Jeffrey Cameron Stallings
My Philosophy of Teaching Art
The place I occupy as an art educator is designed to engage young artists to practice art making in a safe, supportive and inspired environment. I believe that each student needs to be honored for their different experiences, talents and ability. To model equity I will offer each student the same opportunity to belong in a studio space. I will assess each student based on his or her relationship to learning objectives reinforced with collaboration, experimentation, check-ins, reviews and reflection. Throughout the process of encoding technique, students will be given the opportunity to strengthen their perceptual set by encountering compelling invitations for self-inquiry and creative social-emotional skill building in the art classroom.
At the heart of my teaching philosophy, I am a student of the life-long process of sensory refinement and cognitive evolution. I believe the developing artist who is learning how to hone their awareness is also creating a potent source of knowledge and inspiration that will give form to new ideas, creative solutions to challenges and meaning to both personality and product. In my philosophy of art teaching, I have two primary practices as an art educator; to expose young artists to the tools and techniques that will develop a foundation of art skills and to then challenge them to apply those skills to express themselves as capable and authentic emerging artists.
My philosophy is to integrate the foundations of art with a social-emotional scaffolding that prepares students to achieve dynamic, life-long skills. I want students to feel psychologically safe in my classroom through projects that are designed to encourage vulnerability, risk taking, and communication skills in addition to developing art technique. Students in my classroom will feel motivated to become independent, inventive and authentic creators who can substantiate their developing styles with a nuanced understanding of the elements and principles of art.
Why An Art Teacher?
Working in education gives me the opportunity to build a career that utilizes my natural ability to connect to children and my talent in fine art. As an educator I welcome the ability to contribute value to my community. My curriculum will compel students to pay greater attention to the world around them while also gaining tools to become more self-aware and motivated individuals.