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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 seventeen years. Currently I am a district Fine Arts Curriculum Content Leader for grades K-12. 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. 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.