Why I Teach Art?

I want to teach people how to appreciate art.

I have so many children who come into the art room with an “I hate art” attitude.  I feel that this is a direct result of not feeling successful in art.  I want the child to feel successful for the pure sake of expressing themselves.  I feel that children should not be graded and assessed on only “coloring in the lines”.

 I have learned through my own art experiences that staying inside the lines is not always the foundation of being a successful artist.  As long as I can teach my students to listen to THEIR voices and create from WITHIN, I have succeeded; and so have they.

We have to allow children to make personal discoveries and to learn at their own speed.  Otherwise they are just spitting back information that has been given.  This is not considered learning.  If you take away the excitement of personal discovery, not much else is left.