Chalkbeat journalists ask the people we come across in our work to tell us about their education stories and how learning shaped who they are today. Learn more about this series, and read other installments, here.
Eric Best is an eighth grader at Edison School for the Arts, a new K-8 magnet school born from the move of the elementary arts magnet program from Indianapolis Public School 70 to the former Key Learning Community site just West of downtown. We met him after he approached IPS Superintendent Lewis Ferebee at the school’s ribbon cutting ceremony to present a drawing of Ferebee that Best had made.
I went to School 70 for a few years and for middle school I went to Broad Ripple. But my mom wanted me to come here because my sister is going here.
That’s how I came here.
I really loved the arts in every IPS school I went to. For me in school, sometimes it’s hard to understand what the teachers are saying. but I just keep asking questions until I get to the correct answer.
Some teachers wanted me to draw Dr. Ferebee. I was really happy to do it. They gave me a photo of him.
I really love drawing a lot. I love sketching. I’m not much of a painter or that great at ceramics but I really love visual arts.
For high school I will either go back to Broad Ripple or to North Central. I really want to be an art teacher when I grow up.