My Tribute To Todd

5 of the Infinite Number of Things Todd Marrone Taught Me

Todd, in front of his students' work.
See the philly.com article

by Elizabeth Van Allen 

for scribblesbyartteachervanallen.blogspot.com

I was one of the luckiest student teachers ever to walk the face of the earth, or at least this part of the state of Pennsylvania. Why? For weeks I got to learn how to teach art directly from a true master, Mr. Todd Marrone. This past winter break caught me, along with hundreds (if not thousands) of others completely off guard when Todd suddenly passed at age 39. In lieu of a sappy, drippy tribute that he surely would have rolled his eyes at, here are five things that he showed me that I truly appreciate and made me a better person.

1. It is possible to be a good art teacher and a successful working artist at the same time. It just requires dedication, passion and good time management.

2. Music in the art room doesn’t have to be classical. In a pinch the Flaming Lips will do just fine.

3. Being yourself in the classroom is way more important than trying to become that “perfect teacher”. Insincerity to students is like blood to sharks. They can smell it a mile away.

4. You can give a detention with a smile and receive a thank you in return. I’ve seen it happen, I swear!

5. Never take anything a student says to or about you personally, especially if you’re teaching middle school.

Bonus: An art teacher can never take a Halloween costume too far. The year I was teaching with him, Todd came to school on October 31^st dressed like the Hulk. The costume included fake muscles and green face paint, and he kept perfect control of his classroom. Impressive.

I will always be grateful to Todd for being the best role model an uptight young student teacher ever could have had. The worlds of art and art education in Philadelphia will never be quite the same.