My Educational Journey
My Teaching Philosophy
I believe art is essential to human development because it fosters creativity, self expression, empathy cultural understanding, and critical thinking. My goal is to create a safe, inclusive, and culturally responsive classroom where every student feels seen, valued, and empowered to explore their identity through artistic expression. Inspired by the principles of Growth Mindset, Montessori, and Reggio Emilia, I encourage student agency, exploration, and joyful learning. Drawing on my own experiences as a student of color and on who struggled with ADHD, who often felt underrepresented, I strive to ensure that all students see themselves, their cultures, and their communities reflected in the art room. Above all, I believe every student deserves to know that their voice, perspective, and creativity matter.
Lessons
This lesson was a hands on way to involve littles in a more theatrical way to understand Bees and their important duties! Students each got a Bee role ( Queen Bee, worker Bee, Guarding Bee, Nurse Bee, etc) and could visualize the importance of working as a community while exploring print making
This was a a fun lesson introducing optical Illusions to 4th grade! Students learned the history of Optical art. They played a 'what do you see?' optical art game with viral OP art images. After students created their own optical art illusion!
When I came in for my placement the students were just finishing a unit project on painting. I was asked to introduce students to critiques. I wanted it to be a relaxed and provided tools for them to discuss their artwork with small groups. Students had a chance to talk about art in a stress-free environment !
EDTPA
The EDTPA was a a multi-week unit developed and taught to 6th-8th grade students during my student teaching experience in spring 2026. Throughout the unit,students explored, experimented with, and practiced a variety of soft pastel techniques before creating a finished artwork. Students began learning about the unique qualities of soft pastels and how they different from other dry media. We explored artists who work with the medium and examined how their artistic choices influenced their work. Students also learned and practiced a range of pastel techniques, considering how different approaches could be used to create specific textures, values, and visual effects.
This was a unit I particularly enjoyed teaching because it gave students the opportunity to experiment, make creative choices, and develop confidence with an unfamiliar medium. The structure of the unit can also be easily adapted for high school students by increasing the complexity of the techniques, concepts, and expectations for the final artwork.
Preview of Slides from Presentation
Student Work From Final Pastel Work
