CATIE: Hi Amanda. Thank you so much for allowing me to interview you. I wanted to get started by asking why you wanted to become an art teacher?

AMANDA: Thank you so much for choosing me, it's an honor. I have an art background and when I graduated undergrad in studio art, I had gotten a career in an office job and I was like 'Oh- I can't do this for the rest of my life. I need to be creative.' So I was like, let me try art education. I ended up really liking it a lot. I liked all the pedagogy behind it. When I was doing student teaching, I just loved the whole environment. I especially loved how enthusiastic they [students] were to come into that setting [art classroom]. You really got to see the difference between a kid in math class and a kid in art class and see how it speaks to certain kids. 

CATIE: I love that. Such a great background story. So, when you teach, what is your number one goal when teaching students about art?

AMANDA: I realize that not every kid is going to become an artist, but [the number one goal is] to realize what the value in art making and in the creative process is. There's so much that we do that is so valuable in just every area of life, especially in the realm of creative problem solving for sure. And also the idea that you can respect others and value others points of view, and that there are multiple points of view that can exist at once. And everyone has their own unique way of expressing themselves. And that can be valued, or at least appreciated or understood.

CATIE: So then I guess that kind of flows into my next question, which is, is the process of creating art more important to you or the outcome of the project? 

AMANDA: For me personally, the process is more important. I will say there is pressure at the elementary level- [and] I'm sure all levels- to achieve a product. So I do have to balance both. It's not like I don't appreciate the product, and I think the product is motivating for a lot of kids, too. But the learning takes place in the process. So I would value that more in terms of educational value. I do love getting kids involved in the art making process, not just the actual and product of it. 

CATIE: Why do you feel freedom of expression is so crucial in a young student's creative process? 

AMANDA: I think if you stifle kids too much, they become disengaged. If they don't have a voice or a choice, then it's just another thing you're telling them to do. Kids especially spend most of their day being told what to do. So if you can give them choices, even if they’re limited, I think it is that freedom of expression that really allows them to be engaged in the process and not executing your ideas but executing their own. 

CATIE: Freedom of expression is something I want to explore as an art teacher so thank you for your insight on that. Branching off that, do you feel as though it's harder to enable freedom of expression with younger students rather than, say, high schoolers? 

AMANDA: I don't have a lot of experience with high school kids, so I think the concepts or the topics they're being expressive on are certainly gonna change depending on each level. But I think young children are extremely expressive. Just give a young child a piece of paper and art supplies, and they're gonna tell you a whole story with that work of art. If you ask them 'oh, tell me about what you made', they could go on forever telling you a story about what they created.

CATIE: That creative side can sometimes be hidden under layers of shyness. What is one way in which you try to break a student out of their shell if they happen to be extremely introverted or shy about their artwork? 

AMANDA: I think the biggest issue that I see with some kids is that they're very afraid that things won't be perfectly done and they're afraid to take risks. Constantly repeating phrases like 'there are no mistakes in art just possibilities' or 'just opportunities', and letting them see I made a mistake let me do that over again. Giving them the option to do things, like start over, do something a little bit differently if they need it. I think just being flexible and also believing what you're saying. Just keep repeating those mantras over and over again. I hear kids repeat them all the time. That just makes everyone feel more comfortable. If you're comfortable taking risks and not being perfect, you're comfortable in the art room. 

CATIE: Speaking of taking risks, what boundaries have you set with your students when it comes to freedom of expression? 

AMANDA: A lot of the boundaries in my room are that it has to be around a certain big idea or topic. I also largely limit art supplies, especially with the younger ones. Other than that, as long as it's appropriate for school, such as it's not harming themselves or others or extremely off topic. 

CATIE: Going back to the engagement of students in class, if a student isn't necessarily artistic, how would you get them engaged to create art and participate in class? 

AMANDA: I think material exploration is the biggest way [to get] all the kids engaged, even those that aren't interested in art. If you keep switching up the materials and give them different tactile experiences, they are going to have interest. Like the project we were doing this morning [clay monster sculptures], I have a kid who normally will ask to go to the bathroom a million times just to get a break. Not once [did he ask] during that class because he was engaged, it was a different experience. It was new. 

CATIE: Society views art education as something that's not a hundred percent necessary in education curriculum. What would you tell these people to let them know how vital it actually is for students development?

AMANDA: I haven't had that experience here actually, it's always been supported both within the community and the different administrative teams we've had. Everyone's always valued it, and I think they value it because I do make it a point to tie in concepts to other disciplines too. Art is about an idea, and ideas always connect in the world. It's not an isolated thing, so I think as long as you get people to see what we're learning here is transferable to all areas, whether those areas have a test or not, you have an in. What we're doing here is going to lead to advances in other areas because you're gonna apply the skills that you do here and elsewhere.

CATIE: And finally, what is the number one thing you hope students will take away from your class? 

AMANDA: I think just an appreciation for art. The value of art, whether it be art making, talking about art, or just thinking about art. I'd say that's the biggest takeaway, realizing not everyone's gonna be making art for the rest of their lives, although I hope that they do. Although you never know. I had this beautiful email from a prior student . He was never someone that I thought was really into it [art]. And I got this email from him, and he said that he had a lot of mental health struggles in college, and what was getting him through it was art. He was remembering his art days in the elementary classroom and he thought of me, went to email me and thank me. It brought me to tears. It was a beautifully moving email. There were kids like that, you didn't even think you made the impact on, and you did, so that's amazing.