Philosophy

Teaching to me is more than seeing a student’s eyes light up when they see that they have accomplished something great, but rather the fact that they are one step closer to becoming who they are meant to be. I see each and every student as an in progress work of art. They grow, change, critique themselves, and sometimes feel as if starting over would be better than trying to salvage what they already are. We are all this way, no matter what, there can always be improvement, a work is almost never done and the process is much more important than the product.
           

I believe strongly in each little exploration that slowly comes together to make a grander piece, a larger exploration, or what some might call a final product. These larger explorations are not just products, but stepping-stones into something of greater value, progress on this work of art that is each and every student.  Each large and small creation will be celebrated, but the real fruit might never be seen and will come in time. I want art to show my students that the journey is what leads you to who you are and all of the different parts are what help you to grow and change along the way.

Art is a way to express yourself, to get the thoughts out that you cannot articulate onto paper, and to answer questions that you never even knew you had. Art is an overarching exploration of the self. This world is much more vast than I could ever care to comprehend, but art helps me to grapple with how I fit into it. Each and every student will have something that is forcing its way out of them and a personal understanding of life.

I believe that as a student explores through art, they find out more about themselves, and how they fit into this immense world. We all have a desire to belong, and in order to belong we must first realize who we are and what is important to us. For me, helping students to understand this reality through art as it helped me, is how I feel I belong. Not every student will belong through art directly, but I believe that through each and every exploration, each question, and each new understanding, they will learn a bit more about where they are meant to fit.

Through conceptual projects, discussions of work, challenging processes, a comfortable environment, and a personal relationship with other students and myself, I believe that students can begin to focus not only on what they are creating visually, but how they are learning and growing. 
 

Through the exploration of big conceptual ideas, I hope to engage my students in art making and help them through the process of deep thinking. They will be guided through this process through innovative lessons as well as intriguing materials. I believe the classroom is a space for choice and mutual respect and through that self discovery can be made.