Theo's Art Teacher Portfolio

Honestly, my definition of art is pretty simple. I think art is just anything people make to express themselves, whether that’s drawing, painting, sculpting or something else. It doesn’t really have to be good or super detailed, it just has to be something someone created. I wouldn’t say I have a deep understanding of art, but I get that it’s a way for people to show ideas or feelings.

What I know about the arts is pretty basic. I know there are different types like drawing, painting, and sculpture, and that people study famous artists and their work. I also know that art can be important for creativity, especially for kids, even if it’s not something everyone is super interested in.

My experience as a visual artist is pretty limited. I haven’t really taken art seriously, and I haven’t had an art class since 8th grade. Most of what I’ve done is just small assignments in school when I had to. I wouldn’t consider myself very skilled, and it’s not something I spend time doing on my own.

From elementary school, I remember art being more of a break from regular class. We did things like coloring, painting, and sometimes working with clay. It was fun, but I didn’t really think much about it beyond just finishing the project.

Since then, like I said, I haven’t taken any art classes after 8th grade. Because of that, I feel like I don’t know much about techniques or art history.

In this class, I would like to at least learn some basic skills so I feel more comfortable teaching art in the future. I don’t expect to become really good at it, but I want to understand enough to help students. I’d also like to learn some basic information about art history and how to talk about art in a simple way.

I haven’t really had many experiences with art museums. I’ve been to one or two studios but never a museum, but I didn’t know much about what I was looking at. It was interesting, but not something I’ve gone out of my way to do.

I don’t really have a favorite artist since I don’t follow art closely. If anything, I like art that is simple and easy to understand rather than super abstract.

I do think elementary students should study art, even if it’s not my main interest. It gives them a chance to be creative and take a break from other subjects. Not every student is going to be into reading or math, so art can give them another way to succeed.

I think an elementary art curriculum should include basic drawing, painting, and simple projects, along with a little bit about different artists. It doesn’t need to be super complicated, but it should give students a chance to try different things.

Art should probably be taught at least once a week so students have some regular time to be creative, but I don’t think it needs to take up a huge amount of time.

In my future classroom, I’ll probably include art in simple ways, like having students draw things for assignments or do small creative projects. Even though art isn’t a big interest of mine, I still think it’s important to give students opportunities to be creative and express themselves.