Inside The NYC Classroom: Memorable Past Moments With Our New Victory Teaching Artists 

Ana Cantorán Viramontes: The New Victory Education Guiding Pillars: Play, Create, Discovery, Community, Arts for All and Art Form are at the center of our lesson plans and curriculum. When we visit schools and classrooms, I hope students have the opportunity to re-discover each other through play and art making, collaborate with each other in new ways they aren’t used to and strengthen their relationships.

Sofiya Cheyenne: Working with the students as a TA is such a fun opportunity for them to learn through play. Learning how to work as a team or in pairs while creating a piece of art always brings about a new togetherness within the classroom.

Alberto Denis: Our lesson plans and activities always incorporate activities that encourage or require students to work together in ways that promote camaraderie and community.

Ana Cantorán Viramontes: We began the lesson plan for Ajijaak on Turtle Island by sharing some cedarwood essential oil with the students. This sensory experience allowed us all to calm our nervous systems and prepared us to follow the migratory journey of Ajijaak, a young whooping crane.

During this lesson plan, we also reflected on our responsibilities as caretakers of the land we live on through storytelling and puppet making. The students loved making puppets where they could write and draw their reflections about the themes of the show and their personal commitments to take good care of the environment.

Sofiya Cheyenne: It’s always fun for me when we bring in a show geared towards the high school students. We can work on devised pieces that come from their own questions or experiences, and building a story from something personal can help with confidence and just bring a smile to their faces.

Alberto Denis: A memorable workshop [was] working on lesson material from Zephyr from last season and watching students work to help one another in leveling up their circus skills in supportive and encouraging actions and words, especially at Queens Explorers in Ozone Park. My Co-Teaching Artist and I watched as young artists emerged from states of quiet ambivalence to genuine joy and excitement around the material. It was memorable to notice how they quickly worked to help one another out with learning skills and leveling up, always encouraging one another.