Spring 2007 – Fall 2010
Institute of Art & Design at NEC
Manchester, NH 03103

Teaching basic Black and White photography and digital courses
Guiding students towards a Certificate or BFA program
Class follows guidelines of a BFA class, students are graded and critiqued
Classes consist of adults and high school students.

Cooperating Teacher, Institute of Art & Design at NEC 
Fall 2014, Spring 2019 
ManchesterSchool District
Manchester, NH 03102

Cooperating teacher for the New Hampshire Institute of Art Art Educators Degree Program. I worked for eight to nine weeks with an intern in my classroom at Parkside Middle School to help teach lesson plan development, classroom instruction, classroom management and other useful techniques when working in a public middle school classroom. This internship involved evaluations, observations and thorough note taking to provide ample constructive feedback for improvement and development of a new classroom teacher.

Visiting Artist

Fall 2017, Hybridity Class with Ryan Flaherty at Institute of Art & Design at NEC, Visiting artist on plant dyes and anthotypes.

Teaching Philosophy

I believe that all students possess the ability to learn but the will is most often gained from the educators practice. As an educator, it is important to me to be able to engage the learner both consistently and richly to then allow them to pursue the acts themselves. It is a practice that seems to be one requiring many skills to no skills. Often you can find an educator with much experience who lacks the ability to influence their students and one whom has none that can instantly relate and entertain the student learner. Being a good practitioner requires balance of both allowing the learner to leave your educational setting with the life skills and book knowledge to lead further investigation independently and being able to transform your lessons when stimulation is needed in the classroom. Therefore in my teaching philosophy I find I have three main goals: to allow the student to feel acceptance within the educational environment to then enhance student learning, to allow the student to feel rich enough to pursue the practice or content on their own, and lastly to give the student the ability to witness and embrace the use of the visual arts and its community.

Teaching in the arts can be a very emotional expedition. It is important to maintain an absorbent relationship with the student while being able to discuss their personal work to drive exploration and analysis of their practice to the next level of achievement. Throughout my teaching career I feel as though I have been able to preserve that balance with the ability to associate and grow with the student allowing their artistic practice to prosper.  Through critique, artists research, and general knowledge I feel asl though I have been able to succeed in allowing a student’s work to reach their full potential within a courses time. Being open to relating and connecting with the student will strengthen their work ethic within the class, this is present in my current teaching practices. Creating an environment in which the student feels comfortable to engage, creates a setting in which the student can learn most. This philosophy allows me to achieve a sense of acceptance in the classroom for all student learners and abilities therefore bringing out their best interests and works in relation to my first goal.

To be the best educator, you have to be the best learner. Without learning from your own experiences and confrontations during a teaching career I believe you will not succeed. The ability to be reflective within your practice is one of the best traits an educator can have and is a way to teach rich content that is actively engaging. A true educator should always be transforming to enhance instruction and engage content. I have also found that being able to humiliate yourself professionally allows both student and teacher growth. Recognizing faults as an educator is important to move your practice forward. I have highly benefited from this, as have my students this is relevant to my second goal. A teacher cannot teach unless they are willing to learn.

Throughout my educational career I have maintained more relationships with my educators than my peers. These relationships have allowed me many opportunities within my teaching/artistic career along with many more connections and cherished experiences. I hope through my teaching career that I can allow the student to understand their present network and its relevance to aid their success. These connections a student can make will allow them to continue their practice beyond their degree which addresses my third goal.

Teaching is and always will be a practice, that in which we are continuously exceeding in. Once the practice is no longer learned or reflective then it can become stale and uninviting. My practice in teaching consists of a vow to be a forever learner and carry my visual practice in the arts, throughout my daily routine, in a variety of ways. The arts are endlessly abundant with knowledge and inspiration which shall continue to drive its or my instruction in the most beneficial way in any future educational practice.