Sanda Weber

Sanda Weber (she/her) is a fifth- and sixth-grade art teacher at South Portland Middle School. In 2024, Sanda welcomed a student from Maine College of Art & Design's Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) program into her classroom as an intern. Over that same winter, Sanda enrolled in "Artist as Educator,” an online graduate class at MECA&D, taught by Rachel Somerville, Chair of Art Education at MECA&D. Sanda took the class alongside two other teachers at South Portland Middle School.

What inspired you to take the “Artist as Educator” course?

I earned my master's degree immediately after completing my undergraduate studies in 2005. At that time, I was not eager to continue my education any further than that degree. However, as I matured in my teaching career, I realized that being a great teacher absolutely means continuing to pursue your own education and learning. I've learned so much from my students, and I have also enjoyed a variety of graduate courses over the past few years that continue to broaden my knowledge and experiences so that I can teach my students more effectively.

I really enjoyed the class. When I was younger, as a teacher, I would paint and work on my own projects, and that's something I've since gotten away from. Now, my oldest child is seven, and I don't practice art on my own very often. When Rachel explained the class, I thought, "This will force me to do some creating."

Could you tell me more about the class content?

It was entirely online and asynchronous. Each week, we were asked to create something, photograph it, and submit the work along with a brief writing reflection.

Can you share an example of one of the things you created?

There was a challenge about the creative process being blocked, and then having a breakthrough, which we had to represent in 3D. I referenced an old student project that had been abandoned. The work resulted from a printmaking workshop—the fun part is always the process, but nobody ever comes for the prints. I cut the prints into strips, which initially made a mess, but then began to organize itself into an organic form like fireworks or a tree.

This was a fun exercise that I wouldn’t have otherwise completed on my own. Being forced to take time to work and create in that way reminded me that art-making is a relaxing and enjoyable activity. A significant portion of my life is dedicated to completing tasks, so taking a break from that was a valuable experience.

As an educator, why do you think it’s essential to continue your education?

The "Artist as Educator" class I took through MECA&D helped me grow personally in art making and thinking critically about my daily practices to cultivate creativity. Helping students see how they create, how creative they can be, and the problems they can solve on their own is arguably the most essential thing an art teacher works on with students, because it’s a tool for so many other parts of life.

Even the process of working through school, regardless of the content, is helpful and relatable to kids as they also progress through their own education. Showing them, “Hey, I'm doing this too. I'm also taking a class. It's hard. I feel overwhelmed. I don't understand this.” Any level that you can relate to kids and build relationships is important.

What impact do you hope these classes will have on the students?

Life is always about learning and improving yourself. If I'm not actively trying to improve for my students, myself, and my family, what am I doing?

There's never a point where I would say to myself, "Okay, done, I’m a teacher, check that box." I mean, you're just doing it all the time, every day, and always trying to be a little bit better than you were before.

You brought some other teachers from South Portland Middle School to the class with you. Why was it important to you to approach it as a cohort?

I liked the concept, and I mentioned it to my friends. Both of those friends thought it sounded more applicable than some of the other courses that we’ve seen or looked at, because it seems like it would be connected to what I actually do in my classroom every day.

Of course, it was really lovely to be in class with friends. Having people to bounce your ideas off of and learn from each other is how the class is set up, because you’re looking at other people's submissions and commenting. But it was much, for lack of a better word, cozier and more personal, as I could comment on things that I had also seen in real life in my friend's classroom. Also, it's easier to talk about what you're doing with someone that you already have a relationship with.

What was the draw of taking the class online?

Being able to work at my own pace whenever I have time is huge for trying logistics at home and school, as well as balancing everything. I did a lot of course reading while sitting outside my daughter's dance lessons. You wouldn't have gotten an in-person class to fit into the 40 minutes between drop-off and pick-up of a dance lesson. It just works.

What are some of the key takeaways from the class?

That exposure to as many creative outlets as possible for kids at a young age is really important. After the readings and talks that I listened to in the class, we actually signed our youngest up for dance.

Why is art education important to you in today's world?

Since the beginning of my career, I've thought about education as a way to help young people see that when there is a really big goal, and it seems overwhelming, you can break it into steps, take it a chunk at a time or a day at a time, and get the big thing done.

Teach kids that anything is possible, if they pace themselves, structure things, and ask themselves questions: "What do I need to do first? What should I do next? How do I know when it's almost done? Did I do my best? Can I spend a few more minutes on this?" Working through that process with kids is so valuable. Even if we don't end up with exactly what we thought we set out to make, where does our process take us? And what did we learn from it?