I can’t help it. I’m a teacher! (The Full Story!)

For over 30 years I have been a teacher of something. I know this ages me, but I am about to become a grandmother for the first time so I am going to own my age joyfully. 💟

I started off teaching tennis at the ripe old age of 14 and continued into teaching art, then teaching English, Creative Writing, and Social Studies all with the basis of art, then back to straight art. Well, really art combined with cultural enrichment.

I have a Master’s Degree in Elementary Education and Early Childhood Education, taught in public and private schools, private colleges, and I homeschooled our four children for 21 years.

I’ve taught a variety of mediums including clay, glass, fusing, painting, drawing, knitting, fibers, sewing, print-making, and metal-smithing. I’ve taught all ages from preschoolers to high schoolers, have been an adjunct college professor, have taught adults learning for pleasure and ones in required training for their jobs. I was a classroom teacher and a contract teacher, a museum teacher, and an outreach teacher. I have taught people with special needs, gifted students, and teenage girls in court ordered situations. I have taught in private settings and on stage to hundreds at EPCOT. I have had quite a career to say the least.

The one thing that has been the absolute same throughout every single situation throughout all of those years was that I taught in person.

That is up until Covid struck.

For years, I had teetered with the idea of teaching online. In 2011, while I owned a retail art studio in NC that sat 90, I began acquiring the technology equipment necessary to teach online. I just never seemed to get it together. I just really couldn’t let go of teaching in person.

When Disney called and I was invited to show my art there, the idea of teaching online was put on the back burner.

Then a little brain surgery sidelined me for a bit and Covid side lined everyone. Physically my production ability greatly decreased but I was able to teach a few hours a week. It was the nudge I needed to go online, but I was determined to do it with a LIVE aspect.

First it was Art Journaling. Since May 2020, I have been teaching a weekly live online Art Journaling class. I have also taught some single live painting classes online, live college clay classes online as an adjunct college professor, and live drawing classes.

I have also taught several recorded video based classes without live aspects.

Now that I have numerous online teaching experiences under my seasoned belt, I can honestly say, I need to include a LIVE aspect as a teacher. To clarify, my classes don’t need the live aspect to be successful; I need the live aspect to feel connected to my students. I need the live aspect to feel validated as a teacher.

I know the prerecorded delivery is a better route for delivering the content to more people because it offers flexibility time wise and opportunity for students to work at their own pace. However, I also feel like there needs to be a LIVE aspect included, not only to respond to questions, but to engage in discussion with other students.

Why am I rambling about this now? Well, I prelaunched my newest online program, Sketch Write Now a couple of weeks ago and something has been eating at me. It’s a fabulous program that I have spent months developing. I am so proud of it, but I just felt like something was missing. I just fixed that.

In all of my gazillion experiences teaching, I think the best learning was fueled from the energy of those in the room.

So I now have added the room; the Zoom Room to be exact. My Zoom Art Studio will be open for two Feedback Forums during the course of Sketch Write Now: Volume 1 — She is Who I See.

The dates and times will be announced when login information is sent out just prior to the January 3, 2022 launch date. Of course, these Feedback Forums will be recorded and available for those that cannot attend.

Thank you for reading my ramble. I just felt the need to share that, even though there a ton and a half reasons why a LIVE get together is so important for everyone’s learning and progression, the basic one is that our primal condition is we learn with LIVE interaction.

To learn more about my Sketch Write Now: Volume 1- She Is Who I See course that launches January 3, 2021 please visit SketchWriteNow.com. You can browse EarthJournalShop.com for Plant-Stained Paper Journals and LIVE online weekly Art Journaling classes.