My appreciation of Art started at a young age, I painted and drew on every surface I could find! Bench tops and walls were not spared as I made them my canvas! My Art journey progressed during my first years at university. I was initially enrolled in a Bachelor of Psychology and realized that with most of my notebooks covered in sketches and drawings after 2 years of study the passion I had for Art had well and truly taken over my Psych degree. With a keen interest in Art History and Fine Art, I completed a Bachelor’s degree in Visual Media at Griffith University, Queensland in Australia. Soon after that in 2010 I went on to complete a Graduate Diploma in Secondary Education. 

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After completing university I was eager to begin my teaching career and I thought that I would quickly find a Visual Arts teaching position, however my lecturers and professors painted a more realistic version of the teaching workforce, by simply advising: 'Pay your dues and say yes to every opportunity to teach'. So, enlightened by that advice, I said yes to a position teaching English literature and History to secondary and middle years students. 

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For the first 3 years of my teaching career I taught only English and History with a small year 8 Arts class here and there. Since my first teaching job, I have often said yes to teaching outside my subject areas as I have always managed to include an 'Art' focus whilst teaching history and literature. I am fortunate to have had these teaching experiences and further expand my skill sets in these subject areas. In some ways I think they shaped me to become a better Arts educator as I can understand how the Arts has impacted and influenced history from multiple perspectives. 

 

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