As a teacher I believe my job is to inspire, encourage, and support students to achieve their highest potential, to challenge students to explore and expand their creativity while communicating their perspectives on life.

I have had the good fortune to lecture and teach studio classes to a broad spectrum of students. The most rewarding teaching experiences I have had are those in which students take an idea from a lecture, discussion, or demonstration, and develop it in their projects or use it to initiate further classroom discussion.

The most effective classroom has many sources contributing to the learning process: the students, the teacher, the artwork, and the material brought in for consideration. The atmosphere needs to be interactive, involving multiple forms of learning; for example, I often use hands-on activities in lecture classes, and assign readings in studio classes.

I believe it’s important to encourage students to consider the historical and philosophical relevance of their art, to reflect on their relationship to the art world, and to make connections between art and society.

People learn in different ways and in combinations of those ways. And while a teacher cannot completely customize methods for each student, the qualities of listening, patience, and flexibility, go a long way to benefiting the greatest number of students.