2022 ART EDUCATORS OF MINNESTOA/ WISCONSIN ART EDUCATION CONVENTION -RED WING MN
During October of 2022, sixteen UW-Stout preservice students had the opportunity to attend the AME/WAEA convention in Red Wing, Minnesota! By having the opportunity to meet experienced educators, gain valuable resources, learn about the importance of collaboration, and explore the area, participants came back with an abundant amount of information, stories, and insights!
This years participants included:
Alissa Ruppel
Haley Parsneau
Bailey Iwen
Mekenzie Bisel
Grace Vincent
Marci Kodl
Lin Boland
Emma Cassman
Abigail Tompson
Gwen Stein
Veronica Jacques
Amelia Johnson
Shawna Platt
Lauren Dillinger
Scott Cable
Anabelle Dick
ALISSA RUPPEL’S CONVENTION EXPERIENCE
A) your art teaching knowledge and/or abilities?
This conference positively impacted my knowledge and abilities as an art educator. I was given new lesson plans, ideas, and materials. I learned to practice good habits in front of my students like experimenting with new materials, and taking some time to be mindful and take care of your mental health. I think combining everything that I learned at this conference and the knowledge that I have gained in college so far will heavily contribute to the success of my future classroom, and the level of my ability as an art educator.
B) your confidence in and/or passion for teaching?
This experience not only boosted my confidence as an art teacher, but it also enhanced my passion for teaching. I gained confidence when I found experienced art teachers that were going through the same obstacles I am as a preservice teacher. It is nice to know that I will always have a community of people to ask questions, bounce ideas off of, and empathize with. The community of people I was able to engage with at this conference gave me confidence that there are folks who are as passionate as me about teaching the younger generations about art and how important it is.
C) your desire and commitment to be an art teacher?
Attending this conference contributed to my desire to become an art educator. The knowledge I gathered at this conference solidified my commitment toward becoming a future art educator. I want to live my life informing others about the beauty of our world, and help students grow as individuals.
D) your overall mood, happiness, or well-being?
The key speakers at the conference gave me time to self-reflect and consider new possibilities. This positively impacted my overall mood and well-being. I have been practicing choosing joy and creating opportunities to be mindful for not only myself, but for my future students. I hope that along with my curriculum, I am able to teach them to take time to attend to their mental health and well-being and to do things that bring them joy.
E) your relationships with other art ed students or networking with other art ed professionals?
I met so many art teachers at this conference. I was even reunited with my high school art teacher who had left a very positive impact on my life during my teen years. She was one of the reasons I had decided to become an art teacher. Seeing her boosted my confidence. Meeting other art educators was very beneficial as well. There were moments I would find myself in deep conversation with other teachers without even trying. It was so easy to communicate with others about experience, relatable issues, and their students. I was given so much advice and was encouraged by so many to keep pursuing this amazing and rewarding career.
HALEY PARSNEAU’S CONVENTION EXPERIENCE
I found that overall, this conference was very impactful for my future career in Art Education. I was able to gain knowledge on aspects of teaching that are not taught in college courses like the maintenance of kilns. I would highly suggest for any preservice teacher to attend conferences like this one because it gives us the chance to talk to many different teachers, administrators, vendors, and artists. This gave me more confidence into what I will be teaching in my own classroom and even gave me more confidence in my pre-student teaching experiences.
BAILEY IWEN’S CONVENTION EXPERIENCE
This WAEA State Conference has enhanced the confidence I feel within myself for my students in my future classroom because I was comfortable enough with the content that I almost knew what they were going to say.
My knowledge was tickled a bit with a couple tips and tricks for the classroom I acquired, like laying a paintbrush flat on a countertop to dry, and saving watercolor pencil tips as well as making art with your shoes-especially if students are missing certain limbs.
My confidence is soaring as I am about to enter my student teaching experience in the spring, and had many people get excited with me on my journeys into the Art Education world.
Just by talking with people about my excitement, I felt my passion swell and share with everyone how ready I feel for my future. The sessions were lead by teachers who were all very student-first oriented, and I appreciated their commitment and work into becoming the best version of their self for the sake of their students. I desire nothing more in life than to be the most passionate Art Educator I can possibly be.
