Katie Nichols

I am currently in my 10th year, teaching elementary art!

My primary objective as an art educator is to expose as many students to the art world as possible and so provide them with the opportunity to express their inner motivations visually. I recognize that while some students learn best through verbal instruction, others gain a better understanding of subject matter through exposure to visual imagery. The art classroom is often considered to be separate from subjects within the general curriculum, which does not need to be the case. I believe that by incorporating cross-curricular subject matter into my lessons, I can provide links to what students are learning in their other classes. This provides them a wider range of development in life skills such as critical thinking and time management.

Two students receiving state of Illinois awards for the Federal Duck Stamp Contest, 15 students published in the Fall 2012 Celebrating Art book, 7 students published in the 2011 Celebrating Art book

M.S. in Teaching and Learning ESL from the University of St. Francis, B.F.A. in Art Education from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with High Honors

I come from a family of teachers! My mom is an elementary resource teacher and my sister is a high school math teacher! IG- @mrsnicholsart