On Wednesday, I attended the The Collective Impact of the Arts panel discussion at the Herbst Theatre. It was a part of the San Francisco Bay Area National Arts in Education Week Event. Below are my notes - stuff that was said that resonated with me:

- The greatest ill in the world is self hatred. My job is to love myself and be with them (students).
- You teach what you are.
- You have to be vulnerable.
- Simple but not simplistic.
- An accidental teacher.
- Art is an essential human language.
- It’s important to be able to say ‘i don’t know,’ to start in beginners mind and come to the table like that.
- Art is social justice. Art is liberation.
- It’s our job not to suck the spirit out of the kids in front of us.
- We are artists. When it comes to arts education we need to be really smart and creative.
- We can’t be guilty of a ‘failure of the imagination’.
- We have to be unapologetic for who we are or what we do.
- If we don’t learn our history, sometimes we loose our story.
- As arts educators we are not always focused on what we want to accomplish - we’re often not clear about our purpose.
- We have to accept and be comfortable with ambiguity.
- We have to stop saying ‘we don’t want data,’ we have to make what is considered data broader, more encompassing and inclusive.
- (Basically) It’s important to check our egos at the door when it comes to partnerships & collaborations.