My path to the classroom has been shaped as much by studio and design practice as by pedagogy. Before and alongside teaching, I have worked as a practicing artist and designer, and that professional experience continues to inform how I teach. As an adjunct professor at PLC Detroit and a current graduate student in Art Education and Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS) Education at Illinois State University (projected graduation December 2026), I have had the opportunity to study and practice teaching across age groups and content areas, from high school Studio Art to postsecondary instruction. This range has sharpened my ability to adapt instruction to different developmental stages, learning styles, and institutional contexts while staying grounded in the same core beliefs about what art and design education should do for students.

As an educator, I believe the purpose of art and design education is to facilitate a creative and safe space where students can identify and develop their unique ideas, values, and skills. This includes exploring craft, various media and techniques, and offering interdisciplinary creative opportunities that connect art-making to the world beyond the studio. A student-centered, culturally relevant approach allows the class to uniquely guide where I take a lesson, so students can expand on their interests and identity while also building new skills toward their artistic aspirations.

I believe art education teaches and applies vital life skills that students carry into their everyday lives. Students develop critical thinking and communication skills while building self-esteem through the process of making and sharing their work. Students learn early in their academic experience that art is a universal language, one that allows them to engage and connect with cultures and histories around the world.

Art and design education are uniquely flexible in that every student learns differently, and art offers the opportunity to accommodate diverse learning styles through creative solutions. Some students focus more on technical skill-building, while others gravitate toward abstract or conceptual thinking. This flexibility allows me to tailor lessons to each student's needs, giving them the freedom to explore their creativity while still absorbing new information and vocabulary. My graduate coursework in Art Education and FCS Education has deepened this practice, giving me stronger tools for curriculum design, assessment, and connecting artistic skill-building to broader life and career readiness.

It is a gift as an educator to teach students, but also to learn from them, in an inclusive and creative space. I bring my ongoing identity as a working artist and designer, my experience teaching at both the high school and college level, and my continued graduate study into every classroom I lead, to help students see art not as a separate subject, but as a lasting way of thinking, problem-solving, and connecting with the world around them

-Christina Dababneh