Annette Saldana Lesson Two: Personal Art Education History 1-19-14

Since I was a young child, my parents taught me to value my education. During my childhood, my mother was a Sunday school teacher and my father was a police officer. They rooted within me strong moral values in hopes that I would become a trustworthy, thoughtful, and helpful member of society. It was instilled within me that I could do and be anything as long as my heart was in it. It was also very clear to me that my head had to be in it, too. I knew that I needed a great education in order to reach my goals. I was blessed to be surrounded by inspirational people who nourished my ambitions. For instance, my grandfather and mother (both public school educators) always bought me interesting books in hopes that I would gain an independent thirst for knowledge. It worked! I feel lucky that I had opportunities to explore my creativity as that is what has led me to where I am. I began making arts and crafts at a very young age. I had a mom who taught me how to make handmade crafts on rainy days, a sister with whom I would explore filmmaking/storytelling with, summer camp workshop teachers, and a grandmother who taught me how to make an assortment of handcrafted goods. While in first grade, I had the opportunity to be under the instruction of one of my all time favorite teachers, Mrs. Ferrell. She promoted bookmaking, drawing, and clay projects in her class, and I couldnt have been happier. Ive always enjoyed the outdoors and have had many opportunities to expand my adventures due to all of the natural landscape that I am surrounded by. There are cliffs, canyons, lush canopies, gardens, natural springs, waterfalls, lakes, and rivers in the area in which I live. Nature walks and explorations with my family really helped to instill in me a love for the outdoors. Traveling to different vacation spots also encouraged my desire to absorb the beauty of the nature. It wasnt long before the environmental connections I made began to influence my work as an artist. During high school, I attended a modeling and acting school where I studied junior commercialism. I also continued my involvement in art, poetry, and vocal performance. My teacher in ninth grade, Mala Terry, taught me my first lesson on perspective. From there, the doors of opportunity opened as I knew my calling. I knew I wanted to study art in college. My undergraduate studies were directed towards interior design, and architectural studies. However,

while my classes/teachers were shaping me as an artist, and creative thinker, I was also influenced by several occupational pursuits. I worked as a cook/waitress in American, Chinese, and Italian restaurants, which broadened my knowledge of different cultural aspects. And later I worked as a portrait photographer at a local mall where I learned much about composition, and digital editing. After obtaining a degree in Housing and Design, I became an interior design consultant. Unfortunately, after two years of working in the design field, the company I worked for closed, and I was left to re-evaluate my future. The epiphany for me probably occurred when I married a high school vocal music teacher (whom I met in college). As I began to see how he used both his love for the arts, but also his love of sharing this gift, I knew immediately that this was what I wanted to do. Tennessee Technological University prepared me well to teach art education to my students. Not only did I learn valuable teaching methods, I studied a myriad of art making skills, and became an advocate for the arts. I am now doing what I dreamed of all of these years, I am sharing my passion for creativity with others. My experiences continue to shape me as I am thoroughly immersing myself as an artist, and teacher. I regularly attend conferences, which have all become memorable for one reason or another. I connect with the community by working on murals, exhibits, contests, and museum tours. Im also continuing my education through the Masters of Art Education program at University of Florida. Recently, my county selected me at the 2013-14 Teacher of the Year. It was one of my proudest moments. Though I dont always feel deserving of this title, I feel the work that I am doing within my school is making a difference. On days when I feel down, I remember that no good deed goes completely unnoticed and I carry on. My students inspire me every day as they succeed in their efforts to build their artistic skills. To sum it all up, my greatest contributions towards the educational field are the ones that are not tangible. Its the feeling of confidence that a student gets when they feel like they have mastered a goal. A smile crosses my face and I am consumed with a feeling of accomplishment when I get to be a part of those moments.