I have always had wonderful authority figures controlling my life… er… I mean, influencing me in positive ways. During my stay at Oklahoma Christian University, I have had many good teachers but none have affected me as much as positively, effectively, and lastingly as our own adjunct art teacher Scott Hale.
To some students, he may seem to be that default, easy teacher that always gives you A’s. He seemed that way to me at the beginning of my run at OC, but as I progressed through the years and had 4 semesters in a row with him, he has taught me some important values that other teachers never could have.
Scott appears easygoing because he seems to like everyone’s art. He can see the good in almost any piece. But that’s the thing- whenever he critiques, he always points out the positives of the work first. Upon seeing my competition, my first impression of almost any art piece used to be what I saw wrong with it. I would then not be able to focus on anything else about the art and then discount it as “bad.”
I’ve learned with Hale how to see the creative potential of almost any work. It’s much better to hear both the good and the bad during critiques so you can continue doing what you know worked but revise what didn’t. I’ve had other teachers that thought giving positive comments was useless because it didn’t force students to improve. Friends that have gone through those types of teachers' classes end up depressed because they always received negative feedback and felt like they couldn’t do anything right. Anyone who has gone through Scott’s class probably came out with some sense of confidence and direction if they didn't have that before.
Though Scott Hale may be considered “the easy teacher,” I think of him as a reflection of God, who sees the good in us even though we are sinful. To this day I my creativity continues to grow as I see the creative potential in all sorts of things thanks to Scott.
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