Art Educator: April Speed

I spent one year teaching art. It was one year of pureness, a cleansing of the mind and soul.

My philosophical approach to art education is both art-focused and student-centered. Art builds critical thinking, dexterity and imagination abilities, which are skills that are needed to be successful in our complex and diverse world. A holistic approach, broad and wide, is where we live during lessons with curiosity in nature as the starting point.

The following is a collection of my students’ art. Let’s start with Dale Chihuly and understanding his abstract saltwater glass formations by applying them to Missouri’s freshwater ecosystems.