Write and reflect on the professional qualities of your dream job.

My dream job as an art instructor, up to this point, would be in a middle school. I like the age group best of all, from my limited experience. They are very capable and willing. Most of the students at this age have some confidence as artists, which is one of their greatest assets.

Control over the student projects is a must. I wouldn't mind creating lessons to fit into a curriculum or even teaching a lesson that was popular. However, I need control over the majority of the lessons that I present to students. I want to be able to maximize the students' experience and I don't believe that I would be able to do that if I were teaching lessons that belonged to someone else.

My dream job would have helpful administrators that nurtured the needs of art students and understand the importance of art in a well rounded education. A nice budget and proper facilities with plenty of storage are always welcome. Proper facilities in my eyes, is an art room with many sinks, plenty of room to work with, plenty of natural sunlight, good ventilation, and access to technology. A storage room and a kiln are absolutely necessary at my dream job. An organized area for students to keep their materials and projects would be fantastic as well.

My dream job also requires air conditioning. I love air conditioning.

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...

In my personal opinion, I feel that I will receive the majority of support through my fellow teachers. When starting a new position, your fellow teachers can help acclimate you into the your school's culture. They can teach you recognized classroom management strategies that are effective, help you figure out how to motivate tough students, and encourage your efforts.

Special Education teachers are another group of teachers that I foresee lending quite a bit of support. Students in the special education program have several individual strengths and areas of growth that are beneficial to know about before beginning instruction. Knowledge of the adaptations that you might need to make before hand can make instruction run smoother by helping you manage materials and have a variety of approaches to instruct a lesson. This will eliminate wasted time and help the students reach their full potential.

Within the school I can see the principal and a mentoring teacher being a source of support as well. Being observed early in your career, mentors and principals can give you feedback on a variety of behavior issues, lesson planning, and material management. This supporting cast can also serve as a source of positive feedback. Their positive feedback can reinforce your efforts and increase your drive to reach your goals and fulfill your potential.

I believe a successful teacher is primarily a matter of...

I believe that the primary trait that makes a teacher successful is care. Care for the students is the driving force that motivates teachers to continue instructing at an exceptional level. There are several traits that all of the successful teachers I have ever had share, but all of the traits are a product of considering the needs of the students.

Reflection is a necessary trait for any teacher that wants to constantly improve lessons and differentiate instruction for diverse learners. Looking back at lessons and considering what went well and where improvements can be made takes plenty of thought and consideration. More than anything, it takes time. It takes time outside of the classroom to push those lessons to the next level or to figure out a teaching strategy that will benefit a very small portion of the classroom. Without care, the time needed to reflect and shape lessons would be lost.

Ensuring that students are connecting their education with their lives is another trait that I identify with a successful and caring teacher. A teacher that really cares will take the time to create an interest survey or have discussion with students about their values. Gaining insight into what students want to learn and value in order to create instruction that is relevant and meaningful shows a great deal of care. Lessons can become outdated or reflect the instructor's interests, which ultimately leads to decreased student motivation.

One of the best quotes I have ever had the pleasure of hearing came from the University of Iowa Women's Basketball Head Coach, Lisa Bluder. During a visit to my class, she spoke of care and motivation, she told us, "They don't care how much you know, till they know how much you care". It is a quote that has stuck with me for years and I have recently been able to witness how correct that quote is. The toughest students that I have had all seem to respond well and increase productivity when I spend a little time with them, one on one, just talking about them and their work. Letting students know that you care about their development as a student, artist, or successful adult can make all the difference and set them on the right track.

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

I view professional development from a very multifaceted approach. There are many different aspects of development to consider as a pre-service art educator. Advances in technology, addressing diverse learners, and a continuation of exploring my own artist expression and content knowledge are several ways that I foresee myself developing as my career advances.

Advances in technology is a never ending area of development. Implementing new technology in the classroom is not only motivating for students, it can also be tremendously useful in running a well maintained classroom. Technology often saves time and opens up instructional opportunities that would not be present without the current advances we enjoy. Keeping yourself up to date on technology is also beneficial for students. Graphic design and other forms of art associated with digital media are constantly evolving and art teachers may need to keep up in order to teach lessons that are relevant in a quickly changing society.

Addressing diverse learners is an area of development that I can see continuing for the entirety of my career. No two students are exactly alike and the diverse learners that we will face will present their own unique challenges. Preparing, adapting, and reflecting upon these challenges will be a never ending process. New research based approaches, RTI and PBIS, will continue to present themselves. In order to develop into better teachers, it is our job to constantly analyze these new approaches in order to elevate our instruction to the next level.

