Leann Worster

I’d like to welcome you to my site; my name is Leann and I am currently switching gears from a graphic designer to an art educator. I spent many years freelancing as a designer and photographer and learned a lot from my clients. They helped shape my work. And as life changes, so did my ideas for art as a career. But my inspiration to teach didn't come from my clients, but my children. Showing my children my artwork, having them ask questions about elements I never even noticed, pointing out pieces they enjoy, that's where my heart melted away into a love of sharing ar.t And it wasn't just my own children, neighbors asking for design help, relatives needing help with inspiring pieces for work, it was everywhere. I realized I enjoyed helping others reach their goals with art then I did just pursuing my own goals. That's why I decided to pursue teaching in an art field.

Drawing connections between students’ lives and the classroom will also help them find their own connections between art and other subjects. Allowing the students to direct certain aspects of the art room, such as subject matter with regards to their own projects or assigning long term projects where students would need to manage their own time, will help them gain valuable skills and understanding of art as a profession and not just an elective. Students will draw upon their own knowledge and experience to express thoughts about their own lives, values, and ideas in an area I plan to be an accepting yet challenging one. Many times the experiences and knowledge base the students will bring will be reflective of other subjects and the art classroom will give them a place to safely explore ideas that wouldn’t be right for other subjects.

I will help students build connections between subjects in school and projects in art as well as connections between their social world and the classroom. Projects can become works of art, ever evolving as students connect with other students, community members, families, and volunteer organizations which will be accessible through the integration of technology. This idea of connecting students with the world around them is also a tool I will use for creating an inclusive environment in the classroom. Through peer led learning, such as exploring each student’s view on artworks and through critiques, students will form a community inside the classroom. By connecting in the classroom, students can learn to apply behavioral techniques that are considerate and critical of their surroundings and peers.

At NIU I know I can obtain the knowledge and experience to become a successful teacher. My hope for the future is to become an art teacher that helps students connect with art and technology, right along with math and science. I don't feel art needs to be just one dimension, I think an interdisciplinary approach helps all students. It's the creativity and self expression that art allows that opens doors in other areas for students. I feel that NIU can help develop my skills as a teacher and reach my goals of sharing and communicating art to students in any field.

I started my experience at NIU with ARTE 500, a studio based art education class that helped me fill in the gaps of my professional portfolio to showcase a wide range of mediums that I could successfully utilize. While ARTE 500 is only a start to building a large, beautiful, and diverse portfolio case, it was a great first step on my journey to become a successful art educator.