I am fortunate on my journey to become a K-12 art educator. I started as a build substitute at Bishop Elementary in Lincoln Consolidated, school year 2020/2021. This is where I started to learn how to be an educator and I was able to learn different teaching styles. I was asked to be a long term substitute for a 2nd/3rd grade teacher, starting April until the end of the school year. I learned how her classroom ran and I learned how she wrote her lesson plans. Experiencing classroom management, lesson planning and end of the year testing, helped me understand students and teachers in the common core. 

The next school year, I was set up to be a building substitute again at Bishop Elementary. In October, one of their art teachers was leaving at the end of the month. They asked if I could fill in until they could find someone, and I accepted. The position was for two different elementary schools, Bishop Elementary and Brick Elementary. Learning how schools could run differently but still being in the same school district was very eye opening. The students taught me a lot of lessons and helped me become a better educator. We thought it would be a short time with me in the position, however, I was in the position until the last day of school. 

Lincoln Consolidated is a very diverse district. I worked with all kinds of people and was able to learn a lot from everyone. This helped me understand how I would have to alter my lesson plans and how to teach with the flow. They also taught me how to be a better person as well and helped me open my mind.

As I continue my journey of becoming an art educator, I enter my half day student teaching. August 28, 2023 until December 8, 2023, placed at STEAM Middle school in Dearborn Schools, there are so many more experiences. Not only in a different being at a different district, also the difference between elementary and secondary. Being able to see the differences between elementary and middle school, seeing the similarities and differences of the age groups, has changed my mind a little. When I started the journey, I was dead set on elementary. However, I can see that I was wrong and being in secondary school would be amazing as well. After I leave STEAM Middle School, I will be heading to Western International in Detroit. I am very excited to learn from not just the mentor teacher, but from the students as well.