Philosophy of Education—

Growing up, I was always asking questions of who, what, when, where, and especially why. This longing for more knowledge and extensive curiosity expanded past the school hours which brought a whole new sense of wonder to my world. Curiosity, exploration, asking questions, and failing forward with a Growth Mindset are all part of my educational philosophy. Giving students the space to be curious, feel safe asking questions, and explore their interests fosters wonderful learning opportunities for them. I remember feeling a sense of pride and confidence after discovering something new to me. Which is a main reason for my love of learning; I thrive off of that feeling. If I can have the chance to share my passion and discoveries with others, in hopes of sparking the same desires for learning within themselves, I know I would have done my duty as an educator. (Well partial duty, of course).

I like to think of my philosophy as a quilt. The cloth from which my own philosophical threads are weaved through is that of heavy texture but simple material; like a cotton quilt with beautiful patterns made from many different pieces sewn together. Each piece represents a certain pedagogy, strategy, or educational belief. What makes my personal pedagogical quilt unique is the fact that it is being cut, re-sewn, recut and re-sewn, constantly. But that is a sign of a growing, developing, and strong professional.

It started with only one small square piece of fabric, that being the base of my artistic education as a child. Constantly shaped and designed throughout the years from my further experiences within the public school system; growing larger in size as the years passed. The most recent additions coming from my experiences within the higher education system both involving undergraduate and graduate programs. This quilt acts as both a security blanket and a road map to my beliefs in teaching.

I consider myself to be creative, compassionate, understanding, and professional. I take the safety and well-being of students very seriously and hold that as my top responsibility. My aptitude with children comes from my high level of empathy and respect for them as human beings. Those attributes would increase the success of anyone in a position who is responsible in taking care of a group of young creatives.

I believe in balance. Everything tends to work out better when there is balance. That is why I combine a bit of this philosophy and a bit of that philosophy. I am a believer in child-based education, Teaching for Artistic Behaviors (TAB), and teacher-centered education all within the same curriculum. There is a certain flow that takes place within the lessons I plan that model each of these philosophies. This allows me to cater more towards the individual learner instead of trying to generalize education in hopes to reach “enough” students.

Too often, students fall through the cracks of the school system, but I am going to try everything in my power to keep them above ground within the art room. An efficient way of sealing the cracks is through the use of interdisciplinary lessons and projects. I like to toy with the idea that I can enhance students’ learning across all subjects by adding art into their academic worlds. It may be their least favorite subject, or least successful subjects—but to watch them bloom after adding art into the mix is what I aim for. As I like to say:

Art is within EVERYTHING.