13 December 2021
By Bella Gamboa
Though Ms. Sweeney didn’t know at first that she would become a teacher, she has never felt so fulfilled. She started her career in graphic design and working in photography when she took over a class for a teacher who went on maternity leave. She loved creating as a young girl, but began dabbling in art in high school. She started in the darkroom and eventually art became her savior. It was something refreshing in a world of sports. Due to the fact that she really discovered the power of art in high school, she feels that her job here at Resurrection is that much more special.
“I always loved crafts as a kid and to have a whole class in high school on it was a big game changer for me.”
I began to ask Ms. Sweeney about the difficulties in grading her subject, seeing that art is expressive. Her response was very truthful. She wants her students to express themselves without worrying about their grade; however, grades are necessary in the world of school so she has conflict in that fashion. She wants to be a student’s cheerleader, rather than a critic, for the reason that she doesn’t know their thought process and what they are getting out of their work. Art is the internal being expressed externally. However, to understand this process better she asks for artist reflections from her students and can visually see they are thinking critically. She tries to find a happy medium between pushing them to be better, without making the expectations too high. She believes there is no first place in art, since art is very expressive and emotional.
She tries to make her class feel welcomed when they walk in to create. She tries to make it clear that it is not “how good they are”, this is about what they are going to learn. She wants the students who aren’t clicking with drawing or realistic art and are getting frustrated to know and discover the other types of art, such as free work. There is a variety of types of art that don’t rely on art fundamental concepts - that are expressive, freeing, and very therapeutic.
“I feel that even the students with lack of confidence in art are still happy and comfortable with our class environment and that makes me happy.”
Ms. Sweeney’s purpose in teaching is to see the students understanding the world through art and finding themselves and their place in it. She enjoys when students make connections in the classrooms. It is important to make the classroom environment comfortable and supportive because they critique each other's artwork; this is something very intimate, and they need to build connections to build that trust.
“I hope they learn as much about themselves as they do about art.”
Teaching has become her passion! She loves that she gets to give students the space, environment, and opportunity to express themselves. It is fun for her to give assignments and view how the students interpret it in their own creative way. She enjoys when students interpret art in a whole new way that she never thought of before. She speaks of how powerful that is for her. When asked about who she is and what she wants the students to know about her, she says:
“I am open minded and interested in learning new perspectives. I want them to know that art is therapeutic and it's something that can bring light into your life. Your mental health and your happiness are so important and I am here to help give you that creative environment.”
She can be reached at tsweeney@reshs.org