The New Century School got a new art teacher for the 2018–2019 school year. This is Jia Liu’s first year teaching at TNCS, but she has loads of experience both making and teaching art. She is from China, where she graduated from the Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA) in Beijing with a BFA in Writing and Illustrating Picture Books in 2013. “There, I got really into picture books,” said Liu Laoshi. “While I was in school, I started teaching at the same time, around 2011, because, if I’m going to write stories for kids, I need to know them better. So, I started teaching at a children’s art center, and it turns out, I really like teaching kids!” At the same time, “teaching always inspires me to write and illustrate more picture books,” she said. A perfect synergy!

Art Student–Cum–Art Teacher

Liu Laoshi came to the United States in 2014 after graduating from CAFA in order to attend Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA), where she majored in illustration with a personal focus on picture books. She also took art education classes to complement her teaching experience with the pedagogy that would allow her to teach here. “After I graduated from MICA in 2016 with an MFA, I started teaching at Baltimore public schools through the nonprofit organization Child First and at Walters Art Museum‘s drop-in weekend classes,” she explained. Although most of her friends moved to New York, she stayed in Baltimore, Hampden to be exact, because she fell in love with the quirky neighborhood. She attributes her excellent English to her time studying at MICA.

This is her first time teaching all grades including through middle school, and she is eager for the challenge. She wanted to teach at TNCS having heard about the school from a friend (TNCS’s former graphics designer Yiyun Chu) and being very interested in the concept of teaching core subjects in other languages. “I felt it’s perfect for me. I will be teaching mainly in English, but I’m looking forward to bringing in some Chinese,” she said.

Bilingual Children’s Book Author and Illustrator

Liu Laoshi has published two children’s books in China (with a group of classmates) in 2012, including “Water Monk”, and one here this past April. In 2019, she has two more coming out, including ““Bedtime for Beasties”, with others following in 2020 and 2021. “The Chinese picture book market is still very new, and most books are imported from other countries, ” she explained. However, if she can locate some copies of her Chinese books, she is excited to share them with her new TNCS students. In the meantime, they can read her English titles.

Check out her website at www.jia-liu.com to seeing more of her beautiful work, such as this lovely example below.

It’s Going to Be a Great Year of Art!

Liu Laoshi has a strong conviction that at is good for children (and adults) and is committed to keeping the love of creativity alive in TNCS students both at school and throughout their lives.

I am really looking forward to getting to know the students at TNCS and inspiring them though my classes and work, and I hope to create a successful school year together. From my very first experience teaching, I noticed that kids gradually lose interest in art as they get older or lose confidence because they think they aren’t good at it. Although some people might have more talent than others, I think art is important for everyone. I always believe art is not only an aesthetic need, but also a very practical way of learning about ourselves and the world.

I have high expectations for each student. My goal is to create a safe learning environment, to keep all students interested in art, and improve their creativity though my class. We will be exploring different materials and art forms, as well as integrating art with STEM classes, to enhance their problem-solving skills, such as by exploring what materials they need to use to realize their vision, and provide them with more ways of understanding the world around us. Art has a lot of possibilities—in other words, I give them the assignment, but they figure out what approach will get them to the end result.

 

Currently, TNCS students are finishing up a paper mâché project that ties into the Global Studies Greek unit. Next, they will move on to projects about Rome that also integrate paper engineering (think mosaics!).

To parents and families, Liu Laoshi says: “Please remember that your thoughts, concerns, and questions are always important to me.”