Teaching Philosophy
I believe students can help shape their art education and individual lessons into empowering and enabling connections to their lives and communities, to history and to the future. There should be an engaging amount of choice and autonomy in lesson resolutions, along with collaboration and experiential learning. Students should feel that their life experiences and contributions are valued in the classroom so they can respectfully share and learn knowledge in turn with everyone in that space. I want students to feel heard and understood, so I try to take every opportunity to check in with them individually, watching and listening to learn what each person in the classroom needs in order to feel safe and open to new understandings. I reflect on classroom interactions and try to adjust my methods to honor those needs as much as possible.
My role as an educator is to always make my students feel welcome, valued, and capable. I can do this by smiling when I see them coming, looking them in the eye and listening to them, sharing some knowledge of our lives outside of the classroom, expecting unique and amazing progress from each of them, and doing what I can to facilitate that growth. I believe that being very clear about classroom and school expectations, coupled with showing compassion and a certain amount of flexibility, enables students to work confidently within those spaces to progress scholastically, emotionally, and socially. I try to set an example and expectation of awareness and compassion for others, self-care and acceptance, and resilience—an ability to risk failure, admit mistakes, pivot, and keep trying.
My role as an educator is to always make my students feel welcome, valued, and capable. I can do this by smiling when I see them coming, looking them in the eye and listening to them, sharing some knowledge of our lives outside of the classroom, expecting unique and amazing progress from each of them, and doing what I can to facilitate that growth. I believe that being very clear about classroom and school expectations, coupled with showing compassion and a certain amount of flexibility, enables students to work confidently within those spaces to progress scholastically, emotionally, and socially. I try to set an example and expectation of awareness and compassion for others, self-care and acceptance, and resilience—an ability to risk failure, admit mistakes, pivot, and keep trying.