Hammond Blanch named art Teacher of the Year

Matthew Blanch said it is his job to give students the skills and techniques to become artists.

"As long as we make them comfortable (in the classroom), my job is to make them a better painter, a better sculptor," said Blanch, an art teacher at Hammond High School, in Columbia. "All they need to bring to the table is their own experiences. Art is very much like practicing a sport: it's a skill that can be learned. If you care enough about something, you'll get better."

Blanch's passion for art and his desire to enrich the lives of his students are reflected in his work.

And that hasn't gone unnoticed. Last week, Mark Coates, fine arts coordinator for Howard County Public School System, notified Blanch that he had been named the Maryland Art Education Association's 2011 Howard County High School Art Teacher of the Year.

Hammond High School junior Chris Pastor wasn't surprised.

"He's that good of a teacher. He knows the basics and he teaches it well," said Pastor, who is enrolled in Blanch's Photography I class.

Senior Michael Waters, who is enrolled in Blanch's Photography III class, agreed.

"He's really personable and takes time to help individual students," Waters said. "He makes sure they're on top of things."

Originally from Washington, Blanch, 42, said he has known he wanted to be an artist since the seventh grade.

Blanch graduated in 1992 from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, where he combined a double-major in painting and printmaking with a minor in art history. Following graduation, he worked as a graphic designer for a small publishing company.

But he still felt his calling was art, so he went back to school and earned a teaching certificate in 1996 from Towson State University, nowTowson University.

Blanch started working at Waverly Elementary in 1996. After five years there, he began an eight-year stint at Dunloggin Middle School before moving to Hammond High, where he is in his third year.

What appeals to Blanch so much about the subject is its accessibility to students — regardless of age.

"Going from elementary school to high school, the common thing (students say) is 'I can't draw.' But as long as you're willing to practice and gain guidance from teacher to teacher, you're going to get better. That's guaranteed."

Blanch said he was humbled upon learning he had won the award.

"What I really feel in getting the award is that people recognize that you do care, and the only reason you do it is that you love what you do and you love kids." Blanch said. "And the fact that people notice that, that's really special."

The students' interest in photography reflects Blanch's own.

"I love to make images, reinterpreting the world around it and putting my own spin on it," said Blanch, who, on the morning of Monday, Oct. 17, explained to students in his Photography I class how to properly load film into cameras. "Photography is one of the more playful types of art. It's accessible and it's marketable as well. It's a productive endeavor in the arts. You have the ability to apply it to commercial arts and make a living out of it."

Blanch credited his students for making him a better teacher.

"The students are fantastic at Hammond High," he said. "Our students are incredibly creative and curious. They are a real joy to teach. … This is why we do what we do."