I have chosen the teaching profession for the following reasons. I love art.

I want to
become an elementary art teacher to show a new generation how to become future
artists. I enjoy working with children. I think children need to be taught by good
teachers so they can become successful adults. The inspiration to become an art
teacher came from two teachers in my past. Mr. Klien was my 7-8 th grade art
teacher and he encouraged me to love art. He entered one of my projects in an art
fair which told me I was good at it. The other teacher that inspired me was my
fourth grade teacher, Ms. Smiley. She helped me pass 4 th grade after I had been
held back the year before. The special skill set that I have for teaching art is that I
have been doing drawing and painting since the 7 th grade. I have taken art classes
all through high school and I will take many more during college before I become an
art teacher.
During my observation in the schools for my EDU requirements, and through my
online assignments, I noticed some complexities that I will run into. The district
budgets are always limited and are unable to give teachers the proper
compensation for the job they do. The teachers lack of pay and pay raises are
important issues right now in Las Vegas. Along with this problem, is that Las Vegas
is always growing and there is a shortage of qualified teachers to cover all the
classes. My educational philosophy is to allow a child to develop their imagination
and creativity to solve problems and create new things. My psychological
orientation is focused more on the Cognitivism/Constructivism model. I think my
students should understand their world by showing it through their artwork. They
also need to build upon past art, or real world, experiences to further their studies,
while adapting new styles to express themselves better. These two beliefs are what
dictate my view of education.

Knowledge of past educational events will help guide me in teaching my students.

Court cases, like Brown vs. Education, and others of its kind dictate how all students
should be treated. The education of special needs children has drastically improved
with the creation of IEP programs. The formation of NCLB Act reformed our view on
students progress and the schools responsibility for it. Events like the Columbine
tragedy, changed how security was implemented in schools. How these past laws,
programs and events changed the education system set the stage for how I view
that system now.
Some of the strategies I will use as a teacher are called Modifications. Modifications
are changes as to what a student is expected to learn and how their assignments
are graded. By using Modification, I will not have a by-the-book method style of
teaching. Since art is a broad range subject, how I teach it will determine how
successful the students will do. My personal approach to learning will be one where
students have an input on what assignments interest them. That way it is not just
me dictating to them what they need to learn. Student diversity in my class will be
encouraged. Each culture has many things of value to bring to the table when it
comes to art. On assessments, I will allow the students to follow directions using
their artistic style when it comes to different art assignments. Their grades in the
class will be based on these assessments. Student variability will be handled by
grouping the students together as a whole. No one student or group will be left
behind or criticized by others based on their work. I will encourage all students
equally. Talent will also be encouraged by me if it is shown in a student.
The qualities I believe I need to possess to move forward in my teaching career are
as follows. I need to have an appreciation of the teachers in the field and what they
do. I need the ability to listen and learn from both my students and my fellow

teachers. I need to have a dedication to learning and to pass on that learning to

others. To achieve my goal of becoming an art teacher, there are some steps I need
to complete the goal. I must finish out the last of my CSN College including EDU
299. I must pass the 2 Praxis Exams required at the end of my EDU 299 course.
Then, I must transfer to UNLV and finish my Bachelors degree. After the degree
program, there will be many classes to take to get my certification as an art teacher.