Why did you choose this program?
When I was searching for art teaching programs, Maine College of Art & Design was at the top of my list for a while. The combined K-12 certification and MAT was essential, and my bachelors degree was in Fine Art and I needed both advanced degrees/certifications to continue in my career. I completed my undergrad in Chicago and started teaching art after school, assistant teaching, and developing my art practice. I was confident about the next step to pursue a career in arts education. Also, as someone who grew up outside of Boston, Portland was an inspiring place to move to: I missed the natural beauty when I was in the midwest and it has a super vibrant arts community. Lastly, the cost and time commitment in the program is incomparable to any other program. Most other schools had a two year commitment with a huge price tag attached. Maine College of Art & Design offered an intensive but short program that considered the fi eld that we were going into when it came to reasonable cost.
What course have you enjoyed the most, and why?
My favorite course was probably the PK-8 Methods course. I learned so much from this class that I couldn’t learn from working as a camp counselor or teaching artist, and we were taught it in ways that we could actually apply to our own classrooms. Starting each class with games and challenges, then engaging hands-on lessons and fun opportunities for collaboration. Everything was really grounded in “this is something that you can actually do in your own classroom,” which was super helpful for us as future teachers.
What have been some other stand-out experiences so far in the program?
I really enjoyed our summer intensive/summer institute—it was a time where a lot of us got to know each other and the routine of having classes every day helped me adjust to being back in school. It felt invigorating to be around people who all shared the same goal of learning as much as we can about being art teachers! The workshop days where we were able to teach each other different creative practices was a great way to get to know everyone’s passions and unique strengths. I also loved our trip to the Center for Maine Contemporary Art, and the opportunities that traveling outside of Portland gave us to connect as a group and see beautiful parts of the Maine coast.
What are your thoughts about the community at Maine College of Art & Design?
Portland and the College both are such great communities, and being in a smaller city and school means that you are able to build connections and opportunities everywhere. Our work with the Portland Museum of Art in the fall created an opportunity for a classmate and me to lead several tours and activities for the museum in the spring, and our cohort’s experience learning about Love Lab created opportunities for future work with assistant teaching art classes there.
Every hands-on teaching experience opens the door for job opportunities and networking with educators all over Maine. These relationships that we are able to build through the program are deeply impactful: we are learning how to develop professional relationships and how to not just work with kids, but other adults in our field. It really feels unique to Portland that we are able to be so immersed in the arts education community and create lasting opportunities for personal and professional growth.
How has this program prepared you for the next steps?
This program truly helps students navigate and develop a variety of relationships in our fi eld. MAT at Maine College of Art & Design is small enough to develop meaningful relationships with our peers and professors, but also our mentors, our city, and everyone along the way. Building professional relationships is an important skill while entering different work settings, and working with a variety of people has helped my confidence as an emerging educator. It has also taught me a lot about the importance of balance and self-advocacy. Th e program is short but intense, and I’ve learned how to ask for support, how to collaborate and share ideas, and how to seek opportunities outside of classwork.