"Life isn’t about finding yourself; it is about creating yourself.

I am passionate about art, design, multiculturalism, diversity and equity in art education. I am concerned about bringing into play all the disciplines by way of the arts and making sure that every student’s voice is hear and validated. I have been teaching special education now for five years, and I understand how students can get lost in the classroom. My goal is to make sure this does not happen. Art is a super way to empower and build self esteem thus self confidence in students. Students can be allowed to explore, and develop problem solving skills. Art helps to foster creating thinking, cultural and visual literacy, which is critical in our world today. The focus is on process and not product. The first school at which I taught art had so many students per class, I ended up teaching self disciple and life skills. There were 47 students in my six period classes with most not speaking English. Wow, did differentiated instruction come into play, then!

A finished product can be and is assessed, based on the process taking to get there. Communications and critiques are as important as technique. The bases of all good work start with an idea, and then progress to skills and ways to communicate this idea. Evaluating, sketches, preliminary work, and thinking with new activities can help me to see the students development. I always include process and skills activities, within each unit. I use activities such as journal/sketch books and worksheets with guided reading and brainstorming activities. By looking at these activities I am able to address any problem or help a student to be more successful. Together we can work to find solutions. It is my job as art teacher to make sure that my students are thinking and engaged. My goal is to create life long learners and students who want to know their world.

Assessment, then, is not only based on final product but growth and development of skills and communication. I always give ou" less...