My Way As Art Teacher

In order to be certain that becoming an Art Teacher was for me I attended a school experience day observing the Art classes and I knew instantly from the vibrant and lively atmosphere of the classroom and the desire inside me to offer help and guidance to the students as I watched them experiment with mixing colours, that I wanted to train to become an Art Teacher. It dawned on me as I was observing the classes that I have this wealth of knowledge and experience in Art and Design that I can use to educate and inspire others.

I am passionate about my subject. I believe that developing a child's creativity encourages self-expression, individuality and in turn confidence to start thinking critically about the world around them. To develop this kind of critical mind in a child is the essence of learning which they can apply to all their learning throughout school and into adult life. To engage them in the subject and help equip them with the tools to have the confidence to explore, question and react productively and thereby achieving.

I am coming to this as a career change in my late 30’s. I have been working as a Graphic Designer and Illustrator for several years. I completed my Masters in Painting in 2007 and since then between working and having a family I have kept a continuous connection to making art in my spare time, mainly printmaking and painting. I can therefore offer the children a wide spectrum of knowledge about Art and Design from the traditional fine art aspects of a Painter right across the board to the digitally produced work of an Illustrator and Graphic Designer.

I know that this is a challenging profession in many ways. I understand that in order to deliver my subject well I will need to develop strategies and techniques within the classroom first to ensure I can teach successfully. I’m good at communicating with others, well organised and understand that schools have expectations from their teachers to guarantee the students are on target for reaching their long term goals. I have two children and know from them that every child learns differently and that balancing the learning needs of varying students within a class is a massive challenge for all teachers. I hope to be able to engage all the students using differential ways of learning during the lessons, which Art being creative in its very essence means helping the students find their own way in which their ideas can be explored and expressed via many different mediums and techniques.

Our school years are such a critical time and the repercussions are felt throughout our adult lives. For me my art teachers encouragement and enthusiasm for my work gave me the confidence to achieve the results I did, which to this day continue to affect my learning and progression. A person should never stop learning and the seed to begin that lifetime journey starts with a great teacher.