My Teaching Philosophy

I feel a teaching philosophy is necessary so that as time goes by I can reflect on my teaching values and goals. As a committed teacher I do not want to lose sight of my motivation for becoming an art educator. I believe that all students can learn and have enriched lives from their learning experiences. As an educator, I believe all students can be engaged in learning experiences regardless of their home environment, physical and psychological needs and the limitations of the educational system. The educator needs to consider the overall learning environment as well as the personal needs of the student. This includes the variations of learning styles and emotional development of the student. It is my goal to create a positive learning environment where students feel comfortable striking out new projects and ideas. As a perceptive art educator I will pick up on the signals of a student’s personal interest and wants to pursue a certain type of project.
My lesson plans will be based on individual growth, outreach, community and service learning as well as exploring social issues and a various amount of art techniques. The inclusion of an interdisciplinary approach is an important piece of my lesson plans in hopes for students to understand how art is used in many different subjects and professional jobs. I would like students to believe art to be a way to explore their emotions, their culture and their place in society. Students will learn that art can be used in many different scenarios. Students will be encouraged to create art outreach programs for their community whether it is in the school community or the community inside their town or city. I would like to explore social issues in the students’ community and the world to encourage the students to be informed about the world outside of their school environment. Students will be encouraged to use various mediums in hopes for them to feel comfortable and knowledgeable and not discouraged when using new mediums.
I feel a successful teacher and student relationship will be one that will be based on trust. I will achieve this by creating a positive environment and a non judgmental environment. Students will feel comfortable to share their art work, documentation and experiences. Students will also feel comfortable sharing with me the art educator their views on a lesson, ideas and concerns.

Rubbings

Nature was our subject for the day. Students went around with paper and crayon and made some rubbings from various objects outside. Then they collected leaves, twigs, dirt etc. to create a collage.

Body Adornment

My classmates and I taught a High School class at the Tucson Museum School for the Visual Arts about Body Adornment. We used some Meso American pieces in the museum as examples. It was a very successful lesson.
After students created their own design for a tattoo.

Baltimore

Matisse

Matisse was our muse we went outside to draw to find inspirational shapes. After we used our sketches for inspiration for printmaking.

Value and Ansel Adams

Students created a gray scale before visiting the Ansel Adams exhibit. They were given a short demonstration and then created their own. After viewing the photographs they went to the studio to create their own landscape.