teaching philosophy
Teaching is something that I always knew I wanted to do. As a child, I remember lining up my dolls, my stuffed animals, and my little brother and teaching them lessons, and, best of all, giving them tests that I gleefully graded.
As I moved through my years of kindergarten through high school, I found that I learned best by doing - experiential learning was key for me. In high school, my favorite teacher was Lollie Eykyn who taught me French. Mrs. Eykyn opened a new world for me in several ways. First, to my Southern upbringing, French (and France) was an exotic mystery. I found that learning French was a lot like solving puzzles which I loved and Mrs. Eykyn made the course engaging by not just teaching us the standard phrases like, "Comment t'allez vous?" "Bien, et vous?", but also by teaching us to read a French menu then cooking and eating a French meal, learning French history, art, literature, poetry, and music, and how to find our way around Paris. Second, Mrs. Eykyn extended the experiential learning to extra curricular activities. The French club was the biggest and most active club in the school. Why? Because Mrs. Eykyn took us on trips. I visited both the just-opened Disney World and New Orleans with the French Club. These were my first real trips away from my family. Third, Mrs. Eykyn was the first person to recognize that I had leadership potential. She pulled me aside one day and asked me to run for office in the French Club. I was flattered and began to see myself in a new way.
Mrs. Eykyn had a profound influence on my teaching. First, I knew that I wanted my students to learn through experience. It is not enough to sit and read about something - you must DO it in order to fully understand. This fit perfectly with my path as an art teacher. I see the importance in students getting in there and making art by drawing, painting, sculpting, throwing pots, designing fashion, weaving, and taking photographs. Through their experiences, they learn to problem-solve and to allow creativity to emerge. Second, I knew that I wanted to help my students see something beyond their backyard. Over the course of my career, I have taken students to museums, colleges and universities, amusement parks, Broadway shows, New York City, Europe, and China. Whether it is a short day trip or a trip that lasts 23 days, my students have been given opportunities to see and do things that open their eyes to the world around them. Third, I have understood my role as a leader and have seized opportunities to volunteer and help where needed. I have been a leader in my school, my community, my district, my state, and in the country. I have tried to use my experiences to model leadership for my students and have tried to spark that leadership in my students, just as Mrs. Eykyn did with me.
In my classroom, I strive to help my students become creative critical thinkers. I welcome diversity and hope to challenge my students to be tolerant and understanding of others. I hope to teach my students that art is a lifelong skill. Whether they desire to be professional artists or not, art is something that can make you happy throughout your life. I also hope to share my passions of art and travel with my students and strive to help them also find their passion.