Teaching Philosophy
I’ve always known that I wanted to be an art educator, and nearing the end of my program at CSU has only made me more excited to get into the field and teach. I’ve had the unique opportunity to travel and live across the world while my spouse was enlisted in the military. While that meant having to put a pause on my education, I spent those years anticipating getting back into the university setting. It has been well worth the wait. My strengths are in my patience, empathy, flexibility, and accepting feedback.
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My purpose as an educator is to lift my students up, and provide them with a toolkit of empathy, respect for one another, and a driving sense of curiosity. Particularly as an art teacher, I will have the ability to utilize the power of visual arts— a non-verbal language, for students to focus their emotions and life experiences into meaningful explorations.
There still seems to be a recurring idea that art is exclusionary, and if you are frustrated with art, you are just “not an artist.” I want to demonstrate to my students that making successful art isn’t dictated by finishing a piece that looks technically detailed or completely representational. Real beauty in art comes from truth, and true expression. Art education needs to be even more accessible.
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I aim to make my art classroom a place students want to be, and feel like they are an integral part of the class environment. Because of what I’ve learned at CSU, I have shifted away from emphasis on product and ideal techniques, and moved toward art-making as a process. I want my passion for art, and excitement for teaching to be contagious. I strive to facilitate learning about contemporary art that resonates with k-12 students. I want to use my voice as a woman to inspire girls to follow their creative dreams, and give a voice to underrepresented groups within the art world.