POLK COUNTY, Fla. — Polk County Art teacher Chanique Davis is known for her decorative classroom doors during Black History Month. They’ve gone viral on social media before.
- Teacher Chanique Davis decorates classroom door during Black History Month
- This year, Davis' door represents the "graffiti queen"
- It's helping to teach her students about protective hairstyles
She always uses them as a gateway to teaching her students about trends in black culture.
This year, she decorated one of her doors to represent the “graffiti queen,” using synthetic hair to make the decoration three-dimensional.
(Photo Courtesy of Stephanie Claytor)
She’s teaching many of her students about protective hairstyles this year. Those are styles where the hair is braided or tucked underneath extensions or what some refer to as weave.
“Not a lot of them, that are not African American, know about them. They see the different styles but they’re not sure exactly what it is. So it’s kind of like bringing awareness. You know, just letting them know, this is apart of the culture,” Davis explained.
Davis, who is also a licensed hair braider, had some of her students create their own protective hairstyle paintings.
“This is the piece I worked on. It was actually really hard to draw them,” said Madison Derico.
Derico admitted she had never touched weave before working on this project.
(Photo Courtesy of Stephanie Claytor)
Usually, Davis spends six to eight hours decorating one of her classroom doors. This year she decided to decorate two doors.
The second decorated door is a tribute to Tyler Perry, with Madea’s face all over it.
“Everyone at the school loves Tyler Perry. We love Madea. We wanted to pay tribute to him because he really exemplifies black excellence as an African American man who has overcome so much and now he has just opened his own film studio,” Davis expressed.
(Photo Courtesy of Stephanie Claytor)
Her goal overall is to foster an appreciation for culture in general.
“I’m always making sure that my kids understand that cultural differences are beautiful, something to be celebrated.“