Everthing I Ever Needed to Know About Art I Started Learning in First Grade

I cannot remember a time when I didn't draw. I can remember standing in a chair in my babysitter's kitchen drawing a picture of her at her mailbox mailing a letter. I was three years old. I've been drawing since I could hold a crayon. That being said, it was first grade when I truly had someone take notice.

My first grade teacher was Mrs. Brookes. She was tall, young, dark haired and about the prettiest lady I had seen. I adored her and thought she was the best teacher any first grader could have. She was kind and taught us to read, write and do math. But above all, she encouraged us to do our very best. She allowed me to draw and be creative.

I remember during the week before Easter she handed me large colored chalk and told me to decorate her big chalk board. She let me design the board on my own. I drew a huge bunny, chicks, Easter eggs in the grass and of course the sun in the sky. I stood on a chair to reach the high spots. It was a great day for a young budding artist.
Later, Mrs. Brookes called my mom to visit our classroom and look at my masterpiece. She told my mother that it might be a good idea to check into getting me into art lessons during the summer, since we did not have art class in elementary school in 1969. That was the beginning of many wonderful summer art lessons and the foundation for my future career.

I write this to remind myself and  those of you who teach children how much your influence can have on a child's life and dreams. I want to encourage you to be that teacher that sees the gifts and strengths of your students. You may not see what your hard work reaps but I promise you those many small seeds you plant can make a huge difference in a child's future.

Thank you Mrs. Brookes for seeing an artist in me.

My Grandfather was a Housepainter

  When I was a small child, my grandfather would draw caricatures as I watched amazed. He was a very intelligent man who led a very simple life. He was a house painter and quite a good one at that. People actually flew him in from other states to paint their houses if he had ever had a hand in painting a previous house they had owned. I always wondered how a man so talented could paint houses for a living. I later realized that he had a passion for his work. He wanted to be the best at what he did no matter what it was. As crazy as it seemed, he chose a job of hard work and repetitiveness but he was one of the best house painters in the small town I grew up in. He was a man of great character and had a passion for what he did.
  Through my life that has stuck with me. I always want to have a crazy passion for what I do no matter what it is. As an art teacher, I want to share my passion for making art with my students. I believe we all have an innate desire to create through art, music, cooking, writing, inventing, building and other avenues too numerous to name. In order to create in any way you must have a passion for it or it falls flat. Without passion you are just "going through the motions". I want my students to embrace art with a passion. I want them to seek out experiences that involve art, to crave the time when they are engrossed in creating and to connect those moments to other areas of learning and working throughout their lives.
  I am an artist that is a teacher of art. Like my grandfather, I strive to be a person of great character and passion in everything I do. My intent is to share that and influence my students to approach life and learning with crazy passion and great character. My grandfather has big shoes to fill but I'm ready for the challenge.