My Philosophy and History in Art Education
"People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care." This has been my philosophy as an art educator for over 30 years. From teaching fourth grade up to college level, to adults, my constant objective is to provide a safe and respectful environment where students can explore, grow, and learn. It is imperative to me to instill a thoughtful mindset through a caring community of inclusion, equity, and fairness. Cultural diversity is naturally respected in my classroom. Our community is made up of students from diverse backgrounds. Respect and compassion for all individuals is expected in my classroom as students are empowered and encouraged to find and express their own voice.
My classroom is a respectful environment where students have structure and consistency which provides a safe haven. I establish rules and boundaries and quickly respond to positive and negative behaviors to increase success and feelings of security.
Collaboration is vital as most everything accomplished in my class involves working with each other or in support of one another. I believe it is important for students to be kind and considerate to each other. Through this connection, students are more likely to understand, relate, and be successful in other classrooms as well. This is why I developed and implemented a disability awareness curriculum in 1993 and entitled it the Acceptance Awareness Program.
Acceptance Awareness Day (AAD and newly known as Kindness Day) has received recognition in the state of Missouri with a Best Practice Award. AAD evolved from a sign language art project I developed to assist in the acceptance of a deaf student in my art class. AAD quickly evolved into a positive annual event and started before Character Education and Positive Behavior Support (PBS) was expected in schools. I am frequently asked to speak and help other schools begin a disability awareness program and philosophy such as the Acceptance Awareness Program. The curriculum involves the community, parents, teachers, and students all working together toward one common goal; acceptance of those hindered by disabilities. The majority of speakers on AAD are students empowered by sharing their story. The learner objectives of those participating in the Acceptance Awareness Program are: avoid the development of or eliminate already existing negative attitudes toward individuals with disabilities; address commonly asked questions about disabilities; present disability as a part of life, and; help participants view people with disabilities in a positive way.
I am proud of founding, coordinating, and writing curriculum for the first newspaper team at Rolla Middle School, “Smack Dab in the Middle.” This team of students has become a large part of our school community over the past 15 years. Through the use of digital technology, Smack Dab lends itself to creative expression through journalistic and artistic endeavors. Students become empowered as they learn to appropriately report current events and voice their opinions of controversial issues.
In 2013, I was given the wonderful, yet challenging, opportunity to develop and teach two new courses at the Missouri University of Science and Technology (S&T). Art 3260: Exploring Digital Art and Art 3500: Innovation through Design Thinking continue to grow and improve with each semester through student feedback, new technology, and new research.
The school year 2018-19 brought exciting change for me as an art educator. I retired in May of 2018 but was invited in August to develop a new digital art program for Rolla High School. With the generosity of the Chymiak Family Foundation, we were fortunate to be able to purchase 30 new computers and software to get the program up and running!
Through a mindset of Feminist pedagogy, regarding each student with caring respect and as a valuable individual, I have found success with students. I believe because I genuinely care about my students and provide opportunities for them to be successful and feel important, they enjoy learning, exploring, being creative, and respect others as they combine work and play together.
My classroom is a respectful environment where students have structure and consistency which provides a safe haven. I establish rules and boundaries and quickly respond to positive and negative behaviors to increase success and feelings of security.
Collaboration is vital as most everything accomplished in my class involves working with each other or in support of one another. I believe it is important for students to be kind and considerate to each other. Through this connection, students are more likely to understand, relate, and be successful in other classrooms as well. This is why I developed and implemented a disability awareness curriculum in 1993 and entitled it the Acceptance Awareness Program.
Acceptance Awareness Day (AAD and newly known as Kindness Day) has received recognition in the state of Missouri with a Best Practice Award. AAD evolved from a sign language art project I developed to assist in the acceptance of a deaf student in my art class. AAD quickly evolved into a positive annual event and started before Character Education and Positive Behavior Support (PBS) was expected in schools. I am frequently asked to speak and help other schools begin a disability awareness program and philosophy such as the Acceptance Awareness Program. The curriculum involves the community, parents, teachers, and students all working together toward one common goal; acceptance of those hindered by disabilities. The majority of speakers on AAD are students empowered by sharing their story. The learner objectives of those participating in the Acceptance Awareness Program are: avoid the development of or eliminate already existing negative attitudes toward individuals with disabilities; address commonly asked questions about disabilities; present disability as a part of life, and; help participants view people with disabilities in a positive way.
I am proud of founding, coordinating, and writing curriculum for the first newspaper team at Rolla Middle School, “Smack Dab in the Middle.” This team of students has become a large part of our school community over the past 15 years. Through the use of digital technology, Smack Dab lends itself to creative expression through journalistic and artistic endeavors. Students become empowered as they learn to appropriately report current events and voice their opinions of controversial issues.
In 2013, I was given the wonderful, yet challenging, opportunity to develop and teach two new courses at the Missouri University of Science and Technology (S&T). Art 3260: Exploring Digital Art and Art 3500: Innovation through Design Thinking continue to grow and improve with each semester through student feedback, new technology, and new research.
The school year 2018-19 brought exciting change for me as an art educator. I retired in May of 2018 but was invited in August to develop a new digital art program for Rolla High School. With the generosity of the Chymiak Family Foundation, we were fortunate to be able to purchase 30 new computers and software to get the program up and running!
Through a mindset of Feminist pedagogy, regarding each student with caring respect and as a valuable individual, I have found success with students. I believe because I genuinely care about my students and provide opportunities for them to be successful and feel important, they enjoy learning, exploring, being creative, and respect others as they combine work and play together.