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Engaging and Meaningful Art Education 

projects.

projects.

Sketchbooks.

The Crab Prompt.

Dream Classroom.

Creative.

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about.

about.

PERSONAL PHILIOSOPHY 

ART IS EVERYWHERE

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I believe that the purpose of education is to provide students with the framework and tools they may need to fully engage with the world around them. Teaching students that they have the freedom to wield those tools creatively will benefit them as they begin to problem solve in different aspects of their everyday lives. 

Art is all around us all the time whether we realize it or not. Someone designed the logo on your coffee cup, your shoes, your shirt, the advertisements on buses and every aspect of a set of your favorite TV show. Sometimes art is not valued as a ‘practical subject’ but it is one of the most prevalent in our everyday lives. I want to teach art because it values creativity and unique thinking. Every individual is different from the next, in many subject matters and professions this is not always seen as important or valued, but art is a subject that encourages people to trust in themselves and take risks to create something meaningful to them. It is an amazing outlet for emotion and experience, and I would love to be able to share it with anyone who could benefit from it (which I believe is everyone).  

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AUTHENTIC LEARNING

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I believe that students learn best by making a connection with the lesson. If a student cannot connect, in any basic level, to the lesson it will not resonate as strongly with them because it is of no concern to them. It is not enough to ask a student to learn something because their grade depends on it, they may simply learn it for assessment and then never consider it again- I know I did as much when I was a student. But if I could connect with the lesson through emotions, culture, or pure intrigue I would think about it after class had let out. It is important to create meaningful lessons grounded in 'real life' that students can connect to and impose their own meaning on. This can be done by always explaining why I may be teaching a certain technique or skill or making sure that the artists I reference match the diverse identities of the students in my class. 

My goal when teaching my subject is to show students what a great tool art can be as a creative outlet, and, if they already know then I hope to help students develop technical skills to expand their practice and fully realize their creative visions. I believe students will be able to do this in a space where they feel seen and supported and I will do my best to create an environment that conveys this as discussed in my diversity statement below. 

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ART & EXPLORATION

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I believe that the most effective methods for teaching are providing students with information on technical skills and practices, but allowing them to experiment, troubleshoot, and experiment some more. They may arrive at a conclusion that you have never thought of without your interference. I know this because there is a reason teachers say the cliché of “I learn just as much from my students as they learn from me”. Visual art is not meant to be done in one specific way. Every art form practiced now had to be created, trialed, or stumbled upon somehow. Students appreciate the space to tinker and exercise creative freedom. This was expressed to me by a multi-age middle school group at Waynflete who said they were happy with the TAB style approach I had taken with them because in their school class they were asked to perfectly replicate works of art and they did not find it engaging. The most important aspects of my teaching are individual fulfillment and creative thinking. If the students are creating in a manner that is meaningful to them then I would consider it to be a success regardless of whether it perfectly aligns with the lesson that I have created. 

DIVERSITY STATEMENT 

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As an educator I hope to foster a learning environment that is open to and encourages diversity and equity. There are many ways to be 'diverse', often the word— when concerning education— brings up the image of a carefully balanced photograph on an institution’s catalog showing students of different races learning together in harmony, but diversity is not so narrow or simple. Diversity can come from one's sexual orientation, from a culture, from their brain chemistry, or from their beliefs. 

Every environment is diverse, it is almost impossible to create a homogenous group of students because everyone is different in their own way. What I hope to do as an educator is take every difference seriously and modify my teachings and environment so that the students can feel comfortable enough in the space to express themselves when they wish to. This means creating a culturally inclusive classroom that has representations from the places that my students might be from. Connecting to the school and wider community to learn more about the students and the families I will serve.  It also means educating myself on new artists, movements, and beliefs and incorporating them naturally into my curriculum instead of cramming them in as a token gesture. This also means being open to the possibility that I do not know everything and allowing the community around me to help me along the way and check my biases. I hope to create a classroom that is ever-changing and growing with each new thing that we learn so that we all can be our best and most understanding selves. 

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