This conference came at a wonderful time to contribute to my overall well-being of having the opportunity to get away and back to where my thoughts and feelings all started, surrounded by positive influential people who strive for similar practices. I felt overwhelmingly happy and grateful to be able to attend the conference, and with it being close to home, I believe I made connections with a real possibility for maintaining those relationships. Luckily the smalltown feel provided a very natural Segway into natural conversations with all of the folks I interacted with, allowing the opportunity for transparent conversations centered around the encouragement for my new upcoming experience.
With the allowance for many of my fellow future educators to attend the trip, I was able to interact with everyone on a personal level, which was extremely beneficial for me to get a better understanding of their experiences. Lots of people I see in class but hadn’t made outside efforts to engage in conversation beyond the surface level for class purposes. It felt nice to be more than just a classmate with everyone, and to level understandings and share advice with each other.
I felt well-practiced in articulating my thoughts and experiences when providing answers to the many questions I received throughout the trip. This was an experience I will not forget and hope to build from in the future.
MEKENZIE BISEL’S CONVENTION EXPERIENCE
The WAEA/AEM Fall Conference was extremely informative and left me with an abundance of information. Throughout the past three years of my undergrad at Stout I have attended several conferences and they never disappoint; I always seems to learn new information. Not only was attending sessions beneficial, but it was nice to be surrounded by other Stout Art Education students and Minnesota/Wisconsin Art educators.
I enjoyed having a variety of sessions where I was either creating, learning, or participating in activities. It was great to learn new information that will help me during the rest of my student teaching experience and during my first year of teaching. All the past conferences I’ve attended I left feeling excited and ready to student teacher, this conference I can take what I learned and bring it straight to the classroom Monday and talk with my cooperating teacher about what I learned and how I can start to implement it into my teaching.
It was nice to be surrounded by other art educators who have years of experience and to see them just as excited to be at the conference as myself. As well as attending the conference with other Stout Art Education students. I felt comfort in being around others with the same passion for teaching art. I found myself thinking about I will be able to use everything I have learned at the conference so soon when I get my first job after graduation! I am excited to be able to practice what I have learned!
Yet again, I am leaving the conference excited to get into the art room with students, to build a positive and safe community while creating art with the students.
I am grateful that AIM has provided myself and others to have this wonderful experience of attending the WAEA Conference.
GRACE VINCENT’S CONVENTION EXPERIENCE
This was my first WAEA conference, or even just conference in general. I was not expecting to gain so much knowledge, get so many lesson plans and ideas, and to connect with as many people as I did. I feel more confident when it comes to adaptive learning and how to interact with paras. I also feel like my passion for wanting to be a teacher has been reignited. I was starting to feel really burnt out this semester and the conference was exactly what I needed to reignite the reasoning I wanted to be a teacher. I have a passion for this, even if I am struggling with sticking with it and doubting, I am going to be a good teacher at times. It made me feel better hearing from other educators and knowing that I am still going to struggle with certain things after, I won’t be prepared for everything, but all those other educators who are struggling and have questions still have a passion for their students and for art. It was a good reminder as to why I am in this program in the first place – to create art, teach art, and be there for my students. This trip is the first time I really got to connect with my peers in ArtEd and really get to know some of them due to how busy and crazy my schedule usually is. I really look forward to going to more events like this, deepening relationships, creating more art, and strengthening my passion for this career. Thank you AIM and UW-Stout for providing us with this opportunity as the things I learned and the people I met because of it are going to be there even when I have graduated.
MARCI KODL’S CONVENTION EXPERIENCE
A) your art teaching knowledge and/or abilities?
By attending this conference, my knowledge and abilities have expanded greatly. I have a better idea of how art teachers manage their art supplies. Managing art supplies includes how students handle art supplies, organizing art supplies, and using all of the art supplies to their full compacity. I learned tips and tricks of creating lessons and how to set up students supplies to work the best. This causes less accidents with art supplies and efficient work time for students.
B) your confidence in and/or passion for teaching?
Attending this conference boosted my confidence and passion for teaching. It gave me new insights and understandings of the art education world. Talking to art teachers that are out in the field about their own classroom, made me feel excited to have that bond with my future students. Teachers described lessons that were their favorite so far this school year and shared photos of the artwork. Hearing other art educators talk about their passion for making the art education programs better, gave me confidence and understanding when describing what I am learning as a student. With their response it also helped me understand where I stand in my path as an art educator. It also gave me a different perspective of things I could do and shouldn’t do as a future teacher.
