About Mr. Sloan

Hello! I was lucky enough to have parents who both were champions of creativity and the arts. From as early as I can remember we were taking family trips to galleries and museums. They also took me to artists studios where I could see artists working. Sometimes I'd get my own hands dirty painting or making ceramics. At home my father and older brother were always drawing and reading and that helped to inspire me to spend a lot of time drawing and reading as well. Some of our favorite things to draw were from the stories we were reading. Knights, barbarians, mythical creatures, ninjas, giant robots, dinosaurs and super heroes poured out of us on the regular.

I took every art elective I could squeeze into my high school experience and put together a portfolio that helped (along with my good grades) to get me accepted to the Rhode Island School of Design. It was there that I continued my study of drawing, 2-d design, 3-d design, art history, photography, metal working, ceramics, and installation art. I followed a childhood dream that had been in my head since my parents took me to Corning Glass when I was in 3rd grade. I enrolled in the courses that would forge me into a glassmaker. After graduating, I worked in a few different glass shops and on two different production glassblowing teams. It was during that time that I began to realize that I loved teaching and training other people, usually in whatever art form I was involved in and excited about at the time. I began to understand that this was really my true calling. I went back to school to get certified as a K-12 art teacher through Dowling's Grad program.

I began working for Sachem in 2001 as a TA helping special area teachers in the Special Education department at Sagamore Junior High. In 2003 I was hired as the art teacher at Cayuga Elementary School and that is where I can still be found sharing my love of the arts and my passion for teaching with my students . I feel truly lucky to be able to work in such an amazing school surrounded with knowledgeable, caring staff and such creative students. It is my mission to encourage my students to be imaginative, confident, and honest with themselves so they can express their beautiful lives in whatever way is most appropriate. I hope that they will grow to better understand themselves and others by exploring their decision making process while creating art. I try to help them to understand the value that they bring to their world and community when they are on a path towards discovering their true potential. I believe It is that quest that opens the way for them to grab hold of their best destiny. I want nothing more for them than to participate as joyfully as possible in this world helping to shape our collective experience and bring us all a little bit higher towards the ultimate peak of happiness and well-being. By being their most creative, imaginative, courageous and confident selves they can more readily join in that most heroic mission.