"Shhh!!!  In art class at Pierce Street, students have discovered the SECRET of drawing!  We are using the contour line drawing process of our eye and pencil moving together to visually describe, in detail, what we see.  Third grade students are creating drawings with a variety of tools and geometric objects.  Fourth and fifth grade students have been inspired to create an original drawing using a boot and fabric still life.  The purpose of this lesson is to re-train the way a student approaches drawing from direct observation. Through eye/hand coordination practice, students can draw exactly what they see.  The results from Pierce Street students are just amazing!"

How many years have you been teaching? I have 15 years of teaching experience.

What aged students have you taught and in what disciplines? All of my experience has been in the field of visual arts.  I have instructed both middle school students and high school students in the public school systems of Knoxville, TN, Birmingham, AL, and Princeton, KY.  I am so happy to be back in Mississippi and thrilled to be at Pierce Street Elementary.

Where did you live most of your life when you were in elementary school? I grew up in Starkville, MS and was fortunate to attend all 12 grades there.  Both of my parents were teachers in the Starkville school system. I even had my father as a teacher for two classes in high school.

Where did you go to undergraduate school? Graduate school? After high school, I went on to Mississippi State University and graduated with a degree in Interior Design and minor in Art. I worked as a commercial and residential interior designer for 5 years before deciding to pursue my loves of art and teaching. That decision led me to the University of Tennessee in Knoxville where I earned a Master's degree in Art Curriculum and Instruction.

What has been your best teaching moment? The best teaching moment any teacher could possibly have is to know that they have touched the lives of his/her students and made a difference. When one of my students lets me know, sometimes even years later, that what I taught them in art has enriched his/her life, it reinforces the decision I made to follow my heart and become an art teacher.

What part of the curriculum that you teach is the most interesting? Why? My favorite thing about teaching art is the diversity.  There are so many interesting artists, artworks, media/materials, and projects to create from Mississippi's art standards. I like variety and dreaming up ways to mix it up. Most intriguing to me is how differently students solve the same art project. What other class could you say that there are 416 different answers to the same problem?  I love it!  

How do you think teaching and learning will be different in 15 years? In some ways, one can only imagine how education will change in 15 years. Since I have been teaching, the use of technology in the classroom has exploded. I'm sure that will continue. However, in other ways, I think some things will remain the same. I will always believe that a dynamic teacher, no matter the decade, will care about his/her students and create lessons that are engaging, motivating, and exciting.  Also, students will always want to experience success and will always want to understand the "why" behind what one is teaching.

If you had a million dollars to spend on our school, how would you spend it?

With today's tough economic times, if I had a million dollars to spend on our school, I would first give the money to those students in need.  I would also like to do something creative with some of the money. I would arrange to have an art exhibit at Pierce Street Elementary, like a traveling museum, exhibiting some of the world's most famous artwork.