Elementary Teacher Finds Her Passion For Art, Follows Her Dreams
Michelle Lose has been a teacher for the past 18 years. Lose taught numerous grade levels and she was also a literacy coach for one year. After Lose discovered she had a passion for art, she decided to continue her education to obtain a certification to teach visual arts. Lose has been teaching art for 7 years, covering grades from kindergarten through eighth grade.
Lose has A.A. degree in liberal arts from Elgin Community College, B.A. degree in elementary education from Aurora University, and a M.A degree in curriculum and instruction from Concordia University-River Forest. Lose also holds endorsements in art, language arts, and social sciences.
Lose shares her experiences and thoughts on what it takes to work successfully with students, school staff, parents and community members as an art teacher in a school district.
What are the responsibilities of your current role?
"I currently teach elementary students in School District U-46 art and I work with students in first grade through sixth grade throughout the week at both buildings. I teach various art curriculum components daily to approximately 800 students a week."
What is your favorite part of your daily duties?
"My favorite part of my job is seeing my students become more confident as artists as the year progresses. They often start off the year saying "I can't draw" or "I cant do that." After showing the students new art techniques, they begin to develop new skills and become very proud of their accomplishments. It makes me feel good to see their confidence grow as they begin to realize their potential."
Do you feel your education prepared you for your current role?
"I feel my education definitely helped prepare me for my role as a teacher. In addition to my education, I also had many helpful teacher mentors over the years that I have to give credit to for guiding me and helping me along the way."
Do you have any advice for people who desire to pursue a similar career?
"The advice I would give anyone who is going to pursue a career in art education is to start a visual portfolio of art lesson examples that you can add to as you create more lessons. This portfolio can be used during employment interviews and also for you to refer back to as you plan your lessons. Also, once you land a position in art education, be sure to create many hallway displays of student artwork. The students love to see their art on display and it's also wonderful to receive compliments from parents, teachers and anyone else who frequents the building."
Michelle Guilbeau is a writer, reviewer, teacher and business owner living in Chicago, Illinois. She also has experience in school administration, literacy coaching and is proud founder of CraftKitsForKids.com and MichelleGuilbeau.com Michelle enjoys sharing her knowledge of Chicago, food, travel, education and parenting issues with her readers. Her work can be found on Examiner.com.
