Shawnee Mission West's online student newspaper

smwest.com

Shawnee Mission West's online student newspaper

smwest.com

Shawnee Mission West's online student newspaper

smwest.com

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photo by Malcom Luna

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Inside the Life of a Student Teacher

Alyssa Passemore, a student teacher in the art department at SMW, agreed to share her story about being a student teacher and the challenges it brings. She had many things to share with us, including a few words of wisdom. Keep reading to get a feel of what being a student teacher is like.

A KU graduate, Passemore is still a bit of an art student herself. From time to time, she practices various art forms. Her favorite art form is printmaking because of its versatility and all of the processes involved. In the near future, she hopes to expand her printing regime by printing on non-traditional things.

She says that her artwork, in many ways, reflects herself as a person. Many of her pieces revolve around reality TV. She says that this type of television reflects herself because of the many complex relationships portrayed, which she feels that she has many of in her life. Passemore said that contemporary art influences her as well. She believes that studying contemporary art is the key to being relevant in today’s world. Above all, though, she says that her students influence her the most.

Speaking of students, Passemore is also in the process of becoming an art teacher, eventually hoping to teach at the high school level.

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“I chose to be an art teacher because my art teachers made me feel like I belonged…I wanted to do the same with my students,” Passemore said.

She said that she enjoys high school for many reasons. One reason being that high school students are easier to motivate. She also stated that the quality of work created is better in high school. Above all, though, she enjoys seeing how her students change.

“I enjoy seeing the processes if kids finding their true identity throughout high school,” said Passemore. She also says that she remembers going through this change herself, and how that contributes to her enjoyment of teaching high school.

As of late, Passemore has interviewed for many different teaching positions around the city. Even though she may not start out teaching in high school, that is where she hopes to end up.

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Inside the Life of a Student Teacher