Mission and I Believe Statements

CME MISSION STATEMENT

To provide and excellent, engaging and empowering education

In a safe learning environment every day, in every setting,

for every CME student.

PVE "I Believe" Statement

When someone advocates for art education they usually start out by saying that art is important for the development of the whole child. Through the arts, children develop higher order thinking skills and problem solving skills. These skills along with being able to analyse, evaluate, critique, and communicate ideas, are all valuable benefits of art education and are necessary to function successfully in everyday life. Studies have even shown that with these skills, students fare better on their test scores. We all know that students learn differently and for children that learn through visual spatial and tactile modalities, the arts undoubtedly provide self confidence and success. All of these things are valuable for a child's education but I think the benefits of art education goes even deeper.

There are so many things that a strong art curriculum must teach, ie. techniques, history and culture. I feel strongly about that but more importantly, and on a more personal level, creating allows us to find great peace and happiness. Coming up with an idea, exploring techniques, problem solving when something doesn't work out quite right, executing ideas and creating something unique and beautiful is good for one's soul. Creating is a type of meditation or therapy where one can escape from any worries that they might have. It is an outlet for expression and communication. One of my favorite quotes is, “Makers Must Make.”

Art education benefits all students but I believe that for some, art is the reason they come to school. These are the children I sometimes call my Mini-me’s. Maybe they aren’t good at math or science. Maybe they feel like they are not a success in their core subject areas. Maybe they feel lost or alone or different in some way. Perhaps, they act out in class out of frustration and are considered troublemakers. In my 26 years of teaching I have found that these groups of children often excel in my art class. They have found a place where they feel successful and supported, appreciated and accepted. Their creative work gives them a voice and a sense of purpose and accomplishment.

My sole purpose in teaching art is to pass along the joy and excitement of creating. The finished art project isn’t necessarily the sole purpose of creating. It is all about the process. We find lessons in our failures. I learned a long time ago not to get too bent out of shape about a project that went wrong. It’s in the mistakes that we grow. As a teacher, it is my goal to walk through these processes with the children and guide them to see their true potential as artists. Most of all, I want to instill a lifetime love for creativity.