VAL DAUGHTREY

 TEACHING ARTIST

Valen Daughtrey has had the privilege of teaching art to students in various organizations, including Mosholu Montifiore Beacon, the Police Athletic League, and the Board of Education. His responsibilities included ordering art resources, demonstrating techniques, and encouraging students to create artwork. Additionally, he has evaluated class activity and organized student exhibitions. He communicated regularly with administrators, staff, parents, community members, and students to discuss the arts.

Valen also served as an Art History Course Instructor at the Fashion Institute of Technology from July 2019 to July 2023. In this role, they taught students note-taking and study skills and reinforced course content through individualized peer tutoring. They led lectures and reviewed lecture content in smaller breakout sessions to ensure students were retaining course material. They also administered quizzes and tests based on course material.

Valen has also worked as an Art Teacher at the Police Athletic League in Bronx, NY, where he taught the use of varied materials and techniques, encouraged students to find their own style through exploration, and organized student exhibitions focused on effective portfolio building. Additionally, he has experience as a Community Associate, Fitness Teacher, and Varsity Basketball Coach at the Academy for Careers in TV & Film in Long Island City, NY, where he provided quality administrative support and outreach to the school and local community, executed lesson plans focused on fundamentals of physical education/overall health, and successfully spearheaded fundraising to sponsor team uniforms and senior activities.

Furthermore, Valen volunteered as a guest speaker at Discovery High School in the Bronx, where he taught young people about their art process and working in the industry as a professional artist.

STUDENT WORK

As part of the lesson, the children were instructed to express their emotions through colors. They were asked to assign a specific emotion to each color and create a legend. The children then filled in a heart using the colors in the legend and shared it with the class. In addition, the children were encouraged to speak about their emotions and feelings as well as the reasons behind their choice of colors. This allowed for a deeper understanding and exploration of each individual's emotional state and allowed the class to develop a greater sense of empathy and connection with one another. By sharing their feelings in this way, the children were able to build stronger bonds and create a more supportive and inclusive classroom environment.

In this lesson, the children were given the chance to exercise their creativity by designing their own characters and writing a short story that revolved around a protagonist and an antagonist. The aim of the exercise was to encourage the children to think critically and use their imaginations to create a unique and engaging narrative. Once the characters were developed, the children were then instructed to place them in a series of scenes that would follow the storyline of their short story.

This exercise allowed the children to explore their own creative talents and develop their own unique storytelling style. By creating their own characters and stories, the children were able to develop their critical thinking and problem-solving skills as they navigated the various twists and turns of their narrative. This exercise also allowed the children to explore their own personal interests and passions, which helped to foster a sense of autonomy and independence.

Overall, this lesson provided the children with a fun and engaging way to develop their writing skills and explore their creativity in a supportive and inclusive environment. Through this exercise, the children were able to gain a deeper appreciation for the art of storytelling and develop their own unique voice as writers.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

As part of my ongoing commitment to educational development, I strongly believe in the importance of continually learning through attending courses, reading, and participating in workshops. These activities have helped me to grow as an educator, mentor, and teaching artist. Recently, I added a certification as a therapeutic art life coach to my resume, which is just one of many achievements that reflect my dedication to expanding my knowledge and skills.

During this lesson, the students were presented with the "Parachute Challenge" competition, where they were introduced to the concept of a parachute, its design, and its applications. The students were then divided into groups of three and given the task of designing and constructing their own parachutes using materials such as tissue, paper, tape, twine, and a miniature doll. The teams were required to label all the materials used and sketch out their designs before launching the parachute three times in the competition. The longest flight time of the group was recorded as the winner.

In addition to the Parachute Challenge, the students were also given the "Marble Roller Coaster Challenge". In this challenge, the students were provided with a full scotch tape roll, eight sheets of assorted template tracks, scissors, and cardboard placeholders to create hills, loops, and curves. The students were required to sketch out their designs and follow a set of directions and rules before beginning. The required elements for the design were two loops and two hills.

These challenges provided the students with a fun and engaging way to learn about design and construction, as well as physics and engineering concepts. The students were encouraged to think critically and use their problem-solving skills to develop unique and functional designs. Through these activities, the students were able to develop their teamwork and communication skills as they worked together in groups. Overall, this lesson provided the students with a hands-on learning experience that allowed them to apply their knowledge in a fun and interactive way.

During this particular lesson, the children were instructed to select a poem and create an illustration that best captured a specific scene, feeling, or message within the poem. The aim was to encourage the children to use their creativity and imagination to visually interpret the poem and develop a deeper understanding of the content. Through this activity, the children were able to explore various forms of artistic expression and develop their critical thinking skills.

In addition, this activity provided the children with an opportunity to engage with literature in a more visual and tangible way. By bringing the words to life through their artwork, the children were able to form a stronger connection with the poem and the themes it explored. This exercise also allowed the children to express themselves creatively and develop their own unique artistic style. The process of creating the illustration helped the children to develop their attention to detail, problem-solving skills, and patience. Overall, this lesson provided the children with a fun and engaging way to explore poetry and develop their artistic abilities.

HIGHER EDUCATION