"Art Friends" photo by Melody Weintraub
As a veteran teacher, I can think of no single factor that has inspired me more than my relationships with other art teachers. Not only do I glean ideas from them, but I find among them..among you..a group who understands my passion. I remember the first National Art Education Association Conference that I attended. I knew no one there, and yet it didn’t take long to find out that I actually knew them all too well. We lived hundreds of miles apart, but in some cases, it even looked like we shopped together. It was easy to strike up a conversation as we made art together or attended sessions. Even though I have a wonderful group of art teacher friends here in my region, I still try to expose myself to new art acquaintances whenever I visit the NAEA Conference. I suggest you do the same. Find a group. Join your state organization. Join an Art Teacher group on social media. Go to conferences. Meet for coffee. Mentor and Observe when you can. We need each other. I want to learn all I can from you and I’ve been doing this a really long time.