My hopes as an art teacher have always been to give back what I gained from art teachers and the experiences of creating art as I was growing up. My family and I moved every three to four years, and I was the shy, quiet student sitting in the back of the room. I found the art experience a place to discover my feelings, build self-confidence and self-esteem and appreciate and respect differences in others views, opinions and ideas. I like to create an atmosphere in my classroom filled with enthusiasm, humor, openness, and caring.
My favorite part of teaching is seeing students blossom from the beginning of the semester to the end. When I first get them they stare at the big blank white paper with wide eyed fear saying, “ I don’t have any ideas, what should I draw”, and when they leave my classroom they are drawing with determination, diving in with their tongues held tightly to the side in complete focus saying, “look what I did, do you like my ideas”? “Yes”, I say, “you are brilliant, you are going to be the next Picasso, or Einstein, or President or what ever you believe you can be!!!”