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Standard 2:  Teachers establish a safe, inclusive, and respectful learning environment for a diverse population of students.

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Every student has their own learning style, and while this can be tricky to accommodate, it is not hard for me to establish a safe, inclusive, and respectful learning environment for a diverse population of students. In this regard, I am proficient. There is, however, the matter of getting creative with how to be inclusive and safe in a way that breaks from monotony and routine. A huge part of the art making process is critiques. Critiques help us grow in our craft and skill. They help us improve and polish our aptitudes with various mediums, but also learn from the successes and mistakes of others. Most importantly, they help us make emotional connections, observations and understandings of what people are trying to express through their art. Developing these abilities helps form more empathetic and compassionate members of society. Often, people mistake critique for criticism and are nervous and anxious over these discussions. Critiques are meant to help artists better define what and why they are trying to express and how successful or unsuccessful they are through the piece they are presenting. Critiques and check ins, when facilitated successfully, are wonderful ways to establish safe and respectful environments.

We got to do an in-progress critique to help students define and narrow down designs for a sculpture and were successful in providing insightful feedback on how to accomplish certain goals in their art. Chalk talk was also a strategy I (along with another classmate) was able to present and explore on how to use to get all students to participate at a comfort level that was right for everyone.

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