C) your desire and commitment to be an art teacher?
This conference showed my desire to be an art teacher even more than I already knew when deciding to be an art teacher. Everyone I met or learned from at the conference inspired me and made me excited to explore my abilities of teaching students about art. I have wanted to be an art teacher since kindergarten. Not only am I living out my dreams, but this conference drove my commitment to being an art teacher to another level.
D) your overall mood, happiness, or well-being?
Leading up to, during, and after the conference, my overall mood has been better. The opportunity to learn new things with my peers made me so happy. Especially since this is an absolute dream for me. Having three art filled days was a wonderful, exciting experience.
E) your relationships with other art ed students or networking with other art ed professionals?
By attending the conference, not only did I make connections to teachers at the conference, but I also made connections with my fellow classmates. I got to speak to Olivia Bondlander, a first-year art teacher, I worked with in the 4H AIM internship. I was cool to connect with a new teacher after knowing them as a student last year. I learned so much about my art education peers and why they wanted to become teachers. They also explained what they hope to add to their classroom someday.
LIN BOLAND’S CONVENTION EXPERIENCE
Overall this state conference was very impactful for me and my peers, with learning how to create different project samples for class as well as different philosophies/ideation we can explore throughout our teaching. When it comes to knowledge for teaching or how to teach something, the short, hands-on classes were amazing, and helped me understand more how I can help students understand how to explore different materials and get creative with the tools they are given. Learning these different skills, ideations and techniques helped me become more confident in how communicate with students in a more constructive and productive manner. Learning how to integrate LGBTQ+ artists as well as LGBTQ+ artists of color will help students in my classroom be able to find artists they can relate to as well as people who look different/ are different from the ‘norm’ to look up to in general. To add to this, attending the conference this fall has helped me have a more positive outlook on teaching general, which surprised me as I am already looking forward to everything that there is in the future! Having these resources and connections within the art education community will be incredibly helpful not only for me as a student, but also for myself in the future as I start teaching and writing more lesson plans. I am so excited to use the information that I have collected over the course of the fall 2022 conference and I cannot wait apply my knowledge in the future!
EMMA CASSMAN’S CONVENTION EXPERIENCE
Your art teaching knowledge and/or abilities?
I think this conference definitely improved my knowledge about teaching. I learned so many different things, like taking something students would normally hate like a research project, and turning it into something fun and creative. Or how to teach my students about diversity and normalizing certain things that aren't seen as much in the classroom.
Your confidence in and/or passion for teaching?
I met a lot of amazing people at this conference, and I definitely stepped out of my comfort zone more than once. This conference gave me the opportunity to test myself and find what I'm comfortable with, and what I think is important when teaching in the classroom.
Your desire and commitment to be an art teacher?
This experience has for sure increased my commitment, and it makes me even more excited to get out there and teach art. Art is my passion, and I can't wait to share it with my future students and teach them things that I wish I was taught when I was a student.
Your overall mood, happiness, or well-being?
I had so much fun at this conference. I learned so many things and met so many amazing people, and together we all had a great time.
Your relationships with other art ed students or networking with other art ed professionals?
I met so many new people in the same major as me, and with the same passion to be an art teacher. I’ve never been around someone with the same passions as me, so being at an event surrounding this passion was unbelievable.
ABIGAIL TOMPSON’S CONVENTION EXPERIENCE
A) Your art teaching knowledge and/or abilities?
Throughout the WAEA conference I learned several ideas for lesson plans and materials I can use in my future classroom as well as about future careers for students wanting a career in something art related.
B) Your confidence in and/or passion for teaching?
My confidence definitely grew after attending due to having more ideas and a look into how many other art teachers go about their careers in their classroom and learning how to better conduct myself surrounded by others in the field I’m going into.
C) Your desire and commitment to be an art teacher?
After attending the conference, I grew more aware of the impact teachers can have on students lives and the impact that creating art can have, because of this my passion only grew in wanting to share the joy of making art to others.
D) Your overall mood, happiness, or well-being?
