Teaching Philosophy

The purpose of education is to learn information about relevant aspects of culture and varied disciplines. Beyond that, education allows students to interpret the world around them and how to mold their own informed opinions and act accordingly. Education should allow for individual exploration and expression, resulting in growth and innovation on a personal and large-scale level. Connections across time and topics are crucial, as well as connections with one-another. The art classroom is a crucial place of convergence for the goals of education.

I see myself as a facilitator for my students to achieve their artistic goals. Through robust and engaging lessons and demonstrations, students are encouraged to follow their own creative paths after having a firm grasp on the concepts being taught. I see that through experimentation, students are able to understand how to manipulate and transform their materials in a far more interesting way than constant prescriptive instruction. I aim to foster creativity when teaching, to motivate students individually and as a group, to create interest for all students, by providing meaningful work and dialogue. Providing context and realistic applications of the skills learned through information on career routes, and examples, I provide the context for students to understand why they are doing the work. This context is crucial to skill development and the transfer of skills, resulting in independent learners willing to take creative risks.

Through my masters program, I have learned to be a reflective practitioner. This means that I must continually examine my lessons and the end results, but also my potential bias and assumptions. My approaches to demonstrating my commitment and responsibility for equity and diversity will certainly evolve over the course of my teaching practice. This shift will occur from experience, meeting more people, and the gathering of resources. It is my intention to enter new spaces with an open mind and listening ears, ready to learn more about the experiences and environments from both staff and students. I am committed to using inclusive learning, recognizing that students are from different cultural and familial backgrounds and structures. I am dedicated to including diverse voices in the arts curriculum. It is important to include art historical and contemporary artists that are representative of the students I serve and the world as a whole. By being open to suggestion and correction, as well as allowing myself space to reflect, I am perpetually making adjustments and learning. I have as much to learn from my students as they do from me. Planning my lessons with Universal Design for Learning in mind, I can ensure that there is a place for every student in terms of ability and background. This includes multimodal instruction and options.

A productive art classroom is a space where all students feel safe. Through clear classroom structures, protocols, and group norms, I encourage students to take ownership of materials, tools, and the classroom—their  studio space. It is my goal to create a supportive classroom culture through relationship building and transparent expectations. The art classroom provides students with a supportive space to be innovative and curious.