Personal Statement:
I feel that art has been the backbone to much of my success in life. Art inspired and changed my life and brought a sense of purpose and accomplishment, and it makes me want to help others, especially my students, to feel the same. Throughout the years my art teachers have been some of the most important people in my life. They helped create an atmosphere where I felt accomplished, where I could strive to be better, where I could express myself, a place where I felt inspired. I want to instill these same feelings in the students that I teach. As an art teacher I aim inspire kids helping them to gain skills through art that will go beyond the classroom and help them throughout their lives. Whether my students decide to pursue a career in the arts, or simply develop an appreciation for the arts, I believe they will go on in life having taken some valuable tools from their experience in my classroom that will help them to be better people, and make better choices. I have seen in my own life how powerful the art classroom has been and I want to create that same environment for others. I am humbled by being able to be a role model and mentor to my students. As a teacher, I believe it is my responsibility not only to teach art, but to conduct myself in a way that inspires my students. I will demonstrate to them the importance of being an active participant, by being involved in my community, creating art, displaying art, attending art exhibitions and showing them what it is to be passionate about their interests. I hope to instill in my students important values, such as respecting themselves and others, learning to share and cooperate, and treating others with kindness and patience. I am a teacher with integrity, and, hopefully, my students will remember me as a person who enriched their lives, if even in a small way.