User:Mdunh002

"Allow myself to introduce...myself." Austin Powers (Mike Meyers), Austin Powers; International Man of Mystery

Here is my introduction in a nutshell. My name is Monique and I am a junior majoring in Art Education. I currently want to teach art at the middle school level. I started at ODU in the Fall of 2004. I was working two jobs; retail assistant manager/student by day and cocktail waitress by night and not to mention dating the love of my life, John. During the Spring/05 semester I went to a routine checkup and the doctor had some surprising information for me...i was pregnant. I gave birth to my beautiful daughter Monét, on May 9, 2006...a day that has changed my life forever. I made the tough decision to delay my education and stay home with her for the first two years of her life; I wanted nothing more than to be a good mother and ODU wasn't going anywhere. It was and always will be one of the best decisions I have ever made.My husband John and I married on paper before she was born and exchanged vows in front of family and friends a year later. He works as a nurse and is an amazing father.

My Personal Philosophy of Education

I have wanted to be a teacher since I was a little girl playing "school" with my sisters. I was always the "teacher". Like most kids I loved to draw but was still learning what art was in general. I came across my dad's art history book and flipped through it and was mesmerized when I came to the page with a large picture of Boticelli's, The Birth of Venus. The picture amazed me and I was art struck from that moment on. My philosophy is simple and idealistic. I want to teach my students with a contagious enthusiasm, I want them to walk out of class and wonder what we will be creating next class. The up-coming generation is technologically based and there is far more emphasis on academics. Art forces creative thinking and great art teachers can inspire our future artists. I want my students to walk away from my art class with an open-mindedness, to view everyday scenes differently. I want them to understand the importance of art in society and history; that it is not just some elective course they have to take. I want them to learn that different cultures all have an impact on the art world and to appreciate art history. Overall I want my students to become educated in art and it's history so that they look at art differently and with a better understanding.