Greetings Parents and Students! My name is Kara Whitmire, and I am so very excited about this school year!

I received my Bachelor's in Fine Arts Education from UCO in 2008 and I have been teaching at St. Eugene since graduation.

I also teach adult pottery classes at Oklahoma Contemporary Art Center (formerly known as City Arts Center) and I have worked for several after school art programs. I am super passionate about making art class both fun and applicable for my students. My philosophy of art instrcuction is based on the Discipline Based Art Education theory and I also draw lots of inspiration from author Elliot Eisner's thoughts on art education. I have provided links below if you would like more details and I strongly encourage you to take a look. You might be suprised at all the wonderful benefits art education can have for all children.

I have some broad goals that I apply in the classroom to make sure that all activities are age-appropriate and will provide students with knowledge of materials, processes, and artists that they can build on throughout their time at St. Eugene. For Early Childhood students my goal is for them to experience a variety of art materials without too much direct instruction. Early childhood is the time for exploration! For Elementary age students my goal is to provide them with an understanding of basic techniques and processes. In middle-school I promote problem-solving in art and try to foster critical thinking skills that students can apply to other academic subjects.

I will use this website to make announcements, post pictures, and keep you updated on what is going on in the art classroom during the year. So please check back often and let me know what you think!

I am only at the school several days each week, so if you need to reach me or would like to set up a conference please email me at [email protected].

Elliot Eisner: 10 Lessons the Arts Teach
http://www.arteducators.org/advocacy/10-lessons-the-arts-teach

DBEA: Discipline Based Art Education
http://www.fineartstarts.com/pdf/DBAE.pdf