Mark Parella Education Creations

I am a public school elementary visual art teacher with a double B.A. in Elementary Education and Visual Art from Worcester State University. I graduated Summa Cum Laude after completing 300 hours of student teaching and creating the first 50 pages of a children's graphic novel for my visual art thesis. When it comes to visual art, the youngest I have taught is 3 years old and the oldest is 18 years old. I have been the Artist in Residence for a non-profit afterschool program for close to 4 years, have worked at the Worcester Art Museum as a teacher and curriculum specialist for close to 4 years, and have worked at multiple afterschool programs as both a classroom teacher and art teacher. I specialize in comics and illustration, but have done countless lessons with acrylic/tempera paint, watercolors, pen and ink, markers, graphite, clay, mixed media, art movements, color theory, and story telling among countless others

When teaching visual art, I encourage students to explore mediums and techniques with a good amount of freedom as opposed to step-by-step instructions. If a technique needs to be taught first, I give loose step-by-step instructions that allow for the students to create their own unique work instead of aiming to all create the same final product. I challenge my students to take creative risks, celebrating both the successes and mistakes made along the way. I fully believe that every human loves art, and one of my major goals is to help students find the type of art they love. I have designed my K-6 curriculum by the following thematic years: K- Elements of Art Foundations 1- Elements of Art Advanced 2- Art Techniques 3- Art Analysis 4- Concepts and Careers in Art 5- Art History 6- Personal Relation to Art Above all I encourage positivity when teaching. My goal is to have the students leave my classroom wanting to keep learning about the topic.

- Dean's list for 7 semesters in tandem and 9 semesters total. - Emerge Leadership Nomination (SP 2021, FA 2021, SP 2022) - Summa Cum Laude - SEI Endorsement - Initial License in K-8 Visual Art Education - Initial License in K-6 General Education

- Visual Art major at University of Massachusetts Amherst (transferred) - Elementary Education and Visual Art Major at Worcester State University (May 2022) Relevant coursework Includes: Comic Art in North America, History of Women in Animation, History of Jewish Graphic Novels, Design Fundamentals, Drawing Fundamentals, World Art History I and 2, Critical Thinking in the Arts, Interdisciplinary Arts Theory, Drawing Composition, Foundation Studio II, Visual Arts in the Schools, Visual Art Thesis Foundations of Reading, Teaching/Learning in Elementary, Developmental Psychology, Educational Psychology, Curriculum/Instruction in Elementary, Numbers & Operations for Teachers, Geometry, Measurement, Probability and Statistics for Teachers, Patterns, Functions and Algebra for Teachers, Elementary Reading, Language Arts & Literature, Best Practices for ELL, Elementary Social Studies and Multiculturalism, Elementary Mathematics, Elementary Science

Mediums trained in: - Graphite, Colored Pencil, Wax, Pen and Ink, Marker, Paint Marker, Oil Pastel, Charcoal, Soft Pastel, Hard Pastel, Polymer Clay, Air Dry Clay, Acrylic, Tempera, Gouache, Watercolor, Screen Printing, Block Printing, Printing Press, Crochet, Knitting, Sewing, Digital Art, Jewelry Making, Book Arts, Assemblage, Collage, Sketch Notes Resources Used: - Canva, Google Applications, Microsoft Applications, Autodesk Sketchbook, Photopea