While student teaching at Valley Central High School, I had the exciting opportunity to lead the district’s college-level AP Art class. This course, run through College Central, allowed students to earn three college credits in art upon successful completion and submission of their final portfolio. Unlike a traditional high school art class with a set curriculum, AP Art challenged students to design their own learning experience. Each student developed what’s called a “Sustained Investigation” (SI), essentially a year-long artistic inquiry centered around a theme, question, or concept they wanted to explore. The goal was to show both conceptual depth and technical growth throughout the year. Rather than simply producing finished pieces, students were expected to document their creative process, reflect on their choices, and demonstrate how their ideas evolved over time. In addition to submitting their visual work, they also completed a written portfolio component where they explained their artistic decisions. 

         At my first student teaching placement at Valley Central High School, I took on the instruction for the Advanced Drawing and Painting class. The group was small, just ten students in 10th and 11th grade, but I was so excited to jump in and get started! My cooperating teacher recommended that my first lesson focus on observational drawing, something the students hadn’t had much experience with in their previous classes, including Studio Art.

       This semester, I’m completing my student teaching at Valley Central High School in Montgomery, New York, part of the Valley Central School District. The district serves about 4,200 students across six schools and reflects the unique character of the surrounding Hudson Valley community: a blend of farmland, open spaces, and growing neighborhoods. Many families have deep roots here, while others have recently settled in the area, creating a diverse and welcoming community.

       In my art classroom, I’ve started using SMART goals: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. It makes such a difference in how students approach their work. Art can feel a little overwhelming sometimes, especially when it’s hard to see progress or know where to start. SMART goals give my students something concrete to focus on without taking away the creative freedom they love.

      During my time teaching at Saturday Arts Lab, I experimented with strategies to support a positive learning environment, but I’m also thinking ahead to my student teaching placements and considering what I want to try next.

Case Study 1: “Leo” - Building Confidence Through Encouragement

Like many first-time teachers, I walked into the classroom with a clear vision and high hopes for every project. I imagined students would be equally excited about each lesson, inspired by the materials, and immediately invested in the big ideas I had planned (I can hear the veteran teachers laughing here). But reality doesn't always match expectations. Some students were deeply engaged for most projects, while others sometimes seemed unsure or uninspired, especially during my earlier lessons. At first, I took this personally and worried that maybe I hadn’t designed the “right” project. But after reflecting, I realized the issue wasn’t the content, it was ownership.

This lesson, titled Colorful Horizons: Exploring Landscapes, explored how artists use abstraction, color, and composition to express mood and memory in landscapes. We drew inspiration from the work of Ted Harrison, whose vivid, stylized depictions of the Yukon encouraged students to move beyond realism and think about how places feel rather than just how they look.

          Working with students aged 10 to 12 at the Saturday Arts Lab (SAL) provided an exciting opportunity to engage with learners at a pivotal developmental stage. At this age, tweens are developing greater cognitive abilities, including abstract thinking and metacognition, while also navigating significant social and emotional changes. They seek autonomy, but still require structure and guidance, making it essential to create a learning environment that balances freedom with support. 

            I taught for eight weeks at the Saturday Arts Lab (SAL) at SUNY New Paltz during the Spring 2025 semester, working with a class of 17 students between the ages of 10 and 12. Our sessions took place in the Smiley Art Building, a college-level studio space stocked with materials for drawing, painting, sculpture, and mixed media projects. I arranged the classroom using large group tables positioned so students faced one another, encouraging conversation, collaboration, and shared problem-solving. This setup supported both whole-group discussions and smaller peer interactions, allowing students to comfortably engage with each other’s ideas while working independently.