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HOPE IS OPTIMISTIC DISCONTENT. |
About MeHello!
I'm Michelle. I am very excited to try my hand at blogging and sharing my thoughts and reflections in the field of art education. I was born and raised in a Mid-western suburb of St. Louis. After discovering my passion for art and a desire to teach, I went to the University of Missouri – Columbia for my undergraduate degree in Art Education. I focused on learning as many art processes as possible with an emphasis in Ceramics and Printmaking. I earned my Master’s degree in Learning, Teaching, and Curriculum with an emphasis in Art from the University of Missouri and hope to continue soon on my Ph.D. In the meantime, I continue to learn by keeping up on reading, collaborating with my colleagues, and taking an active role in my professional organizations like NAEA. I have been an artist/educator for more than twenty years. Currently I am a high school visual arts teacher, teaching our Intro to Art, Ceramics and Sculpture courses and serving as the district Fine Arts Lead Teacher. For eight years prior, I served full time as the district Curriculum Content Leader for grades K-12. While teaching, I work with music, theatre, and visual art teachers facilitating curriculum composition, assessment writing, and professional development. I have been working in curriculum for ten+ years, fostering and feeding my insane fascination for the what and how we teach art. Incidentally, I work as a coach and a support system for my teachers in their daily work. I am also a National Board Certified Teacher, which was one of the best personal professional development journeys I've taken. Renewal during the pandemic added an additional layer to the process that truly had me reflecting on the decisions we make and thinking about why we do what we do in education. Before stumbling into the supervision/administration side of education, I was both a middle school and high school art teacher, where I loved creating with my students. Each age group brought about unique challenges and celebrations. Most recently, I have started teaching our Summer School Summer Art Academy where I am lucky to work with middle school and elementary age students who are enthusiastic about exploring their creative potential. 
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Our Process
We are a large school district with a large group of skilled and talented art teachers who care about their students and their craft very much. In our school district we are fortunate to have a teacher position dedicated to leading out and facilitating curriculum work within our content. This curriculum content leader works with teachers to lead them through a six-step curriculum cycle. Each step is generally assigned to one school year, but there is flexibility determined by need and outside circumstance. The steps are as follows:
Step 1 - Research into Trends and Best Practices
Step 2 - Curriculum and Assessment Writing
Step 3 - Professional Development and Implementation
Step 4 - Resource Review and Adoption
Step 5 - Curriculum Data Monitoring
Step 6 - Course/Program Evaluation
Step 1 - Research into Trends and Best Practices
Step 2 - Curriculum and Assessment Writing
Step 3 - Professional Development and Implementation
Step 4 - Resource Review and Adoption
Step 5 - Curriculum Data Monitoring
Step 6 - Course/Program Evaluation
Thank YOU
I have to thank the National Art Education Association for empowering me to start this blog. I initially started writing after being invited to particpate in NAEA's Monthly Mentor column. It was a great experience that jump started my written reflections. It took a big push from attending the NAEA School for Art Leaders where I decided to design an experiment that allowed me to exercise my leadership voice. This blog is the result of that experiment.
I want to thank all the amazing educators I work with on a daily basis -- writing curriculum, visiting classrooms, discussing what is going on with our students and in the lives of teachers. The amount of skill and talent and passion I see in you is incredible and motivates me to do more. I am so lucky to be able to work with you and be inspired by what you are doing with kids.
I also want to thank Dan Rockwell, of Leadership Freak, where I gathered gumption and inspiration from his post here.
I dream big, and without taking steps toward the future, change can not happen. The quote above is from him and inspires me to continue to grow as a leader.
Inspiration comes from many sources, and I am surrounded by many. Countless teachers and artists who continue to do amazing things will no doubt continue to spark thoughts and reflections that I feel confident you will find inspiring too.
I want to thank all the amazing educators I work with on a daily basis -- writing curriculum, visiting classrooms, discussing what is going on with our students and in the lives of teachers. The amount of skill and talent and passion I see in you is incredible and motivates me to do more. I am so lucky to be able to work with you and be inspired by what you are doing with kids.
I also want to thank Dan Rockwell, of Leadership Freak, where I gathered gumption and inspiration from his post here.
I dream big, and without taking steps toward the future, change can not happen. The quote above is from him and inspires me to continue to grow as a leader.
Inspiration comes from many sources, and I am surrounded by many. Countless teachers and artists who continue to do amazing things will no doubt continue to spark thoughts and reflections that I feel confident you will find inspiring too.