I view my growth as an artist as a very important aspect of professional development. Continuing to stay relevant in the world of art will benefit art educators by exposing them to new types of media, techniques, and styles. The increase in content knowledge will enable us to better differentiate our lessons for each individual while also enabling us to teach a deeper understanding of technical processes.

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

Improving critical thinking skills is a major foundation of my teaching philosophy. I understand that most of the students I teach do not share the same passion for art that I do. The vast majority will not continue taking art courses after graduating high school. Elevating students' ability to use higher order thinking is one way I can make my class beneficial for the students that don't share my passion for the arts.

During my lessons I ask questions that aim to get students evaluating and analyzing different topics. One strategy that I try to use in the course of every lesson is comparing a successful project to a poorly executed example. I ask students to analyze both pieces and evaluate their strengths and weaknesses. I ask them to identify how they are different and attempt to connect what they already know with the projects being observed.

When considering iconography, symbolism, and conceptual work, I might ask students to look at artwork. I let them discuss the work with a partner or small groups, focusing on trying to figure out who the artist was and why they incorporated the elements that they did into the artwork. If we're going to view a piece of work that is loaded with symbols, I may introduce the artist in order to provide some background knowledge. In the next step, we look at the art and have a discussion, using what we know about the artist, to try and connect the symbols in the art back to life of the artist.

As I ask students questions, whether it is to analyze their own work, evaluate a range of ideas, or critique the work of others, I try to keep the questions open ended. I believe that this helps students keep an open mind, so that we can bounce ideas back and forth, opening up the possibility of finding several perspectives through which to look at problems and each others work. These different perspectives help me connect the work to the students, making the activity more relevant to their lives.

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

During my time as a student teacher I have used technology on a daily basis. The technology has been very helpful. It has saved time, created more opportunities to explore ideas, and expanded the ability for students to express themselves.

The most common use of technology in my class has been the use of video projection. On a daily basis, students were presented with videos that served to give demonstrations on new techniques, build interest in new projects, and to present students with information pertaining to artists and art history. Using the video projection at the beginning of class was an effective way to get all the students' attention after the transition period between classes.

Students were able to incorporate technology into the class by using computers and other devices to search for reference materials. The ability to search through an almost endless supply of images gave the students options that they wouldn't have had if we were limited to the classroom resources. Using the internet as a reference tool saves time and expands a student's opportunity to find the image that they feel best fits their project.

A music inspired painting project at the high school level required students to choose songs to paint about in an abstract style. Students were allowed to listen to school appropriate music on their personal electronics. We used the classroom computer to share the students songs with one another.

In the future I will continue to incorporate technology the in the same way that I already have. In addition to that, I am interested in using QR codes in a way that gets students moving around the classroom to and create a stronger classroom community. Using QR codes, students can work together with in small teams to move around a work area or classroom to view hidden images, receive and answer questions, and get new directions or prompts that are engaging.

In what ways do the roles of art teacher and art education advocate overlap? In what ways can advocacy be used as a communication tool? What is your view of the importance of teachers’ relationships with their school community, parents/guardians, and the larger community – include in your discussion the role of professional ethics and school or community projects in which you were involved.

I see many ways in which my role as an art teacher and art education advocate overlap. In an elementary setting, the advocacy starts in the school. Communicating with homeroom teachers to create art lessons that incorporate the material that students are covering is a great start. Lessons that include homeroom material excites students because they can connect and really use the knowledge that they have acquired in a fun and creative way. This is an affective strategy to get people close to you, your fellow teachers, to appreciate the value of art education.

Any time that art teachers put a student exhibition together for the public to see, there is a great opportunity to advocate for the arts. Meeting people and speaking to the benefits at shows or posting literature or brochures that explain the benefits of art education are ways that we can make that information known to the public.

Conferences are another great opportunity pass this information along. While art teachers generally have lower traffic during conferences, at least in my limited experience, we can always send home newsletters and emails that discuss projects, important upcoming dates, and events, all while advocating for art education.

It is extremely important to maintain a professional appearance and demeanor anytime that we deal with parents and the larger community. Anytime we advocate for the art education, we must set a good example and act as responsible role models. Having an unprofessional appearance or behaving inappropriately will instantly strip teachers of their credibility and could create a distraction in the classroom.