Art Advocacy Statement

Art education is something that no student should get to miss out on in their lives. As an art teacher I plan to make sure that each of my days teaching upcoming bright minded students the importance of art. Art education means something different to each of us. We have all had times of creativity and times of burnout despair with the feeling of being lost in the world.

Art education to me means the opportunity to grow into a confident person that is ready for the ups and downs that life will inevitably throw at all of us. With these ups and downs we are able to create beauty in this already beautiful world. Students of all ages and backgrounds are able to take the educational art lessons that we teach them each and every day into their lives beyond the classroom. I am able to teach each day and watch the benefits of the art educational program that I am in.

My students feel the warmth from me each day, the encouragement to explore from me, and the love I have for them through their art. Being able to teach concepts like line, shape, color, value, fine motor skills, expression of emotion, and more each day in my classroom is a blessing that many people don't get to experience in their jobs. As art educators, we are doing much more than teaching students to “color in the lines”. We are their support systems when they don't have that at home, we are their little confidence bug in their ears, and we are their outlet to feel whatever they need to feel in ways that many don't get to do.

The importance of funding the art program in all schools is vital and I will make it a personal goal to always advocate for it. I will always fundraise in ways that I can help students get access to the art making materials needed for class and I will support my room in ways that the school districts can't. I will always put my students first in my art room and help them see that they are strong confident artists that are ready for anything that life throws at them.