Visual Arts Educator

Famed art educator and theorist Elliot Eisner stated that “the arts teach children that problems can have more than one solution[.]” This ideal is the bedrock upon which I have built my pedagogical philosophy. In my classroom, student choice and agency are tenets central to how I manage my classroom and develop curriculum. With each lesson, students are provided opportunities to differentiate, explore media, and investigate personalized thematic components that help engage them in their own meaning-making. 

Through various media, written and verbal exercises, and the infusion of a myriad of technological platforms, I aim to create lessons that strive for introspective reflection and critical dialogue that help students make sense of their reality, develop an understanding of shared experiences, and celebrate differences. Students explore visual literacy and creativity and develop resiliency and problem-solving skills which aid in advancing their level of career readiness for the 21st Century job market.

None of this, however,  is possible without fostering connections with and between students. My classrooms become spaces in which I work with students to develop relationships through clear expectations, investment in the learning process, recognition of barriers, and working with students to develop competency, character, and confidence. I assess students from an asset/strengths-based approach, recognizing their unique experiences and barriers, and working in tandem with them to develop skills to understand and overcome obstacles. My classrooms become spaces that provide opportunities for students to stretch, explore, learn comfortably from failure, and ultimately grow.

Developing a sense of community is key to my classroom management. I work diligently to create a nurturing environment in which students feel safe and comfortable to express opinions and develop solutions to problems within their own lives, community, and society at large, a space in which students investigate their capacity to make enriching changes within their lives and community using art as a vehicle.

Catasauqua Area School District

Currently, I am a high school visual arts educator at Catasauqua High School.

My curriculum focuses on students exploring their own layered stories and establishing connections with their environment, community, and society at large. Student choice and agency are central tenets of my curriculum, providing students room to stretch and explore their own creative potential as well as solve a myriad of problems, thus better preparing them for 21st Century careers. In my classroom, students frequently explore art history, contemporary art, and local artists, drawing connections to their own world while learning about and celebrating differences in thought, aesthetics, and traditions. In an effort to develop creative minds required for career readiness, students frequently engage in critical dialogue and written reflective exercises surrounding aesthetics and art criticism. 

Whitehall-Coplay School District

From 2017 to 2022, I was an elementary and middle school visual arts educator in the Whitehall-Coplay School District, a Title 1 district located in Whitehall, Pennsylvania. Annually, I taught approximately 880 4th, 5th, and 8th-grade students at Zephyr Elementary School and Whitehall-Coplay Middle School.

I was actively involved within the school community and was an active member of the Zephyr Elementary School SAP team and the Zephyr Activities Committee. Additionally, I was the advisor of the after-school Zephyr Art Club and the WCSD representative on the Lehigh Country Joint Purchasing Board - Art Bid.

CLUI #21 & Valley Youth House

Prior to teaching at Whitehall-Coplay, I worked for the Carbon-Lehigh Intermediate Unit #21 and Valley Youth House in varying capacities. In these positions, I counseled middle and high school students on behavioral management techniques, life skills, and social skills. In each placement, I frequently engaged students in arts-based therapy.  I was also a certified Managing Aggressive Behavior Trainer for Valley Youth House where I trained social workers on verbal and physical de-escalation techniques grounded in a trauma-informed care approach.  

Salisbury Township School District

During a four year stretch after receiving my undergraduate degree, I was employed at Salisbury High School as their Scenic Director. For 8 productions, I managed a student stage crew, teaching students how to design and build sets and props.

Kutztown University

While at Kutztown University, I completed my Early Field Placement at Dieruff High School in the Allentown School District. My Clinical Experience placements were at Whitehall High School and Steckel Elementary School, both within the Whitehall-Coplay School District.