EP347 An artful approach to exploring identity and fostering belonging (w/ Rebecca Bellingham & Veronica Scott)
Angela Watson's Truth for Teachers
Angela Watson
4.8 • 1.3K Ratings
🗓️ 3 May 2026
⏱️ 49 minutes
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Summary
When the world feels this heavy, this broken, it can feel almost frivolous to make space for art. And in the classroom with so much content to cover, can we really slow down enough to create and take an artful approach to learning with students? Who has time to write poems or pause over a beautiful image when we're al barely keeping our heads above water?
But think about what we're left with if we don't. If we strip away beauty and creativity and connection, all we have left is the grind. The compliance. The systems that are exhausting us in the first place.
I recently talked to Rebecca Bellingham and Veronica Scott about this. They're educators, writers, artists, and the co-founders of Artful Belonging Studio. They're also the authors of the new book, "The Artful Approach to Exploring Identity and Fostering Belonging." Listen as we discuss: What does an artful lesson look like when you have content standards to cover and no time? How do you do cultural heritage months in ways that invite all students in instead of making them feel obligated? And where should teachers start if they want to try this work?
Rebecca and Veronica brought so much warmth and wisdom to this conversation. Listen in. Or read the transcription here.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Welcome to episode 347 of Angela Watson's Truth for Teachers. |
| 0:06.3 | I'm your host, Angela Watson, and I'm here to speak encouragement into the hearts of educators |
| 0:10.8 | and get you informed and energized for the week ahead. |
| 0:14.9 | Today I'm talking with Rebecca Bellingham and Veronica Scott. |
| 0:19.3 | They are educators, writers, artists, and the co-founders of Artful |
| 0:24.4 | Belonging Studio. And they believe that being artful isn't extra. It's resistance and its survival. |
| 0:33.4 | When was the last time that you had three full days with nothing to do except for rest, |
| 0:38.3 | relax, laugh with people who just get it, wander around in nature, and have someone else cook and clean up so that you can just be? |
| 0:47.3 | This summer, I'm hosting teacher retreats built around what your nervous system actually needs in order to decompress |
| 0:55.3 | after this school year. |
| 0:57.1 | We're talking restorative yoga, live sound baths, guided meditative forest walks, nourishing |
| 1:03.4 | meals, and the kind of deep connection that happens when you're surrounded by people |
| 1:07.8 | who truly understand your life. |
| 1:10.7 | There's two opportunities to join us in summer 2026, June 12th through 14th in Honesdale, Pennsylvania, |
| 1:18.2 | and July 24th through 26th near Asheville, North Carolina. |
| 1:23.3 | Go to do seasonpress.com, D-U-E-Seasnpress.com, or click the link in the show notes to learn more about |
| 1:29.9 | where you can join me for a teacher retreat this summer. And if you're listening to this episode |
| 1:34.3 | after that, I have retreats happening throughout the year as well. So visit doseasonpress.com |
| 1:40.6 | and see what upcoming events are happening. |
| 1:49.0 | In this episode, I'm going to be talking with my guests about something that has really been weighing on me lately. |
| 1:51.0 | When the world feels this heavy and this broken, it can seem almost frivolous to focus on |
| 1:57.9 | art in the classroom. |
... |
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