Blue Horse Art Education

I am a traveling art teacher that serves five elementary schools in the northwest suburbs of Chicago. I have worked with a wide variety of students over the years. Many of the students I teach are English Language Learners, so I have developed illustrated guides for each project to help as many students as possible understand my lessons. I create all of my own illustrations for every guide utilizing Adobe Illustrator CS4 and a Wacom tablet. My illustration/graphic arts background has truly helped me to reach as many different learners as possible!

I strive to find the right balance between teacher leadership and student choice in my classes everyday. My rooms are set up for students to have easy access to everything they need for most projects. I promote a community atmosphere, where students are expected to treat each other respectfully and use materials responsibly and safely. I am a very organized and visual person by nature, which led to the development of my lesson handouts and packets that you will find in my store. These handouts are not designed to produce "cookie cutter" results, but rather to build student confidence and encourage them to make their own personal creative choices. I want students to have ownership of everything they create, while also having the greatest chance of success that I can give them.

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I have always been interested in art my entire life. In college, I pursued a Bachelor's degree in Illustration at Northern Illinois University, with my primary focus on creating imagery and graphic design for children. Soon after graduation, I felt myself drawn to the field of education. I went back to Northern Illinois University where I earned both my Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Art and Design Education.

Why Blue Horse Art Education you may ask? Well, I decided to name my store after my real horse, Blue! In addition to loving art, I am also an avid horsewoman. I taught horseback riding lessons and trained horses for many years before deciding to become an art educator. Without having these experiences earlier in my life, I may never have discovered how much I love teaching!