I developed my passion for the arts and arts education during my schooling in New York City public schools and while receiving my MA and BA degrees in Art Education at The City College of New York (CCNY). Although I had many art teachers over the years, my favorite is Ms. Beck from middle school. She recognized the potential in me and encouraged me to audition for my high school, LaGuardia. I’m grateful to be part of my middle school students’ journey these past 4 years as they realize their artistic potential, just as my teacher did with me. It is a full circle moment for me when I know that I’ve impacted students in finding their voice or for some even going on to arts high schools as well.

I strongly believe that art education is a necessity in the development of youth that are self-reflective, expressive, confident, and are critical thinkers. My goal as an art teacher is a positive classroom environment where students feel comfortable and safe to explore various art materials, express themselves within personally relevant themes, master techniques and skills, interpret and critique artworks, and employ art terminology within discourse.

As teachers we need to cultivate “a mindset of insatiable curiosity” about students as individuals, which is “the diametrical opposite of stereotyping and prejudice” (Aronson, 2008, p. 67-68). I gauge student assets, interests, strengths, and needs through diverse means such as icebreakers, survey, check-ins, and casual talk to build rapport. In my art classroom, students are seated at group tables to enable learning from each other and the development of interpersonal skills through heterogeneous pairings/groupings. Group tables share responsibility of materials. Seeking understanding of the student’s perspective while setting clear expectations is a vital when addressing behavior challenges.

Low and high stakes assessments in my classroom take the form of “Do Now,” writing, discussion, and the creation of artwork. “Do Nows” are quick observational drawings based on diverse images based on select holidays, that give students the opportunity to sharpen their skills through regular practice. Students in my class know that drawing is like a muscle that needs to be consistently exercised for improvement. In my teaching, importance is placed on giving good constructive feedback that goes beyond “good job” and indicates how and why the decisions made by a student resulted in a particular way while addressing their strengths and areas for growth. Students learn how to assess their own work through criteria checklists, goal setting, and offer peer feedback with “glows” and “grows” for both in-progress and/or completed work. Student work is graded using a project-specific rubric.

It is important that all students feel supported in their learning. Student choice is always a part of art lesson planning whether that is in techniques, content, or medium. It is critical that art projects in middle school feel achievable and help students build confidence in their abilities while also giving them the opportunity to take risks and express themselves. Besides verbal and physical art demonstrations, step-by-step visuals with text are displayed on the Smartboard and at their tables so that students can progress at their pace. In an effort to support full engagement in content, ELLs are provided with translations, sentence starters in their native language, and given opportunities to write in the language that they are most comfortable writing in. Art projects are modified for students with learning differences, struggling students, and for those that need more challenge when necessary.

Art lessons in my class explore techniques and concepts progressively so that learning is scaffolded. For example, before drawing an observational portrait, students first practice face proportion. Its important to me that students make sense of skills in elements and principles of art that they’ve already experienced and apply them in other projects. For example, students can make the connection that value gradation is a technique that has been used with pencils in an observational drawing, but can also be applied to realistic gift bow drawing and optical illusion art with colored pencils.

Ultimately, teaching art is not just about content knowledge, skills, or even art appreciation. It’s about creating a space that allows nurturing of the whole child. When intentional planning and structure allows students to take ownership of their learning, think critically, and feel empowered to share their unique perspectives, learners can thrive. As I continue to grow as an educator, I remain committed to reflecting on my practice and a advocate for the arts.

Aronson, J. (2008) Knowing students as individuals. In Pollock, M. Everyday Antiracism:

Getting real about race in school. New York, NY: The New Press. p. 67-69.