter.com. The programs of the Brookline Arts Center are also sponsored in part by the Massachusetts Cultural Council and the Brookline Community Fund.
About the BAC: The Brookline Arts Center is a neighborhood arts center located in an historic former fire station. It has provided quality art classes and programming for adults and children since its founding by Brookline residents in 1964. The BAC is a non-profit (23-700746). Wheel chair accessible.
For more information, visit www.brooklineartscenter.com or email bac@brooklineartscenter.com.