About Me
Welcome! I was born and raised in the South Bay in Palos Verdes and currently live in Redondo Beach. I am a surf team coach and substitute teacher for the Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District. I am a passionate surfer, artist, teacher, aspiring storm chaser and lover of nature. I graduated from San Diego State University with a BA in Art-Applied Design: Emphasis in Ceramics. I got the ceramics bug my freshman year in high school, but I've always enjoyed drawing and now love photography. While working as a substitute, I have realized that I want to follow a path as an art educator. I completed my student teaching at Palos Verdes Peninsula High School teaching Ceramics, Advanced Ceramics and 3D Art AP during a distance learning semester where many challenges of teaching online were overcome to conclude a very awesome semester of student work. I received my Art Teaching Credential at Cal State Long Beach to teach at the middle/high school level ceramics and art.
I owe this love for art to the great teachers and professors I've had, some of which I am still friends with today. I hope to share the world of art for my students, just like how my teachers did. Art is an expression of self, and creativity can be an outlet. Encouraging this expression can allow students to learn about themselves and facilitate growth. I believe that every student should have access to the arts, and have the opportunity to express themselves in a variety of ways. |
Teaching Philosophy
As an art teacher, I strive to be a creative leader who helps students express themselves. I believe that every student should have access to the arts and have the opportunity to express themselves in a variety of ways. Through a progressive approach, I am a teacher who is there for the students when they need guidance and provide a judgment free environment and the necessary encouragement to learn and grow.
There are some instructional strategies I incorporate into my teaching to help all types of students learn and thrive in the classroom. I encourage instructional activities to extend creativity and allow students to think outside of the box. Students of all abilities can express themselves, and I am there to guide them in a direction that is applicable to a classroom setting. I welcome students to use their creative ability to participate in all lessons, and ask for them to be able to show progress made throughout each semester.
The use of technology in the classroom is becoming more important each year. Tools such as Ipads, can be very helpful while teaching. Students are able to use painting and drawing applications to explore different outlets of creativity. Technology can also be helpful to put together a portfolio of work that can be easily viewed by others online. I still believe there needs to be a balance of technology and human interactions with art. It is important to encourage creativity and critical thinking in a way that students of all abilities can benefit, and there may be advances in technology that allow such progress.
Student collaboration is a great tool to use while teaching art. Students of different abilities can work together and use their skills to work as a team to accomplish a certain artistic goal. Creativity is enhanced while discussing ideas with other people and students can be inspired from what their peers are doing. Students would benefit greatly from this by learning from other students and seeing what is possible from other artists.
The best way to have a cooperative classroom would be to address misbehavior in a way that leads to a positive change, while still allowing creativity and learning. Addressing the class from the first day with what will be expected of them, sets the tone for the rest of the semester. Certain art classes demand a certain orderly cleanliness that needs to be enforced. I am a strong believer that students have to be able to take care of their mess and leave a cleanly workspace for the next class that follows. It is important to have a set of rules regarding talking, phone and behavior issues, and establish certain consequences that will follow. Having a preventative discipline strategy would benefit everyone in the long run.
There are some instructional strategies I incorporate into my teaching to help all types of students learn and thrive in the classroom. I encourage instructional activities to extend creativity and allow students to think outside of the box. Students of all abilities can express themselves, and I am there to guide them in a direction that is applicable to a classroom setting. I welcome students to use their creative ability to participate in all lessons, and ask for them to be able to show progress made throughout each semester.
The use of technology in the classroom is becoming more important each year. Tools such as Ipads, can be very helpful while teaching. Students are able to use painting and drawing applications to explore different outlets of creativity. Technology can also be helpful to put together a portfolio of work that can be easily viewed by others online. I still believe there needs to be a balance of technology and human interactions with art. It is important to encourage creativity and critical thinking in a way that students of all abilities can benefit, and there may be advances in technology that allow such progress.
Student collaboration is a great tool to use while teaching art. Students of different abilities can work together and use their skills to work as a team to accomplish a certain artistic goal. Creativity is enhanced while discussing ideas with other people and students can be inspired from what their peers are doing. Students would benefit greatly from this by learning from other students and seeing what is possible from other artists.
The best way to have a cooperative classroom would be to address misbehavior in a way that leads to a positive change, while still allowing creativity and learning. Addressing the class from the first day with what will be expected of them, sets the tone for the rest of the semester. Certain art classes demand a certain orderly cleanliness that needs to be enforced. I am a strong believer that students have to be able to take care of their mess and leave a cleanly workspace for the next class that follows. It is important to have a set of rules regarding talking, phone and behavior issues, and establish certain consequences that will follow. Having a preventative discipline strategy would benefit everyone in the long run.