hi, welcome to the website!
The general purpose of the site is:
to represent the scope of my work overall,
to facilitate geometric art class information & descriptions;
(including booking links and further communications) &
to communicate my approach, vision, and values as a teacher; & more generally on interrelated topics.
I hope you enjoy! Thankyou.
(This website has been originally published in June 2024.)
HOW I GOT HERE: TEACHER, ARTIST, WRITER
When I recently finished homeschooling my son for over 7yrs, (2015 til the middle of 2023), I was then faced with the decision as to what and where to work and put my efforts. I really loved the homeschooling years and learned many benefits of homeschooling at the time. I discovered I really enjoyed teaching; whilst also generally relearning a lot in the way of educational content specific to a child’s actual holistic needs and genuine motivation. Like many homeschoolers, the experience was in contrast to my own education through the school age years before.
Over these homeschooling years I appreciated the wholistic curriculum content advocated by Rudolf Steiner, and used some Waldorf inspiration in our homemade curriculum (as was considered relevant to my childs needs and our circumstances). When no longer homeschooling, I felt it was time to both re-engage in my own expression of form and colour, (having a former background in Fine Arts), and also to best use all I have learned and experienced (for general CV, scroll below). I was, and still am very enthusiastic about continuing to pursue the greater depths of visual creative Projective Geometry in my own work; and keen to continue teaching, sharing in specific the potential of the study of geometry as Arts to the broader community.
Generally, I have also liked to take an interest in the trends and patterns in the world at large, and love nature (who doesn’t?), and ecology. Therefore, I also added a blog to the site content.
THE CLASSES:
All classes are available on-site only:
The class descriptions on this site have been created to demonstrate the scope of what I can offer in terms of facilitating learning and skill building via the geometrical arts; and also to inform and illustrate a structure of age-related learning progression for young school- aged students.
It has been created to provide for interest from the community at large, and therefore to potentially cater for on-site classes from homeschool, afterschool, and adult interested learners generally in the region of Perth, Western Australia ( on-site @ Atwell House Community Arts Centre, Canning Hwy, Melville). The on-site class setup currently operates as a flexible sole teacher enterprise; with a view to recognising and recommending other on-site teachers in the field, as this would happen.
It has been specifically setup as an on-site learning enterprise for the purposes of direct teacher & student, student & student, communication and insights; with the intention of facilitating the greater benefit overall of hands-on practical drawing and application, e.g. compared to just watching/viewing geometrical relationships (eg on a screen). Using the most resonating words of Rosemary Gebert:
“It is the act of drawing that educates, not the result…drawings are a visual record of the processes that produced them”
-Rosemary Gebert, Form Drawing Educator
Teaching approach, vision & values:
Learning teaches; teaching is learning.
As a teacher my intention is to offer a relaxed, focused, enjoyable and fulfilling class environment with great content. In this case, content that I see as having direct and indirect wide-ranging benefit for application to many different fields of activity: very broadly, from the arts and crafts to maths and the sciences.
The intention is to foster an environment where students can build confidence in their own accomplishment and creativity; alongside others. New skill building experiences are on offer. Students’ response to tasks is met to the best of my ability with sensitivity, using encouragement where required, or further challenge where deemed appropriate.
I have chosen to teach on-site as I appreciate the direct involvement of student to teacher and vice versa, and of student to student group dynamics, largely further exchange of ideas and community experience.
As a teacher I appreciate and would encourage constructive feedback.
A bit of a fan of Oscar Wilde’s wit & wisdom….
“Oscar Wilde said that if you know what you want to be, then you inevitably become it - that is your punishment, but if you never know, then you can be anything. There is a truth to that. We are not nouns, we are verbs.”
Sometimes we get taken from the hold of the noun, to the other terrain we were also meant for:
General CV summarised:
2015-2023: Primary & Secondary homeschool parent-teacher. Perth, WA.
2005 - 2015: Full-time mum, in- healing, & healing practitioner. Perth, Western Australia (WA).
Pre-2005 & children:
2000/1 - 2004: Project Manager @ Liz Cox Themes, Chester, England, UK.
Theming designer & on-site fitting for commercial premises & chain-establishments.
And, before that, a variety of jobs, too many to mention here I feel…includes admin, bar work, travel, artwork etc etc
Formally certified education:
2018:
Certified Teacher Training in Vedic Mathematics (with distinction) from The Vedic Mathematics Academy at www.VedicMaths.org
1997-99:
MA International Relations (part-time), UEA, Norwich, England, UK.
1990-93:
BA(Hons)Fine Art, Nottingham Trent University, England, UK.
Student exchange term programs undertaken while doing degree:
1991 - San Francisco Art Institute, California, USA
1992 - Bratislava Academy of Fine Arts & Design, Slovakia, EUROPE.
1989-90:
Foundation Studies in Art & Design, Chester College, England, UK.
1982 - 89:
High School: Sacred Heart Grammar School, Newry, Co. Down, N. Ireland.
