from Manatee Elementary — Viera, Florida

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Biography

My mission is to foster life-long learning through visual art. Students will learn the skills that will help them become productive, expressive members of a diverse global society in my classroom. Our county's visual arts curriculum is centered around a Discipline Based Art philosophy in which students study historical, theoretical and social aspects of art. Students will utilize many types of media and connect to a variety of resources and techniques through instruction that is responsive to the individual learner. Through the examination of historical and cultural significance in the visual arts students will gain a deeper understanding of self, others and the world around them. Higher order thinking and problem-solving skills build our students' self esteem, awareness and prepare them for future careers and college.

I have been teaching in Brevard County since 2005. I have a Bachelors of Arts in Film and Video, Bachelors of Arts in Anthropology, and a Masters of Education, all from the University of Oklahoma. Go Sooners! I was born and raised in Oklahoma and through a college internship with Disney, I found my wanderlust bringing me to the Melbourne area on my days off. I was hooked! Before I graduated with my M.Ed, I moved to Melbourne and finished through correspondence. Upon graduating, I spent a year and a half as the Assistant Director of Career Services at Florida Tech until I realized my passion for teaching the arts to youngsters was my true calling. I have been lucky to gain experience at Atlantis Elementary, Ocean Breeze Elementary, R.L. Stevenson School of the Arts and now Manatee Elementary.

I share what I learn at state and national art conferences so that I may advocate the importance of visual arts in building productive and engaged learners who will grow up to become leaders in our global society.

Personal Art Gallery