Experience Summary
After 35 years practicing commercial photography, I have begun my new career as an art teacher. I recently graduated from Regis University with a Master's of Education. Combined with my Bachelor of fine Arts from CU, I can offer a unique blend of real-world experience and contemporary pedagogy to my art students. I am adept at project management and academic research. My Master's thesis was on the subject of critical thinking in art. I have an arsenal of techniques which lead students to build critical thinking skills along with the disposition to use them. I have been substitute teaching in art rooms across four different school districts and have worked successfully with children from a wide variety of backgrounds.
Teaching Style
I am a true supporter of standards based education. It clarifies what the students need to know and be able to do. It makes the teacher's job easier when designing lesson plans, and it affords families and communities the kind of accountability they need to monitor their students progress. Consequently, I begin each unit with the end in mind. I then develop a set of benchmarks that will lead the students toward that objective. Each day, my students know what they must accomplish in order to move on. As their guide, I provide the materials and demonstrate their use. From that point, I simply keep them focused on their projects and encourage them to persist, moving steadily toward mastery of the material.