My goal as an educator is to help my students grow. Not only with respect to their art knowledge and ability, but also as a person. I want to help them to value the lives of others and themselves. I know not every student is going to want or like to create or learn about art. That is not a realistic situation. But I feel that every student has value and the right to be treated with respect.
I have always had a strong desire to help people. I always thought that being a teacher would be a great way to help kids, because so many teachers helped me. I want to be able to fill them with self-esteem and confidence in their abilities; just like my elementary and high school art teachers did for me. Without those teachers, I would probably not be where I am today. Art was always the one subject where I had a lot of confidence and I want to pass that on to my students. As a teacher, you are responsible for the students’ learning and, while they are in your building, their well being. This is a responsibility that is very important to me.
One of the most important reasons for wanting to be an art teacher is simply, I love art. I love the idea of being able to expose students to different types of art and aesthetics, cultures, mediums, and techniques. The idea of being able to encourage students’ creative thinking skills and problem solving strategies makes me very enthusiastic about teaching. Art is such a large part of our lives, though many do not realize it. My goal in my art class will not be to only teach students about the classic fine artworks and techniques, but expand their idea of what art is. I want them to be able to form opinions about art for themselves. My art class will be a place where students will learn about art and how it relates to their lives and the world around them.