My Teaching Philosophy

It has been said that life imitates art as it has the capability to portray different perspectives in an engaging way throughout society; it impacts those who experience it– their own values and beliefs. As an educator, I desire to influence our younger generation to discover their own values and translate them through art. Children can create to not only form an impact on themselves, but those around them. Harnessing creativity and employing the art making process has impacted me in a profound way. My only hope is to nurture the talents of my students to create a similar effect onto them- not simply just to create, but to be challenged, inspired, and culturally conscious.

As an educator…

           one must utilize all of the resources given to them in order to make sure students with special needs thrive in the educational environment. Oftentimes those who are struggling in the classroom will need extra resources, accommodations, or even modifications. This is not giving more attention to those specific students, but instead leveling the playing field so each child has an equal opportunity to learn, be successful and excel.

            Not all students are able to learn equally and cannot be treated exactly the same in the classroom. While some students can excel with little intervention, others may need extra attention and help to reach the same level. As an educator I will always strive to always put individual student’s needs first in order for them all to reach success. 

The best way to understand and interact with your students during the learning process is to create a proper dialogue. Paulo Freire said “Education must begin with the solution of the teacher-student contradiction, by reconciling the poles of the contradiction so that both are simultaneously teachers and students”. I believe it can be dangerous for the educator to think we can only teach and not learn; an educator must simultaneously be a teacher and a learner. In Paulo Freire’s banking of education concept the teacher does not know everything and the students do not know nothing; instead there is a dialogue between the two. Arts education is no different, in fact it can be even more exploratory than other subjects. The students are in control of what they make and of their own knowledge.

We must make the classroom into a safe space to explore, be creative, and discover new things. This is not just in relation to class material but in relation to ourselves and others as well. This way, not only tolerance will occur, but acceptance and celebration.