Philosophy of Art Education
I will always remember two visual arts teachers that had a positive influence on my life. Their names were Ms. Helen Boozer and Ms. Linda Patterson and they were middle school visual arts teachers at Dewey Junior High School 136. They both inspired us to understand the power of art by using visual information to interpret, critique and explain the many ways to see and decipher the world around us.
I was raised in Brooklyn, New York by a strong Puerto Rican mother who believed that a college degree would open doors of opportunity. She encouraged higher education, as a result, I am a product of public-school education. As an educator, I would like to give back to the community I grew up in. I became interested in teaching after realizing how much I myself have benefited from dedicated and passionate teachers. With regard to the arts, I was inspired by the possibilities of innovation the arts could offer students in their development of problem-solving and critical thinking skills.
Art is more than just an academic subject. Art allows people to express what they are feeling when words fall short. It is my goal as an educator to teach students about the value of the visual arts in daily life, and how it allows someone to create their own identity. Art is a process of developing an idea and seeing that idea come to fruition by one's own efforts. Which in turn, gives students a sense of accomplishment unequaled to that of other educational experiences. The lessons in art education should help establish connections to every aspect of life and learning. This allows me as a visual arts teacher to connect students to critically think and offer opportunities to experiment with ideas that they would not normally consider.
I have written and published a short story of my own that tells of some experiences, in my youth growing up with my family, where I began to combine literacy and the visual arts. The book is illustrated with basic pencil drawings and a simple written narrative, intended to show that any student of any age level, could do the same. With works of art I have often told stories, so that students can also represent moments in their own lives or they can invent stories leaving the viewer to imagine the narrative.
The art classroom is one of the few places an ELLs can feel safe and understood. My approach with ELL students is to incorporate vocabulary, from beginning to the end of a lesson unit, which they can understand and connect to as they do their art. It’s important for me to show them what it means to be creative throughout the lesson. This can be done without compromising the originality of the student's work. I demonstrate a few options of the end result that will help ELLs see the whole picture. For example, I show them various methods and results they can achieve. Then, demonstrate what I would do with the supplies provided. I demonstrate how other student’s ideas along the way can also be incorporated in the artwork. Furthermore, I emphasize that the artwork does not have to look like my example or a fellow artist’s example to be creative or successful.
Issues of diversity and inequality are deeply important to me – personal and professionally, I take seriously the challenge of teaching a diverse audience. I am open to all experiences that an art educator can encounter, and honestly, I have no preferences in terms of the school population.
I plan to continue to grow as an art educator by professional development, inter-school visitations, self-study, working with mentoring teachers, and experienced teachers, and using other helpful information. Professional Development (PD) ensures that I maintain and enhance the knowledge and skills I need to engage my students. PD has improved my teaching skills by allowing me to expand how I organize my lessons and organize student work. Through PD I have been able to incorporate various types of assessments to gauge student learning, find gaps, and find solutions to the challenges they may have when faced with a new lesson. I have a specific interest in bringing together and promoting literacy through art education. Promoting literacy in education in conjunction with the fine arts brings together instruction and culture giving students lifetime educational enrichment.
2022