I completed my student teaching in the Spring of 2021 at Liberty High School in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. I taught three classes: 3D Design and Sculpture, Darkroom Photography, and Ceramics.

It was a new experience for me in many aspects, as I had never taught at the secondary level and was not as confident in the subjects I was teaching. As I worked harder and harder at improving my skills and learning as much as I could, I quickly learned that being placed in such an unfamiliar situation was the greatest thing that could have happened for me. 

I have learned that high school is not such a scary place after all! The greatest takeaway that I found from teaching high school was the connections that you can make with your students. Many people expressed to me their empathy for having to "deal with a bunch of rude teenagers", and I could not disagree with them more. Sure, high school students can be moody and hard to connect with at first, but if you show that you genuinely care and curate lessons to their interests they begin to show their true selves. I was able to make these connections with my students, and in turn they were attentive, polite, and were able to enjoy their art classes without stress.