Jessica Hamilton's E-Portfolio

I believe that art is an essential part of any student's life; they all have a need for autonomy and the opportunity to express themselves. In a world with so many black and white expectations and right and wrong answers, I know that the art classroom can be a safe haven to all students. There are no specific answers in art; there are only portrayals of what is felt by the artist, and I strongly believe that every human being in the world needs some sort of outlet to escape from the pressures of every day life. I have always been amazed by the countless stories that all humans have to tell, and art is simply a visual representation of these stories.

 

When I was young, I was always fascinated by teachers and I held such high respect for them and what they were doing to help mold me and my future. I always wanted to make a difference in this world, and teaching the next generation is one of the most important differences anyone can ever make.

 

Throughout my life, I have always felt that my sense of compassion and ability to empathize with others were locked in overdrive. I felt as though I could directly relate to everyone around me in some way, and that will forever affect the way I teach. I am able to put myself into my student's shoes and see how they see in terms of learning. When I know how they learn, I can modify however I am teaching to accomodate every student. I will always aspire to get to know each and every one of my students, because I strongly believe that making personal connections with them will directly impact the effectiveness of my teaching. I will know that my student's are learning by how engaged they are with whatever project we might be working on, as well as their progress and finished product. I will be able to gauge their understanding by having individual conversations with student's about what they are doing or have done. When they can relate what we were working on to real life, then I will know for sure that they have taken away the concept I was hoping to get across.

 

I will organize my curriculum to support my beliefs by making sure that I have engaging and meaningful content that every student will gain valuable knowledge from. I will do everything in my power to encourage my student's to reach their full potential, and then push them even further. I will create whole unit plans with a big idea that can relate to every student and every aspect of their life. The lessons that will go along with these units will be cohesive and connected so that student's fully grasp the concept. I will consistently strive to help them find themselves and realize that they are capable of absolutely anything as long as they put forth the effort. I want them to be able to take what they have learned in my class and feel as though it has helped prepare them for life outside of school; I feel as though the pressure of testing often steers our student's away from inquiry and intelligent questioning, which I feel is a crucial part of life.