Is middle school the best age of kids to teach?
I love this age. I think to teach middle school, you need to be someone who remembers what it was like to be a middle schooler. You have a sensitivity to what they’re going through, with firm support to help them get to where they want to be -- no matter what you’re teaching. We all play a role in them becoming who they’re going to be in life. We all play a part in helping them to get support, but part of that is holding them accountable – teaching them to follow the rules.

What's the best part of teaching?
It’s going to sound cliché – it’s the “aha” moments. In art, when you have a kid who’s working on their artwork, and something just clicks. An example, in 8th grade classes, we’re doing observational drawings. And within two days’ time, I can see the look on their faces, when they’ve had time to make something they didn't think they could. Those are the moments!

Also, it’s knowing that you did have an impact. I’ve had students come back. I had a student come back about five years after I taught him. He was one of my students who was tough. He was in the emotional and behavioral classes, and when he’d get into art, he would be able to decompress. It was so neat to have him come back. My memories of him, they were some hard ones, it was a struggle at times. When in school, he needed the structure and the space to create -- and those years later, seeing his appreciation meant a lot.

What's the most challenging part of teaching?
When you teach elementary and middle school kids, the toughest part is when you see how kids can't always control the situation they are in. If they’re late for school or if something is going on at home -- and how it really affects their day. They don’t have control over that.

I feel lucky, though. The art room is a space where they can rest, where they can decompress and where they can be themselves.

If you could go back in time and give yourself some advice at the start of your career, what would that advice be?
I would say, slow down and enjoy those little moments. I would also tell myself to go observe every teacher I’ve ever heard about. Get in their classroom and learn from them.

Observing great teachers who have great ideas for the classroom, and being able to recreate that, in an art way has been so beneficial over the years.

Why is art education important?
Art is a safe space for kids. It’s a place for them to be able to express themselves.

Kids need that. Having a class where they can express, learn and grow at the same time is so important.

There are so many different types of kids. We need to make sure there is something for all kids. This is important inside the classroom and outside as well. Brandon Valley Fine Arts Night is a night where we have an event that’s art focused. All K-12 art students from Brandon Valley will show their artwork We make it a family event, and we require students to be with parents or a guardian. One of my favorite memories is when, I saw one of my art kids, whom I had never seen at another school function, he brought his grandma. She went everywhere with him and made art with him. All kids need this love and support!

Into middle school and high school, having visual art might be the connection that’s keeping them motivated to get through the day. It is that place where they are expressing who they are without judgement. Art is and should be for everyone.

Do you have any, "it’s weird but it works" teaching strategies?
With this age group, speaking their language. Today I had a kid who was blurting [interrupting] in my classroom. So I said, “Hey, don’t be my opp” – as in my opposition, and then continued with my lesson. Sometimes they’ll laugh, sometimes they cringe, but either way it gets their attention, and we can quickly continue on with learning.

I believe in positive praise. People need to hear what they are doing right.

What is one thing about teaching that people (or non-teachers) don’t know about teaching?
I think especially in the day and age we live in, there is so much extra that we are doing in terms of caring about the wellbeing of kids.

People don’t realize how much of these kids we take home in our worries.

I would love non-teachers to really know how much we do care. We teach because we’re both passionate about supporting youth, and about our subject. I couldn’t imagine teaching anything else!