Art Education

Teaching Philosophy

Teaching art is as important as learning to read. Being the first form of written language, art has been the catalyst of communication in our world. Children take great joy in making colorful marks from the time they can first hold objects in their hands. I believe the love of creating should be nurtured and developed throughout one’s life. This belief is what led me to become an art teacher. I believe that art class should provide a broad base of knowledge through exposure to a variety of materials and technical methods. This, paired with 21^st century problem solving skills, will empower students with the skills needed to develop and grow as students of art and future leaders of the world.

The role of the art teacher may seem minor when viewed in the whole of life experiences; however, I believe that my responsibility as a role model is very important. It takes just one person to make a difference in a child’s life. Being a positive role model includes being an outstanding citizen in the community and the art world. I try to model this everyday in my classroom and in my community.

I believe problem solving is a skill that is much needed in all areas of life. Art class provides the perfect opportunity to problem solve through creativity. The lessons in my curriculum have a strong art history component, paired with project creation that requires higher level thinking skills, creativity and the use of technology. To create the future we must understand the past. My curriculum incorporates art history into each lesson as a building block for all other art education goals and objectives. I believe it is also important to provide numerous opportunities to build literacy skills intertwined with motivating art projects while allowing for student choice within the curriculum and independent thinking.

If you were to walk into my classroom you would observe students thinking, questioning, researching, and creating. You may also observe me sitting at the tables with my students working alongside them on a project or helping them with a problem. What I believe is the key to the success of my students is the relationships formed in the classroom. The friendships they culminate by working in a safe studio environment allow students to work collaboratively and grow artistically from each other. My goal each day and every class period is to interact in some way with every student. I want to build trust and friendship. Not every student will grow up to be an artist but when they are with me I want those 45 minutes to be the best part of their day. When in art class they are all artists.