Congratulations to Christina Schaffer, our April Certified Employee of the Month!
Schaffer teaches Visual Arts at Smithfield Middle and began her 21-year career in art education at Cooper Academy.
When she isn't inspiring students at Smithfield Middle, she teaches summer camps at the North Carolina Museum of Art in Raleigh. Schaffer collaborates with the museum's Education Department on various projects, such as the Art and Literacy online course.
In her Spotlight Q&A, Schaffer shares her love of art education and how she keeps the creativity flowing with her students.
What inspired you to pursue a career in teaching?
In fourth grade, I discovered my love of art and decided early on that I wanted to share my passion for making art and looking at art with others. Being a teacher felt like a natural way to do this. Now, I couldn’t see it any other way!
What lessons has the profession taught you about education, students, and yourself?
My core belief is that “art is for everyone.” During my years as an arts educator in and out of the classroom, I have led art-making sessions for adults, teens, the older generation, young children, and school children of all ages.
Leading art classes for all ability levels, including non-verbal and non-ambulatory people, has solidified that belief.
By meeting my students where they are, art can have a calming effect, and everyone can experience and benefit from this special effect.
As an educator, building strong relationships with your students is paramount. What approaches do you use to create trust and bond with them?
I begin each semester with a community art project where each student’s individual piece becomes part of the design. Having a safe, trusting place to make art is essential, allowing students' creativity to flow naturally from day one.
We talk about ourselves like we’re a community, and what we all bring to the community matters.
The students and I also think of our community as a bigger picture, not just our class, or grade, or school, but our local, state, and national levels as well.
With the model of working together as a whole, my students have sent art to almost 20 states.
Describe a memorable teaching experience that had a lasting impact on you. What made it special, and what did you learn from it?
My classroom participates in the National Parks Art Collaborative, and since 2017, the students at Smithfield Middle have sent more than 100 canvas paintings to more than 20 national parks.
One of my first semesters participating in this art collaborative, Smithfield Middle School, had a piece chosen for the example booklet at the national level. The booklet was designed to encourage other schools to participate in the project. Wow!
Participation in the National Parks Art Collaborative has helped me think about the bigger picture community, but also how to work together. It’s a project that has shaped me as an artist and educator.
Looking ahead in your career as an educator, what goals would you like to accomplish in the field of education?
I love making art with the children, and always say that I have the best job in the school!
My goals are to keep bringing creativity to the classroom and to keep bringing science, social studies, language arts, and math together in creative ways.
Teaching others, both students and adults, that these subjects are intertwined is part of my journey as an art educator. We don’t make art out of nothing. Art is information, just told differently.