About Me
I was sporadic as a child, and it was effortless for me to get distracted during class. Many of these experiences influenced me to approach teaching by educating each student based on their needs. I would relate my teaching style mostly with progressivism as I want to treat the drawing techniques learned as flexible tools rather than "authoritarian sources of knowledge." The children are the experimenters and should think for themselves while learning new skills. I do believe in the existentialist idea that there are bodies of knowledge and skills that all students should possess. Although this is an aspect I want to mostly improve on as a teacher, I’d implement the social reconstructivist philosophy of addressing social issues to improve society.
I believe students learn best when they’re given choice and clear instructions modified based on everyone’s needs. Therefore in my classroom I would offer them tools (drawing techniques, cheat sheets, 1-on-1 aid) and the flexibility to learn outside the established instructions. For example, if they needed more instructions to understand a specific drawing technique, I would draw beside their paper step by step. If they still could not understand, I would lightly draw on their paper to give them a blueprint of what to do next. Alternatively, I would have them draw on a separate paper for practice while guiding them. I would also ask the students questions about their interests that could tie into our lesson. For example, one child may like Pokemon, so for an assignment about undersea life, I would give them the freedom to draw fish that resemble specific Pokemon. I would use informal assessments to create detailed rubrics and quick checklists and check them off in front of the students to visualize the improvements they're making. I value that every student has their own story, and once I understand how to gear the class around everyone's interests, it makes a huge difference. I also want the students not to be afraid to ask questions if they are stuck or disagree with the effectiveness of a teaching or drawing method. As a student I was regularly afraid to admit to the teacher that I didn’t understand what to do, even when I genuinely tried to pay attention.
I ultimately have two goals: to be an academically effective teacher for all types of students and to grow empathetically. Learning every student’s strengths and weaknesses is important to tailor how I communicate drawing techniques with them. I can’t teach the class in one specific style and expect everyone to follow along. I want to challenge my biases on what I think is effective teaching and to hear the students out. That’s where empathy comes in and I believe is just as important as the academic side of teaching. I can’t jump to conclusions about why students do what they do, even if it’s disrespectful. Students may be facing obstacles such as time management, academic pressure, family troubles, peer pressure to continue deviating from the task, or loneliness from being neglected by other students. Not to mention that, by knowing children who need accommodations for their disabilities, I can work to provide them with extra tools to have an equal opportunity to learn like everyone else. I will help students learn and grow by reminding them not to feel embarrassed of themselves, not to be upset for not understanding the lesson, or to feel ashamed to feel negative emotions, especially if they are having a bad day. A student's mental health determines the quality of their education, and I hope I am someone they feel comfortable being themselves around while learning something new about art.
I will know my students have learned when they’re applying the drawing techniques I’ve taught them, but in a way that’s unique to them. What I mean by that is they use it to express their own ideas. For example, I’m teaching my students about perspective. I’ll know that they’ve applied what I learned by drawing 3 objects on the perspective lines. But they have the freedom to choose what object they want to draw. I want to foster a classroom that students can go to when they’re stressed out and need a safe space to draw. Not a teacher who’s constantly yelling at students or marking specific students as nothing but “trouble makers”. Because that just sours my relationship with that student and neglects their needs. Even if there are students who misbehave, I don’t want them to feel unwanted in the classroom. Kids who cause trouble usually do so because they want attention, and deep down, acceptance by their peers. I relate to that feeling, so I try to show patience while still communicating with them & the staff to figure out an appropriate intervention.