For me, the most important part of teaching or learning is listening. Without the ability to observe and pay close attention, I would not be able to absorb information and techniques to transfer into lessons. I would also be a terrible teacher. Students will always have a range of means of expression, connection, and diverse needs. In my own teaching experience, I have found it crucial to take in as much information about each student as possible to understand what they are passionate about, what situations upset them, and how they learn and communicate. I was never the loudest or most attention-seeking child in a classroom, and I always loved and valued when a teacher would go out of their way to get to know me. It made me feel like my learning and contribution to the class, although often quiet or unseen by my peers, was impactful and important. As a teacher I make sure to ask questions about students’ interests, remember information they have told me in the past, and share my own connections in a casual setting to model ways for students to start similar conversations with each other. 

In art classrooms specifically, it is important to know how students think and learn, and what motivates them. In most school settings, art is a very separate subject from most of the rest, and it is a different routine and muscle that kids have to grow into. I always make sure to be attentive to how the less-concrete nature of art rooms and art as a subject impact the way students experience the class. When I get to know the students in the room, it is possible for me to change my phrasing or lesson presentation to engage everyone present. 

I want to create an art space that welcomes all students, and makes them excited to create, experiment, and innovate. I see myself accomplishing this through a mixture of freedom with open-access to materials, and instruction that trusts young people to comprehend and complete complicated projects using challenging media.