When I reflect on what teaching means to me, I think about the kid I was, spending time getting treatment for my autoimmune disease and not in school. Looking back, teachers treated me differently from other students, the expectations were lower for me because I missed many days of school and did not do well in physical education. It took one teacher to sit me down and tell me how capable I am and that I needed to prove that to myself. She inspired me to find my passion in school. I threw myself into the art programs and never stopped, doing everything I could to get in one more art class. I strive to give students the opportunity to find themselves while holding them to a high standard through the creative process of art making. Each student has value and a future that should be honored in the classroom. That looks like anything from ensuring I greet every student as they walk in to talking one on one with students as much as possible. With this ideal in mind, I look to Progressivism teaching philosophy for guidance on how to transform the classroom into a space where students can find community and comfort in genuine interaction and collaboration with their peers. Each student has their own set of needs and interests when they come into the art room, from serving as an emotional outlet to striving to be a professional artist. By creating a space where students can experiment and explore, they are more likely to have their needs met and move on from the class more fulfilled than if I gave each student the same set of ridged steps they had to complete. In utilizing art making in the classroom, I will promote students to ask questions about themselves, their world, and how to meet goals. This would be composed under the ideas of identity, social justice, and non-westernized art history. Every week I hope to consistently introduce new ideas, opportunities, techniques, and inventions to the students. I strive to bring in guest artists as much as possible, collaborating with other departments like cross curricular projects with math feels like a challenge for students to find an aspect of joy in a commonly difficult subject. I think that these ideas can strengthen critical thinking and social skills in students that can help them as they become independent members of society- able to have a better sense of who they are, where others come from, and where their passions may lie.