I believe that to be a successful art teacher, you have to work with your students to create an art curriculum that integrates their interests and personal lives. Students who are given the opportunity to be involved in the making of their curriculum are more likely to enjoy and be engaged in the classroom. This is important because students who are engaged in what they are doing will try their best and will have an even more valuable learning experience. A negotiated art curriculum that incorporates all students' interests can be created in two steps. One, the lesson should be shaped around giving students authority to choose what they want to create and should be geared towards self expression. And two, students should be able to make what they want but within specific parameters of a project. This way students are set up to learn the correct curriculum standards, but in a way that is appealing to them. I think this is the most successful teaching process because I have first hand experience with it. In high school, my art teacher let me choose what I wanted to do, within her project guidelines. This always kept me interested in the project because I had the freedom to choose my subject matter, style, etc. I applied this to my own teaching practice and tried this with my 9th grade students during my Practicum placements. Students verbally told me that they liked how I asked what subject matter they were interested in and created lessons around that.

​

        Aside from having a curriculum that involves students' opinions, it is also as important to have a safe classroom environment where students feel comfortable to be their full genuine selves. When students are able to fully express themselves, they are more likely to translate these feelings of openness, authenticity, and individuality into a project. To me, being able to fully express yourself is what makes the process of art matter most. As my students' art teacher, it is my job to create this type of environment, which ultimately starts on day 1 of class. One way this can be done is by getting to know my students on a personal level. During my practicum placement I found that students felt more comfortable coming up to me to ask me questions because I was not seen as being above them, rather as someone who cares about their success and well being. I was able to create a healthy teacher-student relationship by asking students about their interests inside and out of school, and also sharing mine. This way, students felt like I wanted them to know me as well. Class wide, it was also helpful to create projects that include self expression so students could connect with each other comparing what they made and sharing like interests. 

     

            There is only one main thing I want students to be able to take away from my art class; that everyone is capable of making good art because everyone has their own unique style. This is an extremely important idea for me because I constantly see students comparing their work to someone next to them, which leads to self doubt and self criticism. My hope is that by the end of each class I can empower students to truly feel they are an artist, who is good at art, and can create art for the rest of their lives.