Through the Eyes of a Tiger: An Interview with Mrs. O'Mara

Ink-stained fingers, paint-streaked hair and charcoal-smudged elbows are not the only things you’ll take with you when you leave the art room: You’ll take with you a better attitude. This is all thanks to Kathy O’Mara’s wonderful teaching strategy and the learning environment she creates for her students.

A teacher here since 1985, Mrs. O’Mara has perfected the craft of instructing and educating students. Be it the under-painting method taught in Art 1 or silk-screening techniques to her upper-level classes, she makes sure that the student artist’s vision is achieved while implementing artistic guidelines.

But it’s not all rules in this class. Mrs. O’Mara allows students much leeway to choose the direction of a project, showcasing the student’s individual interests and strengths. There is no better feeling than for an artist to be able to appreciate his or her own art—Mrs. O’Mara makes this possible.

To better understand the motives behind her method of teaching, I interviewed her.

There is always music playing in your class when I walk in. When did you start to allow this and what do you think its benefits are for the students in the classroom?

What a great question! I've had music playing in the studio for as long as I can remember...from the beginning where we played the radio to the days of the boom box (!), to now when we have a world of music available! (Thank you, Pandora!) It's a natural progression from how I like to work. I love art AND music.

I'm so lucky to teach a subject that is creative. Music is just one more extension of that creativity. For my students, it can be relaxing or invigorating depending on what's on. They are the ones that choose the music so they are creating their own soundtrack. 

When you design a project for your different classes, what things do you keep in mind?

The projects that I design have to suit a wide range of abilities, interests and personal style (or artistic voice). Most of these projects emphasize an artistic technique and/or medium. I know you've heard me say "you're the artist" about a million times. This really is my guiding philosophy. As an art student I really disliked projects that seemed to anticipate a certain outcome. I saw fellow students struggle to meet guidelines that were pretty creative but limiting.  The creativity comes from the freedom within the assignments.

I’ve noticed that you constantly praise your students, while still offering advice. How do the students react to this method of teaching rather than one of a more critical nature?

You tell me! Seriously...thank you for saying this. Art is so personal. Whether you are a beginning artist or an artist who has been creating since birth, you are absolutely going to have a moment where your self-confidence is wavering. In fact, almost every work that I have created has had an "ugly stage," that point where I'm really not pleased with it. One of my jobs as a teacher is to help my students recognize their successes. That is my greatest joy! I think my students appreciate this.

Of course, what you haven't said is that I will always tell a student when their work is not finished! It might be that there are dead spots in a composition or that the value development might need to be richer, or something like that. Sometimes a student will want to quit and I won't let them. They are usually pleased when they see how their work has improved.

When you chose to become a teacher, what was the biggest challenge you had to overcome? How was overcoming this affected the way you teach now?

I have wanted to be an art teacher since first grade when I taught my classmates how to draw a tree that didn't look like a lollipop. The only real challenge that I had to overcome was finding a position. I had planned to stay in Richmond forever and there were no openings in Richmond. Then I married Paul and moved to Pensacola, Florida, where there were no openings for art teachers. When we moved to Rome, I met the art teacher who had been at Darlington for 10 years, mentioned that I wanted her job, and she said that there might be an opening. 

The plan that is made for us is so much better than the plan we make for ourselves. There are days when being a Darlington art teacher is overwhelming. When there are brushes that have been left to dry or supplies scattered about the room or too many outside duties or deadlines or meetings, it is hard to stay positive. So...I turn on the music, greet my wonderful students, and remember how fortunate that Darlington School and I found each other.