My teaching philosophy is to inspire through discovery and to motivate middle-school arts students toward self-enlightenment. The journey begins within a diverse classroom whereby connecting with students from traditional, pragmatic, experiential, and individualistic points of view drive creative diversity. The hard work that takes place within lecture setting, and subsequent studio components application, gives way to great satisfaction on the part of the student wherein the need to find purpose in the discovery of art truly begins.

     

     My diverse art class is a safe community for students to explore historical works, art epochs, artists’ perspectives, and apply problem solving techniques with strategies, innovation, originality, and resourcefulness. Thereby, all students, with all capabilities, develop their own understanding about the art process on an intellectual and hands-on approach to paintings and to take what is relevant into their own lives. My class is the place to question and to find purpose in discovery. The goal, therefore, is to instill curiosity with the introduction of historical to contemporary art theories. Students will write essays, analyze master works and/or artist statements, and are encouraged to explore and stretch their imagination. Semester exams will be based on the summation or understanding of each art epoch discovered to test foundational knowledge.

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     Discovery is also a willingness to learn by being open to all outcomes, and it is not without risk.  I strive to create situations to develop artistic skills for students to grow. As an author/illustrator of children’s books for over 25 years, I have spent a lifetime trying to reconnect to childhood. It is clear to me that we humans lose a bit of the creativity, spark and magic we had as children. Students will understand their role in the process of learning as it is their job to do challenging work. In a fascinating article written in Forbes, a study was conducted over the span of two decades and with over 1,600 children. The purpose of the test was to see how people solved problems in creative and innovative ways. Among 5-year-olds, the genius level of creativity was at 98%. Whereas the creativity level of 15-year-olds had dropped to 15%. The same test was given to 31-year-olds and the creativity levels dropped even further to an inconceivable 2%.  Therefore, is my job to guide students to understand and connect with their innate creative abilities and to explore their unlimited artistic potential.

     

As Proverbs 25:2 states, “It is the glory of God to conceal things, but the glory of kings is to search things out”. Discovery matters most to me; I hope to instill it in my students.