Ashley Croft

Rationale for Elementary Teaching

Art is an important developmental part of any childs life. From promoting creativity and
personal growth, to the development of motor skills, all children should be exposed to art, both
art making and art history. To be an elementary teacher is to help build a foundation for the
students lives. In Differentiated Instruction in Art, Heather L.R. Fountain states that, teachers
are a bridge to understanding (Fountain, 2014, p. 11). Being able to be a part of such a
developmental period of a childs life is one of the greatest gifts that anyone can receive. To be
an elementary teacher is to foster the creativity and will to learn for students. Education in the
elementary setting is such a pivotal point for any child and students life, both inside and outside
of the elementary school building. Students at this age are learning to enjoy their educational
experience, and as an educator it is important that you foster this budding interest in learning in
order to allow it to grow over the years to come, and hopefully keep their interest in learning a
lifelong experience. The elementary setting holds students that are almost always willing to
learn. If the students are not excited to learn, this elementary aged student can easily be
encouraged to get back onto the right path for a life long education. Students at this age excited
to be able to spend their time friends at school while learning and experiencing new things.
Elementary teachers are not babysitters, they are a type of educational construction worker that
help to build the first foundation for the rest of the students lives. Elementary art teachers wear
many hats, from the at school parent, the class counselor, the friend, and the sometimes nurse;
elementary art teachers often help to fill in any of the voids in a childs life that a child or student
might be experiencing elsewhere. The importance of elementary education is often overlooked
and thought of to be as a place where children are just allowed to play all day, and a place where
the students do not actually learn anything important or meaningful. Elementary education is

Ashley Croft
much more than just playing. While playing is an integral part of every childs learning
experience, it is important to note that it is not the only way to teach elementary aged children.
Elementary students are capable of so much more than playing, and it is important for teachers to
recognize their students will and want to learn through various different teaching methods. As an
elementary art educator, you are a central point for teaching students through methods that the
students do not often receive within their core curriculum classes.

A Vision for the Elementary Art Classroom

The ideal elementary art classroom holds students that are eager to learn, are excited to make art,
and are willing to try new techniques. The elementary art classroom should be a place where
students feel welcome, where students feel excited, and where students feel free to express
themselves in their truest forms. Art in the elementary classroom should be fun, educational, and
meaningful. Students in the elementary art classroom are able to create beautiful pieces of art, all
while learning about the importance of art in our lives, along with the history and culture behind
art making. Art making in the elementary art classroom allows for students to explore themselves
while making important to connections to the various facets of their educational experience. An
ideal elementary art classroom teacher will be able to collaborate with the surrounding teachers
within their school in order to help make those important cross curricular connections. In A
Question of Thinking, Morgan and Saxton state that, you cannot control thinking; your job is to
generate thinking (Morgan & Saxton, 1991, p. 15). All educators alike, but especially
elementary art educators should be able to encourage students to think critically, not only about
the art that they make and the art that they see all around them, but to carry that way of thinking
into the rest of their educational experience. My future elementary art classroom will be a place

Ashley Croft
of creation and a place for expression, free of judgement. My future students will be excited to
be a part of my classroom and enjoy the work that they make while they are in my art classroom.
I will encourage students to seek new ideas and promote their budding and growing creativity.

A Teaching Philosophy
I believe that teachers should not only instruct their students, but also learn from their students. A
good teacher should learn as much from their students as they teach them. I think the most
important thing is to never stop learning, which is why I have chosen to go into the field of
elementary education. To be an art teacher is having the opportunity to give children their first
exposure to the possibilities of art and to keep them interested and wanting to create art of their
own. To be an art teacher is to be an outlet for students to come to and enjoy what they do in the
classroom. In Knowing Our History, Teaching our Culture, Willie Birch states that, there is little
difference in the way I create art and the way I teach art. I see no separation between my dual
roles of artist and teacher the two complement each other (Birch, 1992, p. 137). For me, art is
a way to escape reality and to work through and with my fluctuating anxiety disorder. I feel that
art is therapeutic and can help people, especially children at this integral age, learn to look at the
world in a new way. As an artist and future educator, I feel that my knowledge and experiences
with art ad art making can help students to overcome and work with the various issues that will
flow in and out of their lives. Art has the ability to open up a childs mind and to teach them to
see things in new ways. As an elementary art educator, I want to encourage that discovery of
thought and creativity to be a lifelong process for my future students. I will keep my students
interested in art by teaching them about art history and the various different forms of art that
have been and can be created. I will inspire my students and keep them motivated by using and

Ashley Croft
teaching them about the various methods of art making. Having both good and bad teachers and
art educators growing up, I will use my memories of what I thought made a good teacher and
implement those tactics into my own future classroom. I will do my best to make sure that
students are always excited to come to my art classroom. My future art students will grow, learn,
and engage with one another through the history of art and the process of art making. I will teach
my students as much as I can while also learning from them along the way. I will be proud of my
work and happy to go to work every day. I will be the teacher that I have always wanted to be.

Ashley Croft
References
Birch, W. (1992). Knowing our history, teaching our culture. (137-143).
Fountain, H L.R.. (2014). What is Differentiated Instruction? In Stewart, M. (Eds).
Differentiated Instruction in Art. (pp. 9-27). Worchester, MA: Davis Publications.
Morgan, Norah, & Saxton, J. (1991). Asking Better Questions: Models, Techniques and
Classroom Activities for Engaging Students in Learning. (9-17). Markham, Ontario:
Pembroke Publishers Limited.