Influential EducatorsIn my life, all of the most influential people I can name share one commonality: they are all educators. My teachers, regardless of subject, have made a profound impact on me.
My high school history teacher, Mr. Greg Bingham, taught me that passion for the subject you teach is essential to effectively communicating with students. He knew that teaching history, a topic that may be of arbitrary importance to some, is truly a topic worth discussing and analyzing. With his passion for history he created high standards and a good work ethic among his students, building an interest in the subject for us as well. Similarly, my high school English teacher taught me so much more than what I expected from her syllabus. Ms. Erin Graham showed me the importance of understanding and empathy between students and teachers. She was always ready to talk about anything with her students whether it was to critique a new movie that had come out or to touch base about why we feeling tired or unmotivated. She cultivated the most welcoming and safe space within the walls of her classroom by providing time for meditation and reflection and gearing class discussion to have a personal component rather than just a simple analysis of whatever novel we were reading. Lastly Dr. Karen Kleinfelder, my professor for Early Twentieth Century Art, completely changed my perception of art. In her lectures I learned about the importance of equity in the arts and the bias of western art history. It was significant to me as both a woman and a person of color to contribute to decolonizing art history and pushing for centuries of tradition and academic standards to be discussed and critiqued. She taught me to think critically and look deeper into works as art is so much more than what meets the eye. Most importantly, she taught me that art is fun and never failed to make me laugh with her anecdotes about the crazy lives of artists and the drama they lived through. |