My name is Jasper Lynch. I am a junior currently attending Castleton University.

I am

majoring in Art Education because it is a mix of the two things that I am passionate about in life.

I would describe myself as someone who enjoys the process of creating and witnessing new

ideas that sprout and produce even better ones. As my high school Art teacher once said “A

painting is never truly finished until the end of an artist’s life” this is because a painting always

holds the potential to be worked on and perfected up until the end of its author. I believe the

same thing is true with the education of one’s self. We as people are always learning new things

every day and adding those ideas to the collective painting of knowledge. I would be honored to

be able to aid in the development of information for others. I find myself inspired by many

teachers from differing backgrounds. Each one showing me a new and entertaining side to the

world of education and knowledge. Mrs. Enzor, my 7th and 8th grade English teacher, showed

me that even when a child does not connect with your subject there is no point in giving up. She

was always a rock for her students to rely on, constantly coming up with ways for students to

interact with the material and learn in new and creative ways, and it doesn’t hurt that she was

always able to bring a smile to my face every day. Throughout my high school career, I met more

teachers who would continue to make me feel excited to learn and want to apply myself in class.

Mr. Lower and Mrs. K were two very big influences on my decision to teach, both amazing

instructors who showed passion and energy at work. And even as I move into my college years

I’m still finding new sources of inspiration, no longer just from teachers but from friends as well.

My close friend Ashley, who is also an Education major here at Castleton inspires me whenever I

hear her talk about her connection to teaching. Other stories and experiences bring me joy to hear

and I cant wait to start creating my very own.

 I see myself as a teacher that focuses on Teaching real-world experiences to students. I

want students to learn how to be curious and ask questions. I want them to find answers to those

questions and I want them to do it by working those scenarios out. The philosophy that I most

align with is pragmatism. It's the question of ‘how do you know if an idea will stand up in the

real world?’ with the answer ‘try it out and see what happens’. I don't want students in my class

to fear making mistakes because those just naturally happen in life, instead, I want those

mistakes to be something that students can see as a way of working around and figuring out what

went wrong and how to fix it. That’s something that I think is important to do not only in classes

but in life. John Dewey reworked the philosophy of pragmatism and looked at it through the lens

of Education. He had the idea of having students learn through these real-life experiences that

would then become practical ways of problem-solving in the future. Dewy defended pragmatism

by explaining that we can only find that an idea or statement is true solely by looking for the

answer. It’s hard to find the truth about a situation you didn’t know existed. I also enjoy the

philosophy of a Progressive classroom I want students to feel safe and in control of the subject. I

want them to be able to feel like they know what they're learning is important to them because

they helped to create their curriculum. I think that a progressive classroom would work great tied

together with an art room because art is something that can be made out of anything. If a student

is interested in math or science or reading they can grab inspiration from wherever in the world

and use that to fuel what they might create in my classroom. That's one of the things that I love, I

love being able to see where people get their ideas and where those ideas lead them. I definitely

connect with student-centered philosophies because they are what I find most important in the

classroom. It’s not the curriculum I teach or the grades they get. It’s the experiences they gain as

they work towards becoming adults capable of making decisions, building opinions, and asking
questions. Scaffolding allows students to connect their current curriculum with past concepts

and tie them together to create a stronger understanding. I enjoy that the art room provides many

opportunities for this, even ones that span across classrooms. This can allow students to gain

inspiration from outside of the art room while still being a learning experience that is structurally

part of the curriculum. A great example of this would be if I were to work with an English

teacher to have students create book covers for a story that they have read in class. This allows

them to have a choice over the main subject but allows ties to both art and English creating an

opportunity for learning in both directions.

A concept that stood out to me this semester in class was in chapter 10 of our textbook.

This chapter focused on curriculum, standards, and testing. When talking about standardized

testing and the future of our schools the concept of Authentic assessments was discussed. It’s a

way of gauging the understanding a student has of the curriculum but allowing them to show that

understanding of it in a much broader way than timed testing allows. I find this more interactive

way of looking at a student's knowledge of a subject to be something enlightening. I enjoy the

concept of this assessment much more because it seems like a very practical way of showing

your knowledge. Whether that be something that you can physically create or instead see the

process in which a student works to achieve the goal. I find these Performance-based

assessments more interactive and intriguing than a test or exam. I think they can lend themselves

to a more personalized learning experience as well. With personalized learning students figure

out what works for them and what path they want to take, and with authentic assessments,

teachers can allow students to plan out their way of achieving a goal or finishing a process in the

same way. I feel this creates a more equal playing ground between students and teachers and

removes that dreaded feeling of test-taking some students have. Proficiency-based learning
comes in to play here by allowing students to know upfront what they will be graded on and how

those grades are determined. Proficiency-based learning formative-assessments enables teachers

to gauge the abilities of students as the lesson progresses, allowing teachers to focus on problem

spots in the curriculum without applying a grade. Summative-assessments are graded and show

where each student has landed on their prospective chart of proficiencies.

As the semester has come to an end I found myself reaching out to people in my life and

talking with them about how the coronavirus has affected them and their jobs. I talked with

teachers and doctors to hear their experiences so far, and from those stories was inspired to create

a few thank you cards to show my appreciation for those who had to work with such new and

unusual barriers between them and the people around them. I think now more than ever is a time

that shines a light on the dedication and flexibility that is needed to become a successful teacher.

Being able to operate in a totally new environment and the strength to learn with your students is

an admiral ability and seeing the effort and work many teachers are putting into their classes now

I am excited to get out into the world and community and start my carrier.