Hello
Teaching is my passion! It was my dream from a very young age to become an elementary teacher. Teaching elementary art is like a cherry on top of a very colorful sundae. I am inspired by my students every day, like the day when Eli, a second-grader, was working on creating an elaborate three-dimensional city. As several of his classmates admired his work, I overheard him say, “My dreams usually come true in art."
Education & Experience
I earned my Bachelor's degree from Piedmont College in Early Childhood Education and minored in Fine Art. I am certified in both P-5 Early Childhood Education and P-12 Art. Although my education journey focused on teaching general education, I had always been involved in the arts and had taken every art class available to me. I never imagined I would be able to join my dream of teaching elementary school children with my passion for visual arts.
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My college observations, practicum, and student teaching were in the academic classroom with grades K-5. I've taught art at Hill City Elementary since fall 2005. In 2012, I was honored by being selected as Hill City Elementary's Teacher of the Year and went on to be selected as the 2013 Pickens County Teacher of the Year. Due to budget cuts, art and music teachers were split between two schools from fall 2013 through spring 2017. I taught at both Hill City and Jasper Elementary. Yearly, I have supported teachers in up to two classes by teaching groups identified as needing extra support in math or reading. Over the years, I have proctored and administered the Milestone assessment to small groups as well as whole classes. In 2017, I administered all sections to a 5th-grade class whose teacher was on leave.
My Family
I married Sebastian Stanescu, an old college friend, in March 2022. We moved to Johns Creek, joining my children, Isaac (12) and Audrey (10), with his twins, Ellie and Ethan (5), to form our newly blended family of six.
Teaching Philosophy
​​I believe each learner has a different process relative to their level and personality, and I love opening that process to them. An important part of the process is making mistakes. Every child has heard me say, “Make your mistakes work!” It is important to allow for mistakes as part of self-discovery. Because mistakes are a part of life, we must learn not to be afraid of making them but how to use them once they are already made. Scott Adams says, “Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep.”
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Art is an essential part of educating our children. Not only for self-discovery but also to reach out beyond themselves to the rest of the world. Art unlocks the keys to every culture, ancient or recent, and it is how we know the history of the world. Therefore it is essential to understand art in the context of our world so that students will thoughtfully take art into the future.