“This is a person that doesn’t know what to do.” —2nd Grader, 2016

I believe that art is a challenge, filled with uncertainty and doubt that leads to euphoria.

When I first started teaching, I realized I needed to let go of some of my control, that I needed to embrace the art of exploration, of imperfection.

My practice in the philosophy of Teaching for Artistic Behavior (TAB) is definitely imperfect, but it has helped me tremendously in developing my own style of art curriculum and instruction. TAB is a choice-based approach in art education where students learn art through authentic choice learning opportunities and responsive teaching. 

In my art room, students develop essential art-making skills in a variety of media, then continue to choose what to create and how to go about doing so. As their art teacher, my goal is to guide students as they problem-solve, and to challenge them to search for meaning…to think like an artist across subject areas. 

I work to create a safe space for students to express themselves, to help them work through moments of uncertainty, whether those moments are related to creation or interaction. Our art room strengthens our sense of community as we are expected to try, to make mistakes, to reflect, and to encourage.

I hope my students believe they can be creative and courageous. I hope they learn to trust themselves. I hope I can be a model for them through my own experience as a student, an artist, and quite simply a human being. 

It’s ok to not know what to do, because as Damian Kulash once said, “You make your best work when you don’t know what you’re making.”