Teaching amateur artists has been such a fulfilling experience and has really been the stepping stone in my journey to becoming a professional educator. I discovered I can guide students in recognizing their own unique way of learning. I would see this all the time as a Paint Nite instructor. Students would sit down in front of their blank canvas for the first time, terrified and anxious for fear of doing it wrong. Those were the people I would focus on in my lessons. Easing tension with humor and theatrics, guiding them through each step with clarity and patience, taking time to assist them when they became frustrated, and encouraging them passionately from start to finish. Once they were able to relax, they could really enjoy the learning process. Witnessing this transition from anxiety to excitement reaffirmed my passion and commitment to teaching and my desire to encourage this learning process in children. I intend to encourage them early to be gentle in their learning process, to find joy in experiencing new knowledge and skills. To provide them with the means, as adults, to push past the fear of “getting it wrong” and find the fun in learning new things.
