28th Annual Mayor's Art Awards

Proud to announce that I am one of the finalist for this years Mayor's Art Award for Teaching. Teaching visual arts provides me an opportunity to share with children the beauty of communication through the senses. Visual arts provide children with an additional avenue for communication. Not every thought, feeling or idea can be expressed with the written word, however art is a powerful tool for non-verbal communication. Children are shown how colors, and images can capture their anger as well as their softer side. As a teacher, I try to reach children through their expressive abilities, while building on their cognitive abilities. This technique is especially beneficial to children with learning disabilities who are often frustrated by their inability to cognitively understand concepts at the same pace as their non-disabled peers. Instruction draws on and reinforces conceptualizing, reasoning, sequencing, and other skills used in day-to-day and academic activities. I use art as a bridge between creativity and academic concepts. Children are able to see how concepts taught in the core content areas, such as reading and math, have application in art and other life skills.