Throughout the whole event I had a great time learning and exploring new topics and projects. However, despite making sure I was ahead with homework before going, I felt it was hard to catch up with it after. I think for me this problem would be solved by not going the whole weekend.
E) Your relationships with other art ed students or networking with other art ed professionals?
I didn’t connect with many other are educators outside of the sessions but when I did, I learned a few new insights into the career field from them. Through this group event I strengthened my relationships with my fellow classmates and even gained a roommate for next year from it.
GWEN STEIN’S CONVENTION EXPERIENCE
The overall impact this year's WAEA conference had on me has mainly been with my relationship with my peers in the Art Education program. I got to know the people in my year a lot better and got to bond with them. It was nice to get to know more about what they wanted to do in their future and their previous art experiences. I got to learn how many of my peers have relatives that are art teachers. I also got to see a graduated Art Education student, Olivia Bonlander. This was a cool experience because she got to show us what her district wants her to do for lesson plans and teaching. We also got to see some of the projects her students are working on currently. The conference has also aided in my overall teaching knowledge because I know a lot more about clay and firing than I did before coming to the conference. I got to learn a little bit about how to fix a kiln and how to keep your kiln lasting for a longer time. Overall, this was an invaluable experience and I think that anyone who is able should try their best to go to opportunities like this.
VERONICA JACQUES’S CONVENTION EXPERIENCE
At the conference I learned many techniques to uplift and assist my students with their mental health and well-being. I learned ways to include all students and how to create a safe space for them to grow their skills, develop as individuals, and make art. Every project leaves an opportunity for students to develop, collaborate, and connect with each other, teachers, and their community. I learned so much at the conference and all of it has increased my confidence in my ability to support students as a future art teacher. I have gained so much knowledge of tactics and tools for my future classroom. Ways to assist my student by adapting my own teachings, using different school resources, and collaborating with other general and art educators. I have always been incredibly passionate about becoming an art teacher, but this conference has sparked a fire within me, making me want to work hard to become the best art teacher I possibly can. I cannot wait to be in my classroom and teaching my students about art and how they can make an impact on this world. This conference has made me feel very positive about the future and my ability to create a positive and encouraging mood in my own classroom. Through this conference I have been able to get to know the other art education students at my school as well as those outside of my school and working in the field. I was able to make connections and bond with others who hold the same passion as myself. I am hopeful and excited to go into my role as an art educator.
AMELIA JOHNSON’S CONVENTION EXPERIENCE
I learned new art making strategies and mediums that I had never attempted before. This opened my mind to wanting to try these new mediums so that I can use them eventually for lessons in the future. I also learned new ways in which I can support students of all different backgrounds and identities. I feel more equipped with ways to help my students feel included and accepted within my school and classroom.
My confidence and passion increased this weekend as I was surrounded by educators that I can relate to and they inspired me to continue pursuing my major and become even more passionate for it. I found a support system within my peers as we all learned and shared in our experiences together. Teachers shared their teaching experiences that were very influential. I am more confident in methods that can be used in the classroom to help my students.
I am continuing to stay committed to becoming a teacher. I am inspired to become like the peers that I met at the conference as many of them are of all ages which shows their long lasting passion for what they are doing. I hope to devote myself and continue the passion just like the teachers who attended the conference.
My mode was very energetic as there were always new things to discover and engage in while at the conference. I was happy to be able to attend different sessions that lit a fire within me of different ideas that I can teach. I am very grateful for the experience to participate in the conference and enjoyed the opportunities that I was offered while I attended this weekend.
My relationship with my art ed peers continued to deepen as I was able to share and create new memories with them that are life lasting. I grew closer and learned more about my fellow peers outside of the classroom and why they are passionate about becoming educators. I had the opportunity to meet and talk with other educators to talk about why they chose the age group that they teach and why they like working with that age, to help me determine what age of students I would like to work with. I also learned about what other educators do for their lesson plans and their curriculums.
I am very grateful I was chosen for this experience to attend the WAEA conference. I have grown as a future educator and improved on my connection to the arts. Thank you!
