In honor of Teacher Appreciation Day, we’d like to extend a heartfelt thank you to our faculty of 80 professional artist educators. They are truly the heart and soul of this organization, working tirelessly to ensure that our 20,000 students receive the high-quality arts education that they deserve. We asked a few of our Teaching Artists to share why they teach and if they had a teacher who inspired their paths as artists and educators. Here’s what they had to say. . . .
Aiko Anglim (Music)
Lawndale Elementary School District, Grades K-5
Why do you teach?
I teach because I love learning! My students teach me as much as I teach them. I am a music educator because music makes me feel alive, and I can’t imagine doing anything else!
Did you have a particularly inspirational teacher that shaped you as an artist or teacher?
My high school choir director, Tim Bruneau, shaped me not only as an artist but also as a person. He saw my musician’s soul before I found it myself, and he helped nurture it. With his guidance, I was able to find my calling. Tim is my ultimate mentor; I wouldn’t be the person I am today without him!
What is one thing you hope your students leave your class knowing?
I hope my students leave my class knowing that they all have the ultimate superpower of making music!
David Partida (Visual Arts/Music)
Camino Nuevo Charter Academy (Burlington Campus), Grades K-8
Why do you teach?
I first became an elementary school teacher as a way to improve my community, but when I started teaching art I fell in love with nuturing eager, ready-to-create minds. My students’ smiles remind me everyday why I’ve come to love teaching the arts in particular. In reality, I would teach any discipline so long as imaginative minds are at work. Art is medicine and we as a human race are in need of this magical medicine.
Did you have a particularly inspirational teacher that shaped you as an artist or teacher?
A teacher who really influenced me was my writing professor during my undergrad in San Francisco. Mr. Murgia didn’t challenge me or push my limits. He simply made me see the world with a different lens, appreciate and praise the little things in life and be thankful. I’ve looked at the world like this ever since, and it has helped shape me into the person I am today.
What is one thing you hope your students leave your class knowing?
I hope my students use the arts as a vehicle to learn anything and everything they can imagine!
Jaime Reichner (Theater)
Irving Middle School, Grades 6-8
Why do you teach?
I truly believe in the power of art, and theater specifically, as a catalyst for students’ personal growth and collectively as a tool to create real social change. What I love about teaching in middle school is how accessible theater-making can be — everyone has a story to tell. As Artist Leaders, part of our job is to create the space for students to explore these stories and offer them techniques to connect to one another and their communities through the artistry of theater. Bearing witness to the transformations many of our students experience over the course of our sessions is what continues to inspire me.
Did you have a particularly inspirational teacher that shaped you as an artist or teacher?
I was lucky enough to attend performing arts schools from fifth grade through high school and was inspired and encouraged by so many teachers along the way. When I was in fourth grade, I was an overactive, emotional, and disruptive student and found myself in the principal’s office on more than one occasion. My teacher at the time, Marie Angulo, saw through my problem behavior and suggested to my parents that they look into theater programs. Convinced I would thrive in a more creative and engaged environment, she found a magnet program that ended up suiting me perfectly, igniting a lifelong passion for theater. I often think about Mrs. Angulo’s ability to see the whole student and the power of having a teacher in our corner who believes in our unlimited potential.
What is one thing you hope your students leave your class knowing?
Each Inside Out Community Arts program culminates with a performance of original work by the students. Come show day, my ultimate goal is that the students feel good about themselves and are proud of their work – both onstage and off. I hope my students take away the confidence that comes with taking safe risks and learning to share their voices (both literally and figuratively).
Miriam Alba Romano (Visual Arts)
Wasco Union School District, Grades 3-8
Why do you teach?
I teach from the understanding that all students are important and valuable and should be treated accordingly. Children are natural artists; I learn just as much from my students as they do from me!
Did you have a particularly inspirational teacher that shaped you as an artist or teacher?
During my tenure as a P.S.ARTS Teaching Artist, I’ve worked with 66 teachers in the Wasco Union School District. Each of them have and continue to support a very rich arts-learning experience. The classroom teachers I’ve partnered with through P.S. ARTS’ in-school programs have shaped me as an artist and Teaching Artist.
What is one thing you hope your students leave your class knowing?
Respect for themselves and for each other. Respect is the rich soil in which art can grow.
Nathalie Sánchez (Visual Arts)
Camino Nuevo Charter Academy (Jose A. Castellanos & Jane B. Eisner Campuses), Grades K-8
Why do you teach?
I teach my passion: art! I love to develop a visual arts curriculum that includes diverse mediums and local artists. I have the privilege of teaching art to young thinkers and learners; I watch them experience the creative process, develop a language to speak about art, and courageously exercise their creativity in each and every class.
Did you have a particularly inspirational teacher that shaped you as an artist or teacher?
My high school teacher, Ms. Parker, was the first teacher who inspired me to create and appreciate art. Ms. Parker was not only my art history teacher, but also my art club advisor and academic decathlon coach. She exposed me to a world of art through her A.P. Art History class and museum field trips. Because of her, I pursued the arts and arts education. I only hope that I can inspire my students as she inspired me.
What is one thing you hope your students leave your class knowing?
My students are amazing artists who enjoy creating art in and out of the classroom. They are a part of history, just like the artists we learn about in class. Maybe one day my student’s work will be in an exhibition or in an art history book — maybe their work will be the masterwork I base a lesson on that will be taught to other student artists!
