My Philosophy of Education

My philosophy of Education revolves around encouraging life long learning as we engage our students. Why?  Because learning will not stop with graduation day.  Ideally everyone the student comes in contact with will model the way of thinking that shows well-informed community members are knowledgeable about more than just their vocation;  and that each position has duties and responsibilities.

My duty and responsibility as a community member who engages students in learning about art is to have in place classroom management procedures to keep all of us working together. The students will learn that the language of art has its own vocabulary-the elements of art & its own grammar or rules- the principles of design.  We will use art language in every thing we do:  in observing and creating.  In studying about art history.  And in analyzing, interpreting and critiquing art.

Thus each assignment will include an opportunity to use creative problem solving and critical thinking skills.  We will look at art in technology and how it may evolve: the world of CGI is here, so we will look into careers in the Graphic Arts. I believe the visual arts matter and may serve as a bridge between cultures- one that often goes beyond the limits of language. We will study artists from around the world including those active today.

But this philosophy is really about reaching one child at a time. I believe children learn best in a caring, structured environment where exploration is encouraged.  The restraints are all about safety-for each person in the classroom. Thus the responsibility falls on me to consistently model this sensitivity to differences.  My goal as their teacher is to teach them to think critically as they are learning about diverse cultures and applying what we have learned about appreciating differences-inside and outside the classroom.

And so when they graduate from high school and join the community outside of  the classroom, they will know that the learning has just begun!