Art is a universal language; it is a diagram to thought process and a vehicle to the soul. In a subject truly vocal, visual, and alive, students under my instruction discover the ability to individually communicate themselves. Working with young people at all learning readiness levels is a privilege. My goals introduce the ideas, no matter the skill level, that one can achieve boundless travel in creative thinking, power and confidence in artistic dreaming and application, as well as discovery in the marriage of creative thinking and analytical subjects. I believe every student holds exceptional characteristics for generating their own atmosphere and world in creative production. My classroom will be a lily pad among many in the pond that lead to a voice in self-identity. Art should be studied for its potential social connotations and storytelling, and should be created the sake of pure creation, and also expressive power.

Both inside and outside of the classroom, I understand I not only teach a specific subject, but I teach myself. Children are inherently aware of authenticity and honesty. In this, I realize the great responsibility of patience, kindness and the essence of being fair. In all of life, nearly everyone who has gone to school can remember something about one of their educators. There is power in those memories that can determine life choices for students. My students know me as an encouraging, eager facilitator to their critical thinking and creating. To make this possible, I demonstrate the ability to listen and time alone to reflect after each lesson. Positive reinforcement and individual encouragement are routine. Additionally, I offer all of my support after school hours as well as hold teacher-student conferences.  I want my students to know that I know they are capable of altering the course of the world.

Because artmaking is near limitless in its forms of application, I see few challenges in offering classrooms of diverse learners’ different options to tackle new projects. Artmaking through creative writing, painting, mathematically graphed perspective drawings, technology based art applications, sculpture or performance show just some of the range available for success in my class. I hope with an open minded approach to teaching this subject, my students too will open their minds to not only taking risks in artmaking, but also in how they choose to tackle other assessments in their lives.

I want my students to see our classroom in the color yellow. I want them to feel the blue and violets at twilight and to consider a bird’s eye view perspective. I want them to always experience atmosphere, the bizarre and beautiful in the mundane or extraordinary. I want students to view everything they do as an extension of their artwork, or a way to develop who they want to become. To be curious, to feel everything, to look harder- and see, to raise questions, to produce concerns in a visual way. This is all an effort to keep inherent curiosity alive. This lens will revive learners of their poetic, thoughtful, action seeking, and intelligent characteristics which they can take with them through the rest of their lives.