Through my practicum experience and my first time being in a classroom setting, I have learned that being an art teacher goes beyond just teaching students about art. With the skills and experience of my cooperating teacher, Mrs. Maldonado, I have learned about developing student’s fine motor skills and building a strong classroom community where the students enjoy being in the art room. One of my favorite lessons was glow day! All of the students were able to paint using neon paint under the glow of a black light. Every student was super excited and this project was accessible to the students in wheelchairs or with developmental delays. The students were able to create whatever they wanted and let their creative minds soar. I was so inspired by my students that I knew I wanted to explore glow art with my future students one day.
My goal as an art teacher is to create art projects that cater to the students’ abilities and choices. If the students want to learn how to animate or create their own website, I can help them reach those goals. During college, I majored in graphic design and animation. I look forward to sharing these projects with the students such as creating flip books and animated gifs to introduce them to animation. Although I focused on 2D art, I have fallen in love with 3D art with sculpture and ceramics. I want to share the joy of creating things with their hands through sculpture and ceramics which can encompass almost anything such as soap, wood, glass and clay projects. As someone born with only one hand, using the pottery wheel used to scare me, but I had an amazing professor who taught me how to use the wheel with one hand. I would love to share my own personal experience and perseverance with the students and create handbuilt and thrown projects.
It has been humbling to teach elementary students, especially my third graders who I have grown to enjoy. In their young minds, I see the passion and the engagement with the mediums including working their hardest on their 2D trifolds. The students studied nature landscapes including mountains, water, and trees and the students went beyond my expectations adding extra details such as animals and cacti. I was so proud seeing the work come together and engage with the difficult concept.
For many students, the art room is a safe space where the students may express themselves. I want my future art room to be fully inclusive and tolerant of all individuals no matter how a person may identify or where their abilities lie, and hope for the student who “hates art” to either create something they are proud of and/or develop an appreciation of art’s importance. My philosophy of education includes that art should be for everyone and I will do everything in my power to give my students the choice, the access to create, and understanding art in today’s world.