Art teacher learns from students’ pottery

Art teacher Dan Havel is pleased to see an appreciation for the arts blossoming in pottery culture, despite the extra time it involves on his part.

“I encourage students to come in and work on their art outside of class,” he said.

According to Havel, the growing pottery culture has forced him to brush up on his pottery skills.

“When I first came to the job, I hadn’t thrown pots since I was in college, so I had to reteach myself when my students started expressing a lot of interest in pottery,” he said.

As students explore the pottery world and gain new knowledge, they share their skills with Havel, often introducing him to new techniques and helping to expand the pottery program.

“They will come in and teach me new things because they are watching more pottery videos than I am, and I’m learning from them, Havel said. “They help me keep expanding on opportunities.”