Quality art education, for me, would facilitate change through risk taking in art and exposing students to artists and practices that have enabled change in society and within cultures and communities. It is my belief that without excellent teachers and a well-rounded education, this would be difficult to come by. Students need the opportunity to take responsibility for becoming life-long learners through the visual arts.

Students who come from middle school need skills with critical thinking, problem solving, teamwork, self-directed learning, experimental learning and individual fulfillment to make it possible for them to be successful in whichever paths they choose to chase. I will set up my classroom for students to succeed by creating situations where they can show the meaning of art through life experiences and interdisciplinary connections. Students will have opportunities to collaborate with each other and myself to learn and gain expertise and knowledge. I will instill a hands-on, creative learning environment where students feel comfortable and free to express themselves. With the use of formative assessment, I will be able to reflect on students’ work and take steps in the right direction.

I wanted to become an art teacher so I can influence young students to appreciate art in a positive way and help instill values of social interdependence, equality, and respect for one another. By being able to show the meaning of art through life experiences and interdisciplinary approaches, my focus as an art teacher is to introduce students to historical and contemporary art to create context for their work and expand their ideas of what’s possible. Along with ideas of what is possible includes the growing advances of technology. Just as technology has expanded and developed the arts, I believe it is necessary to bring this new concept into my classroom and educate art techniques and trends with my students. As an art educator, I will also be able to focus on student’s ideas to build upon previous experiences.

As an educator, I will strive to include a teaching approach of modeling, coaching, and helping students become independent artists. It is important for students to apply what they learn in my class to their current and future studies in life. I will build individual passions and strengths to give students courage to work on their weaknesses as well as expand upon their strengths. I will help lead students to knowledge through making mistakes, learning from their efforts, and exploring possibilities.