I recently ran into a fellow with whom I went to school. He was a few years behind me and loved art. He was good at it as well. When I saw him, he was looking for a job as an art teacher. He had been one, but had lost that job. His contention was that schools don’t make art a priority because so few students find it profitable as a profession. In short, they don’t earn enough money to donate back to schools. Ergo, schools don’t emphasize art programs or art teachers.
There are exceptions. Last week, an image of Marilyn Monroe by Andy Warhol sold for $195 million – a new record for a 20th century work. That was incredible considering it isn’t even a painting. Rather, it is a silk screen Warhol created. Evidently, that didn’t diminish demand for the work. But it does make one wonder. How many Warhol such prints exist?....
Either way, Warhol was one of those exceptions. He donated money back to his alma mater, Carnegie Mellon. He also donated many of his artworks to his school and various other entities. In deference to my former school mate, Warhol was a rare bird.
These past two years have been particularly challenging for schools on all levels. In fact, the proportion of US families home-schooling at least one child grew from 5.4% in 2020 to 11.1% in 2021. That’s a huge jump. It’s also way more responsibility on the parent who has dedicated his or her self to officially becoming the scholastic instructor to their child in all subjects. I’d need all the help I could get.
Two things could dramatically aid both parents and/or teachers. First, for years, the US Mint has offered teachers and anyone interested an incredible array of course material. These aren’t just an outline of suggestions. With the input from professional educators, the Mint has prepared dozens of detailed lesson plans involving history, math, social studies, geography, politics and more.
For younger kids in Kindergarten through third or fourth grade, a few topics include: Let’s Explore The Seashore; Postcards from the Past; Native American Code Talkers; Beautiful Bayou; A Western Homestead Budget; Matching Pairs; Coins From Ancient Times; Beat The Bank and dozens more. All include activities. Many feature online games and videos.
For older kids from Middle School through High School, courses include Friction In The Great Sand Dunes; The Nature of Negotiation; Peace In Word and Deed; Relevance In Stone on Mount Rushmore; North To Gold In Alaska; and far more.
Naturally, all the courses relate back to coins and the subjects they commemorate. Teachers/home schoolers can sort them by subject and grade level. The lessons can be found on the US Mint website at: www.USMint.gov/learn/kids/resources. (Note: At that site there are a number of video games the Mint has created. On the good news front, while playing, kids may or will learn quite a lot about math, history and more without realizing it.)
The best part is that, unlike years prior to 2000, instead of just a spread eagle on the reverse, all of our quarters now feature famous people, destinations and landmarks. That began with the 50 State Quarters program through the recent America The Beautiful Series.
For 2022 and the next few years, iconic women of note will be showcased on our quarters. As I’ve mentioned before, this year, Maya Angelou; Astronaut Dr. Sally Ride; Wilma Mankiller; Nina Otero-Warren; and Ann May Wong will grace the quarters. Next year is equally interesting and educational.
The 2023 quarter honorees include: Bessie Coleman – the first African American/Native American woman pilot; Edith Kanakaʻole – a Hawaiian composer, dancer and entertainer; First-Lady Eleanor Roosevelt – author, reformer, and leader; Jovita Idar – a Mexican-American journalist, activist and suffragist; and finally, Maria Tallchief – America’s first prima ballerina. There are significant lessons to be gleaned from each of these.
The quarters will be issued every two months. A special silver series of the quarters will be produced for collectors.
The female subjects on all the quarters are slated to be included in the educational curriculum on the Mint’s website. All those and the other subjects offered by the Mint can be a major help to home schoolers as well as teachers in traditional schools. Whether its other coins or the new US quarters, it’s all much more than a two-bit idea.
For more collecting advice, visit www.prexford.com