Can art save the world? Local teacher rated no. 2 in the country

A national nonprofit organization has chosen to honor Hoboken Charter School art teacher S.K. Duff as part of its “Teacher of the Year” competition. Duff was named runner-up out of 6,000 teachers by the P. Buckley Moss Foundation for Children’s Education, which cited his creative teaching methods.

“I’m flattered and humbled all at the same time,” said the self-described “former farm boy” from Oklahoma, who began teaching at Hoboken Charter School (HCS) five years ago.

“Art is an amazing force that helps people to heal and grow,” said Duff, 46, who has been teaching for 20 years. “It gives children in particular problem-solving abilities and a chance for some who might not succeed in traditional areas of education a chance to excel. Art becomes a catalyst for higher thinking.”

The not-for-profit foundation was created by renowned water colorist Patricia Moss in order to encourage teachers to integrate visual and performing arts into all aspects of education, with a particular focus on helping children with learning disabilities.

As a second place award, the foundation will give $750 to the school’s art program as well as $750 to Duff himself.

Duff said he plans to put his money toward sponsoring a trip to Keane, N.H., to give “urban kids a chance to experience the world’s largest pumpkin festival.” He said he plans to incorporate the trip into his curriculum.

In addition, Duff has also received a Promising Practices Award from the Partnership for Character Education Program, for his use of art to imply a moral lesson, showing students the proper way to behave under certain circumstances.

Duff will be speaking about his education experience at conferences hosted by both the Partnership for Character Education and the P. Buckley Moss Foundation in early November.

“[Duff] is a teacher, mentor, and role model here at the Hoboken Charter School,” said HCS Principal Alfredo Huereca. “He is a reflection of the kind of teaching we promote, thinking outside the box and being creative while engaging the entire community in our lesson plans.”

Duff’s book and his beneficiaries

Duff’s biggest fans at HCS are his students.

Traver Hecht-Felella, 13, described Duff as the “best art teacher ever.”

“He takes real issues and applies them to art projects in order to raise awareness,” Felella said. Felella said that many of Duff’s projects begin with brainstorming sessions led by the students, which allows kids to pick the direction the project will take.

One project in particular that Felella said he enjoyed entailed the creation of a “giant” papier-mache fish costume. Students used the costume to collect canned tuna fish for the Hoboken Homeless Shelter.

“Each semester we learned something new,” said 14-year-old Emily Moskowitz, another of Duff’s students. “He’s taught us so much and made us aware of things that we wouldn’t have known about.”

She added, “He showed us that unlike math or science, every kid is good in art. I’ve really enjoyed the experience.”

Prior to teaching at Hoboken Charter, Duff taught at the New Jersey Center for the Visual Arts and at the New Jersey Seeds Scholarship Program, where he conducted outreach programs to underprivileged children in Newark.

“I believe strongly in the healing powers of art,” said Duff, who added that over the years, he has also taught art to patients at Overlook Hospital in Summit, NJ and inmates at the Oklahoma State Correctional Facility. He is in the process of writing a book on teaching art to children titled “How Art Saves the World.”

In the book, Duff explains how he uses art in connection with service learning. He also demonstrates how art can be used to celebrate cultural diversity, and as a tool for student character-building.

The Hoboken Charter School is a parent-founded K-12 school that uses mostly public funds.

Many of the programs Duff employs at HCS will be cited in his book, which he hopes to have completed within the next two years.

Michael Mullins can be reached at mmullins@hudsonreporter.com.

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