"Where am I now on my journey towards becoming an art teacher? Where do I hope to be by the end of this semester?"

"Where am I now on my journey towards becoming an art teacher? Where do I hope to be by the end of this semester?"

These last three years I have been working hard to complete my degree in Art Education by completing all of the testing, education, art, and general education courses, and getting as much experience possible. I didn't know what it meant to be an art teacher or what it would mean to me to be an art teacher when I got into the program, and I have found out a lot about that and who I am through it. There is not a mold out there manufacturing art teachers. Each art teaching needs to be their very own person with their own ideas, goals, and personality. Of course standards need to be followed and the general goal is always the same, but the route taken to get to these goals is where each teacher gets to be unique. I have learned that experience is incredibly important, but experience may be different to the individual as well. As I am so close to graduating, with only one semester left of classes at Stout, I feel like I have worked hard to use my opportunities to the fullest. I have studied abroad in Italy learning about art history and photography, I did the National Student Exchange in California and studied sculpture and painting, worked on teamwork, confidence, and patience through my participation on the golf team, and have learned so much about how to teach art through classes and practicum experiences. These practicums have been time consuming and difficult at times, but all in all they have given me the closest experience to what my career will be and how to be as successful as possible for the children I am working with.

By the end of this semester I hope to have my Praxis testing completed and to have more valuable practicum experience under my belt. I hope to have a more confident teaching voice, and to be all in all more comfortable in front of a classroom. By the end of this semester I also hope to be looking forward to a student teaching position in the fall and graduation in the winter.