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DEBORAH GARNER
My name is Deborah Garner and I’m a ceramics lover from Cleveland, Ohio! My favorite color is cobalt blue and I love spending time outside, cooking and reading. A fun fact about me is I can say supercalifragilisticexpialidocious backwards.
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Teaching Philosophy:
I wholeheartedly believe that art education is not just teaching kids how to make art but also helping kids uncover WHY they want to create art. As an art educator, my hope for all my students is for them to understand that the art-making process is a large part of what makes art so beneficial, not necessarily what the outcome or final product might be. In my classroom, I emphasize a playful mindset and encourage a gentle curiosity about the unknown.
I allow my students to do this independent investigating through whatever means necessary. Providing a curriculum that incorporates and introduces various issues, artists, techniques, and topics creates the time and space for student thinking to unfold. It is my responsibility to establish underrepresented artists, diversity and anti racist practices as necessary elements within my curriculum and teaching practice. I understand that I set the norm in the classroom and inclusion and acceptance are necessary non- negotiables. As an art educator, I also constantly seek new ways to present information to meet the diverse needs of each student. When students receive this freedom to pursue their own ideas, they have an invaluable opportunity to dig deep into things that intrinsically motivate and interest them.
Reflection and discussion are also critical aspects of my teaching practice. A classroom environment where students can engage in meaningful discussion encourages them to be self-aware and learn what is important to their peers, thus helping them learn how to be empathetic, authentic, and thoughtful. I hope my students will apply these skills inside and outside of the classroom to set them up for successful and healthy relationships with themselves and others.