Why teach?
To me, creating and studying art is a means of better understanding the world around me - the physical environment as well as the impact of society and culture. Through art I believe that I am able to expand my worldview as well as better see the beauty in it. Growing up, I was constantly creating - drawing, painting, sewing, collaging, knitting, crocheting, building ceramics, making jewelry, you name it. Art was, and still is, a way for me to unwind, reflect, and create meaning. My mother was an art director turned art teacher and my father was a musician, so naturally the world I grew up in was deeply enveloped with art.
When it came time to choose a major during my undergraduate career at UC Santa Barbara, I was unsure of how to create a career for myself in art so I studied the History of Art and Architecture and Communication. I held an internship at the campus art museum, but at this time making art - drawing, painting, making ceramics - was more of just a hobby for me.
After graduating from UCSB I worked at a tech startup, which I quickly learned was not the environment I envisioned myself in for the remainder of my career. Teaching had always been an idea in the back of my head, but I was hesitant to go back to school and jump into a new career with zero experience in a classroom. What if I couldn't stand working with children? What if I couldn't handle the responsibility of all of those students relying on me? This interest (and uncertainty), along with a deep desire to travel and immerse myself in a new culture, led me to Thailand where I taught English for a year. For the first semester I taught speaking and conversation at a large public secondary school in a poor, agricultural region of the country. I absolutely adored my students and being in the classroom, but this still wasn’t enough to convince me that it was time to invest in a graduate education. I figured that teaching English through games and fun exercises was far different from being an educator back home in the States.
For the next semester, I found a job as a 5th grade homeroom teacher at a private international school where the students received 60% of their classes in English. I was responsible for planning and teaching math, science, and language arts lessons to my very own class of nineteen 10-11 year olds whose second or third language was English. I had absolutely no formal education on how to be an educator or manage a classroom of unruly students, so you could say that this was an extremely challenging experience. However, I realized that I LOVED putting on the teacher hat and helping these young minds grasp concepts that were new and difficult for them. Creating a safe space for these kids to learn in and feel comfortable sharing their ideas, and then seeing the light bulb go off when they were able to solve a new problem, or the confidence they glowed with when they eloquently presented a group project, was so incredibly rewarding. I had one student in particular who came from a complicated and abusive home life, with little to no support from his parents. Working with him every day and becoming a friendly figure in his life who supported him and showed him that he was a bright student that could create outstanding work played a large role in illuminating the education path for me. I was finally convinced that teaching was for me, but I realized that in order to be a more inspired and inspiring teacher for my students it would have to be in a subject that I was passionate about. This is where art came into play.
I hope that as an art teacher I will share not only my knowledge of art and art history with my students, but also present art as a way to gain a deeper understanding of the self and the world. Through planning lessons that engage students in critically reflecting on their own experiences as well as shared experiences with other people, I hope that I can teach them to use art as a way to connect with themselves, their peers, and the world around them.
For me, studying art history as an undergrad was incredibly stimulating as it was a way to better understand the social, cultural, and political histories of the modern and ancient world through something that I was so passionate about - art. I hope to in turn stoke this same fascination with learning about modern and historical art as an art teacher. I think that teaching art is more than just helping students become better artists, but a way to help foster self expression and understanding, and inspire critical thinking about the world around us.
Click here to read my philosophy on education:
When it came time to choose a major during my undergraduate career at UC Santa Barbara, I was unsure of how to create a career for myself in art so I studied the History of Art and Architecture and Communication. I held an internship at the campus art museum, but at this time making art - drawing, painting, making ceramics - was more of just a hobby for me.
After graduating from UCSB I worked at a tech startup, which I quickly learned was not the environment I envisioned myself in for the remainder of my career. Teaching had always been an idea in the back of my head, but I was hesitant to go back to school and jump into a new career with zero experience in a classroom. What if I couldn't stand working with children? What if I couldn't handle the responsibility of all of those students relying on me? This interest (and uncertainty), along with a deep desire to travel and immerse myself in a new culture, led me to Thailand where I taught English for a year. For the first semester I taught speaking and conversation at a large public secondary school in a poor, agricultural region of the country. I absolutely adored my students and being in the classroom, but this still wasn’t enough to convince me that it was time to invest in a graduate education. I figured that teaching English through games and fun exercises was far different from being an educator back home in the States.
For the next semester, I found a job as a 5th grade homeroom teacher at a private international school where the students received 60% of their classes in English. I was responsible for planning and teaching math, science, and language arts lessons to my very own class of nineteen 10-11 year olds whose second or third language was English. I had absolutely no formal education on how to be an educator or manage a classroom of unruly students, so you could say that this was an extremely challenging experience. However, I realized that I LOVED putting on the teacher hat and helping these young minds grasp concepts that were new and difficult for them. Creating a safe space for these kids to learn in and feel comfortable sharing their ideas, and then seeing the light bulb go off when they were able to solve a new problem, or the confidence they glowed with when they eloquently presented a group project, was so incredibly rewarding. I had one student in particular who came from a complicated and abusive home life, with little to no support from his parents. Working with him every day and becoming a friendly figure in his life who supported him and showed him that he was a bright student that could create outstanding work played a large role in illuminating the education path for me. I was finally convinced that teaching was for me, but I realized that in order to be a more inspired and inspiring teacher for my students it would have to be in a subject that I was passionate about. This is where art came into play.
I hope that as an art teacher I will share not only my knowledge of art and art history with my students, but also present art as a way to gain a deeper understanding of the self and the world. Through planning lessons that engage students in critically reflecting on their own experiences as well as shared experiences with other people, I hope that I can teach them to use art as a way to connect with themselves, their peers, and the world around them.
For me, studying art history as an undergrad was incredibly stimulating as it was a way to better understand the social, cultural, and political histories of the modern and ancient world through something that I was so passionate about - art. I hope to in turn stoke this same fascination with learning about modern and historical art as an art teacher. I think that teaching art is more than just helping students become better artists, but a way to help foster self expression and understanding, and inspire critical thinking about the world around us.
Click here to read my philosophy on education:
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