My Teaching Philosophy

Influential art educator Viktor Lowenfeld once said, “One of the basic abilities that should be taught in our schools is the ability to discover, to search for answers, instead of passively waiting for answers and directions from the teacher. The experiences central to an art activity embody this very factor.”   I believe the art classroom is an environment that stimulates children’s curiosity to explore new concepts and challenges their thinking processes without inhibiting their ideas.

I have always had a strong passion for art and ultimately decided to get my undergraduate degree in Fine Arts.  I also found my love of teaching children while on the slopes of the Rocky Mountains as a ski instructor for the last 10 years.  I decided I wanted to put those two great passions together and become an art teacher.     

Initially it was my mother who influenced me to love art and embrace my creativity.  My passion grew strong as a kid and when posed the question in school “what do you want to be when you grow up?” my answer was always ”an artist.”  As I grew up, I continued to take as many art classes as my schools would allow. Art is important to me because as a kid it was an outlet to help me discover who I am.  Art transcends all cultures, age groups, genders, and it develops into an understanding community of people despite differences.   It’s a valuable tool for self-discovery and to identify value as a person.

            I loved all my teachers and they all had a huge influence on me but my high school photography teacher is the one who stands out the most in my mind.  He treated his class like real human beings by allowing his students to have their own voice and always challenged students to take things a step further.  He was forward but honest, a friend but a teacher, patient yet challenging, and cool but yet a bit dorky. Everyone loved him and he could relate to everyone.

Kids are amazing and they see the world in different way than most adults.  I want to help cultivate curiosity, creativity and open students eyes to new ideas and change preconceived notions of what art is by providing an environment void of judgment that is encouraging and not forceful.   I want to bring art to kids so they may have a new avenue for communication that they might not have had before by providing students a safe environment and making available a range of materials to cultivate creativity and experiment no matter their ability. 

As a teacher it is important to learn from my mistakes and my successes to see how I can improve, change, and challenge myself as an educator. It is important to learn from my peers and my students and take constructive criticism to better myself as a teacher.  It is important to continue with my art making to further my knowledge, teaching skills, and to keep me motivated maintaining a connection to the skills and practices that brought me to teaching.  It is important to preserve my passion for art so students can keep their excitement about creating and experimenting with different art skills.