SHAWNA PLATT’S CONVENTION EXPERIENCE
As my first WAEA conference, I was challenged to think about my teaching knowledge and how to improve for the future. There are things I will implement into my teaching and classroom environment. This experience has boosted my confidence and passion for art education. Seeing so many different educators come together and express their unique views on how they run their classrooms was truly inspirational. Seeing how everyone had their own way made me more confident and committed to pursuing my degree and going out into a classroom of my own. It is a field, I feel, that is very passionate about their work and is open to helping their peers. It is something that I feel excited to experience as an official art teacher. I was able to meet so many art educators who were very friendly and open to answering any questions I had. The conference was awesome and a definite must-do for all future art educators because it is great to establish that you are not alone on this journey even past graduation.
LAUREN DILLINGER’S CONVENTION EXPERIENCE
A) Your art teaching knowledge and/or abilities?
In terms of the knowledge that I had gained while attending the 2022 WAEA Conference, I felt connected with both keynote speakers as well as many of the different sessions I attended. However, ultimately, the teaching knowledge that I had attained included various new ways of thinking. Whether it be thinking about the language that one uses, the various ways that research can be pursued, or the hidden curriculum that is unintentionally promoted, I learned how to navigate these different routes of thinking to be mindful and recognize issues and/or obstacles early on.
B) Your confidence in and/or passion for teaching?
Regarding my confidence and/or passion for teaching, the conference allowed me to recognize that I am ready to student teach. Throughout the conference, I felt as though I already had been familiar with much of the content that had been presented. After reflecting on the conference, I recognized that this feeling of familiarity had indeed correlated with my overall confidence in myself as well as my knowledge. Because of this experience and/or realization, I believe that my passion for teaching overall increased as well since I overall believe in myself. That said, I believe one requires confidence in order to be passionate; therefore, this experience allowed me to become more mindful regarding where I am at within my preservice path to art education.
C) Your desire and commitment to be an art teacher?
Relating to my desire and commitment to becoming an art educator, I believe that this experience allowed me to observe a large amount of art teachers from both Wisconsin and Minnesota in new ways. While meeting other art educators, I was able to connect with them, follow them on Instagram, and overall aspire to be them soon. Due to these connections, my commitment to teaching remains highly prioritized and I am ultimately ready to step into the career; therefore, my desire is through the roof!
D) Your overall mood, happiness, or well-being?
In terms of my overall well-being, the conference allowed me to take a break from the busy schedule of being an art student and simply enjoy the company of others that have many of the same values and beliefs as myself. Apart from this characteristic, by visiting the Anderson Center Sculpture Garden as well as the pottery museum allowed me to reconnect with fine art. Looking at art is a huge part of being both an artist and educator; therefore, by observing artwork from various artists, it allowed me to enjoy the environment and community of the art world; therefore, my overall mood became relaxed and joyful to be living in the moment.
E) Your relationships with ArtEd students or networking with other professionals?
Overall, this year had been the largest group of UW-Stout Preservice teachers that had ever attended. With sixteen of us participating, I had not known most of the attendees. Unlike other years, I was not familiar with who the underclassman were; therefore, it had been valuable to me to have such a large group – we were able to get to know one another! By recognizing that we were all coming from different areas of the program, we connected and discussed our overall experiences much more. Moving forward to the other professionals that I had networked with while attending the sessions, I was happy to see people that I recognized, had talked to in the past, and that I was able to catch up with! By having and making these connections, it overall made me feel more welcomed and essentially at home while attending.
ANNABELLE DICK’S CONVENTION EXPERIENCE
I feel very well educated when it comes to my art teaching knowledge and abilities after this conference. I have learned a lot whether that is different lessons or maintaining a classroom or even how to preserve materials and equipment. I feel more passionate about teaching after this conference. I learned different techniques that I’m excited to use in my future. I learned how to form connections with my students to make them feel more comfortable in the classroom. I am very committed to becoming an art teacher and have been since second grade. After going to the conference, I learned more about myself as an art teacher and what I want in my classroom. The biggest impact the WAEA conference had on me was the friends I made. I got to know my art education peers a lot better. We formed connections through this experience. It is incredibly helpful to have friends in the program for help on assignments or for job opportunities. I was also able to communicate with other art teachers. I got to hear what it’s actually like teaching an art classroom. I am so grateful that I had this opportunity to go to the conference and am glad that I chose to go.