I would say that student teaching has definitely confirmed that fact that I want to be a teacher. I thoroughly enjoyed it. It really made clear to me what kind of teacher I would like to be, as well.  I now know for sure that the most important part of being a teacher, of me, is my relationships with my students. Which, I always knew was important, but I didn’t truly understand HOW important the relationship really are. A bonus to this is that when you have good relationships with students, it makes coming to work so much easier. A nice little fun fact that I also learned, I have an awesome teaching voice. Shocking to me, and many others.

Student teaching differed from my expectations in many ways. One, being that I did not really take into fact the impact my cooperating teachers would have on the experience. It is a pretty large impact. But, it was through my cooperating teachers I learned a lot about classroom management and discipline. Also, I know they warn you about the fatigue and all, but man, I was not ready for that. At the end of many days I would feel like a zombie. And between schoolwork, writing lesson plans, and applying for jobs, there were many days were I felt like there was no time to just relax. 

At the end of the day, I am so happy with my student teaching experience. It had its ups and downs, but I learned so much about my own teaching style. It is so different using the techniques we have been discussing for semesters than actually using them in the classroom. Sitting in education class, you always have this image of what teacher you will be, but it is nice to know what type of teacher I actually am. I am very happy with my experience, and sad it will be over. I will miss my students :( 

Dream Job…

I would say that my dream job does not really have an age group, for example elementary or secondary, because I enjoy working with all ages. I think that they both have positives and negatives. But, I do think it is important to get a job in a school/ a community that is supportive of the arts. So really, for me, any school that is supportive of the art community. Clearly, working at a school with a large budget would be nice, but I do not believe it is necessary. And, if I do not get a job in a school that is supportive of the arts, hopefully I could help turn that around :)

I believe a successful teacher is primarily a matter of…

Being a friendly support system, for students. Of course there are other factors to take into account, like organization and time management, but I feel that being a positive support system for students is what is most important. Students need to know that they have a trusted adult in their school life, and I hope that I can be that for a lot of my students. 

In what ways do you foresee a necessity for support in your first year of teaching? From where and how do you expect this support to come? i.e. district, school, fellow teachers…

I believe that the area I will need support in the most my first year of teaching is lesson planning. I also believe I will need support in classroom management, but I feel I have a better hold on that than lesson planning. I am worried I will not be able to create interesting enough lessons that hold the students interest/ fit into the curriculum. I am also afraid that some of the lessons I would want to teach will not be supported by administration.

I feel that a support system in necessary for beginning teachers. It is always good to be thinking about what you can improve upon, and hearing ideas about improvement from fellow peers would be great. 

I feel that fellow art teacher, whether in the same school or in the district, will be my biggest support for this worry of mine. I also believe that other fellow teachers, regardless of subject, will be a strong support system for my classroom management worries. Perhaps one teacher is having success with a student I am having problems with, getting tips and idea from that teacher would be nice.

How is problem solving/critical thinking taught through art?  What are some different strategies you have used to promote problem solving/critical thinking?

I believe that problem solving and critical thinking are taught through art in a variety of different ways. But, I think the one thing that remains an important factor for an art educator, and that is that you plan lessons that allow critical thinking/ problem solving to take place, during every lesson.

Problem solving happens probably a lot more than people realize in art. Some examples of problem solving are: when planning out projects, when you realize you aren’t happy with your final product and trying to figure out what you can do to fix it, teaching yourself new techniques/ mediums, etc.  As an art educator, I feel that it is important to show student that there are always a variety of different ways to approach a project. And it is the planning process that will allow you to foresee problems, and more than likely there are multiple ways to fix these problems. Rather than start over. That is the great thing about art; there is never a right answer.

Critical thinking also takes place quite often in art. Again, the planning process allows for this to happen and trying to solve problems. But, I think as an art educator it is important to plan for projects that allow for students to critical think about the creativity of their project. Leaving project open ended and leaving room for the student’s individual creative process will allow this. 

What do you see the role of professional development being in your career?

I believe that professional development is a great way to make sure that, as a teacher, you have refresh new ideas when it comes to teaching. And, you don’t fall into a slump. We have all heard the stories about the teacher who has been teaching for 20 years and does the same thing every. single. year. Pretty much a teaching zombie. Professional development is a great way to keep thinking about ways you can constantly be improving your teaching and making things new and exciting. Professional development is also a great way to make connections with colleges and see what other teachers in your area are doing. 

How have you used technology to enhance your teaching- how do you want to in the future, what technology is necessary?

I would say that the technology that is necessary in the classroom is a computer and an overhead projector. I feel that these are necessary because it makes it easier to show students examples of work, and ideas. These are also the only technological items I have used in the classroom. I feel that it would also be nice to have computers available for the students, along with software for editing for photos and videos. This way students could work on projects such as: stop motion, photography, and video. Of course, this would also require that the students to have cameras. Of course there would not need to be one of each student.  Just a few, and the students could share.