Growing up in a divorced family, the one part of my life that was constant and controllable was my love for art.  Both of my parents encouraged me daily to create artistic pieces, whether drawing butterflies from a butterfly bush or sculpting the deer I saw in my backyard.  As a young student throughout Middle and High School, I found art as a comfort zone, a class where I could communicate mt emotions and experiences visually.  During my sophomore year of high school, I was informed by my guidance counselor that I would not be able to take Art due to the fact that my Art and History class would interfere with one another.  Just hearing these words stopped me in my tracks.  I could not go an entire year without art.  It came down to the point where I knew if I did not have Art within my every day schedule, I would have a miserable sophomore year.  If this obstacle did not present itself during my sophomore year, I would have never known how much art meant within my life: everything.    

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While continuing my education at The Pennsylvania State University, majoring in Art Education, my love for teaching developed and grew through each encounter with students.  I began to understand and comprehend the idea that teachers are not the main instructors or educators within the classroom.  My experiences working with children inside and outside of the classroom has shown me how students are just as important within an educating environment.  Their minds are constantly exploring, investigating, and discovering the environment around them.  I believe, as an educator, that my students will impact my life just as much as I hope to impact their lives.  

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After I graduate The Pennsylvania State University with a degree in Art Education, I plan to pursue a career as an art educator.  My main mission is to inspire my students to create and connect with art, regardless of their abilities, to shape their thinking about themselves and the world. I believe my knowledge and experience, while working with students in the arts, provides me the tools to utilize differentiated instruction through process, product, and content.  Students should never be underestimated regarding their abilities and potential.  With my experience, I hope that the environment we create in the class and the ideas that we work with shape our artwork and inspire students to think differently about themselves and their future potential within their world.     

 

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