Welcome! Hello, my name is Jessica and I am an art teacher at a high school in Central Florida. I have been teaching art at the high school level for 4 years. I received my BFA degree in Art Education with a focus in Two-Dimensional Art and a specialization in Painting. Growing up my parents were traveling artists who created functional pottery and sold it at art festivals around the county. I was infused with the art culture at a young age and developed a passion for creating art. When it came to making a decision about a career I knew that I wanted to do something in the art field, but I wanted a steady income at the same time. That is what got me thinking about being an art teacher, and I am so thankful that I have chosen that career path.
In addition to being a full time art teacher I also have a painting business called Enigma Jessica. I create custom paintings, paint murals, and help with home decor. I also write another blog from the perspective of a practicing artist where I discuss home decor and painting techniques. I LOVE art and have a passion for teaching art. I decided to write this blog as a way to share things that I have done in my classroom and to get connected to other art teachers. I have a pretty extensive Pinterest account that has several different boards of practical art pins. I am an overachiever and a perfectionist, as you will find out :) These are both good and bad characteristics to have. I have found my balance in being PRACTICAL. Yes, I could stay after school 2 hours cleaning my classroom to my liking, but who wants to do that?! Since I began teaching I have devoted time into working smarter, not harder. I love my husband and family and being an art teacher is my passion and all, but I need to have a life out of school. So throughout this blog I will be sharing useful information for other art teachers who want to begin working smarter and not harder.
To give you a background on my school, I teach 3D-1 (Three-Dimensional Design 1), 3D-1 &3, Advanced Placement Studio Art (Drawing, 2D and 3D), and Portfolio. My school has about 2,000 students, so I have about 36 kids in each class. Most of my posts will be applicable to the high school level, but I will also post practical tidbits that can go across the board.
