Teacher Identity Post

 As I reflect on my identity as a teacher I see that there is so much to me. I am a very complex person with a myriad of experiences that have helped to form who I am, and what I believe. I know that I have more to learn and room to grow, to add to who I am as a teacher and person. 

I became a teacher by chance. I did not choose to teach, it chose me. Not many can say that. I had never truly sought to become a teacher. I feel that God’s hand has been not just in my life but also on my teaching journey. It is as if it is a divine appointment. My goal early on was to become a commercial artist in the field of Interior Design. While in my freshman year of college I changed my mind and became an Illustration major with Advertising/Graphic Design and Photography minors. After graduation, I became a graphic designer and have been an art director for several corporations through the years. In my last position as an art director,  I was offered a position as an adjunct instructor at the Columbus College of Art and Design teaching Adobe Photoshop. That was my introduction to teaching and I have evolved as a teacher since then. 
While being an adjunct instructor in college I started substitute teaching in the school system in my neighborhood. That is when the art teacher at our elementary school suggested that I go back and get my k-12 teaching license. After much thought I did. I completed two additional undergrad years to do that. 
I continued to teach at the collegiate level as I went through my licensure. After receiving my license I was asked to cover art for my local elementary schools because the art teacher there had found out that she had liver cancer. I did this along with my job as an adjunct instructor for CCAD. Five years later I was contacted by a teacher from Licking Valley Local schools who had been at one of my painting parties (I also own my own company) and knew I had covered art for another elementary school in our area. They wanted to interview me. I went to the interview, was hired, and started working there two weeks before school started. I taught at Licking Valley Elementary for 5 years when the position that I currently am teaching opened up at the middle school. Two years ago I switched up to Licking Valley Middle school where I currently am teaching. That has been my journey into teaching. 
My learning objectives are to discover new ways to help encourage students in a middle school setting that can relate to them, help them grow, and relate to their community and world. My additional objectives are to understand this generation and the things that motivate them as well as cause them to halt. To help me with that I have been doing my own research through the following books: “The Power of the Adolescent Brain” by Thomas Armstrong. I am also looking at Studio Thinking from the Start” by Jillian Hogan/ Lois Hetland/ Diane B. Jaquith/ Ellen Winner. I am reading these and looking into my Art of Ed subscription as well as reading other articles from the NAAE and OAEA. 
Studio Habits and Design Thinking are two of the topics that I am trying to really apply more to my classroom.  Using the principles outlined in the book Studio Thinking from the Start (Hetland et al., 2018), chapter one “The Studio Habits of Mind”, allows for my “make mistakes, that’s how you grow” motto to reach them. Giving them space to make mistakes and know that they will be accepted through those mistakes. Design Thinking gives me an opportunity to help them remember and learn how to go through that process and how to do things that will help them reach and grow. 
The theorist whose work has inspired me most is Howard Gardner and his Theory of Multiple Intelligences. (Gardner, 2006) I completely agree that there are a variety of learners and we all learn differently. I am definitely a visual learner. His theory encourages me to find ways to use visual art to teach history, math, science, and language arts to help those students with greater understanding. I believe that every child can learn it’s my responsibility to find a way to make it happen. Getting to know the student is key. What are they interested in? What are their influences? What are their strengths and weaknesses? I get to know my students and use this information to help them individually. One thing that I have learned over the years is that there isn’t a one-size-fits-all art education. 
Some of the artists who have inspired me are Mondrian, Frank Lloyd Wright, Jerry Ulesman, and Vincent Van Gogh. They encourage me to look at the world in different ways. Frank Lloyd Wright and Mondrian use geometric mathematics which helps to create organized, well-thought-out work yet they are both unique. I like Van Gogh and Ulesman for similar reasons yet almost the opposite. I love how they can look at an image, compose it then deconstruct it to a point where it becomes unique and beautiful. I am an organized person. I like balance, originality, and love color. These artists help me to see how I can use them in my own work. 

My experiences through the years have influenced how I teach by reminding me to show all facets of visual art and design. To explain how what we do in the classroom, can be applied to life. How looking at things differently can open up a whole new world and can help grow an appreciation for what we see and use every day. I use Design Thinking and Studio Habits of Mind. I want to encourage students to take risks, fail and learn from them. Not to be afraid to try. I also want to teach them the design process and how important it is to research, brainstorm, collaborate, and problem solve. 
I feel that the strengths of my commercial design background and higher education experiences help me understand the end result, see the possibilities, and to share the stories that enlighten students about what is out there waiting for them. My belief in God and my relationship with Him help me to respect others and listen to their viewpoints and treat others with love. My experience as a mom to two grown children help me understand where my students are in their journey and how difficult the early teen years are. I have a heart and mind to love them where they are and to help them through their journey as I continue mine.  #Identity #Teaching Philosophy