My Ideal Teaching Situation

I would love to be in a school where there are several art teachers, instead of one.  Each teacher would teach their own respective field and the students would decide on which courses to take.  I would teach drawing.  I have the most experience with this medium and feel the most comfortable teaching it to the best of my ability.  I would have lessons that deal with graphite, charcoal, ink, and some colored mediums as well such as pastels and colored pencils.

Most of my lessons would focus on my students expressing themselves.  Sure, I would start out with them drawing still lifes to show their technical skills with the materials.  Then I would move on to more conceptual things, and have them express ideas and subjects that they are passionate about.  Through my time at USC, I have learned how to effectively express myself in my art.  It has made me much more passionate about my work.  Unfortunately, I did not strengthen these skills until the last two years of my college career.  I want to get my students thinking in this way as soon as possible.  I believe that it is such a necessary skill in the art world, and it will only encourage the artist to work harder and create stronger work.

Using what I have learned through my time at USC, in my drawing classes at MTC, and through my own experience with drawing, I will be able to teach my students much more about drawing than just how to use a pencil to draw a vase.  I have learned how to use the elements and principles of design, color theory, and compositional strategies to give meaning to my art, and I will try to the best of my ability to teach this to my students.

As for my own skills, I will never stop creating art.  I will always continue to express myself and challenge myself to learn new skills.  I can do this by simply drawing on my own.  But I can also take courses at the schools around my area.  I will visit local galleries and art events and engulf myself with the local art culture.  The internet will be useful to me as well, as I can upload images of my art and receive feedback from other artists all across the globe.  I will take what I continue to learn and apply to my classes and to my lessons, constantly tweaking them to relate to contemporary society and incorporate any new skill that I have learned that I think will be beneficial to my students' learning.