Teacher Brings Art To Students

Ernest Stapleton Elementary art teacher Jennifer Gutierrez recently arranged for a local artist, O.K. Harris, to donate one of his pieces to the school. Harris donated a painted steel piece featuring butterflies. Gutierrez said she wanted the piece because the relatively new school does not have a lot of artwork.

Gutierrez was a regular classroom teacher until about five years ago, when she was offered the position of art teacher at the school. She said it was an opportunity to combine her love of teaching and art.

Jennifer Gutierrez

SCHOOL/NUMBER OF YEARS THERE:

Ernest Stapleton Elementary for 11 years.

SUBJECT/GRADE TAUGHT: Art teacher, kindergarten through fifth grade. Before I taught at Stapleton as an art teacher, I taught first through third grade, full inclusion, which means special education students were in the classroom.

YEARS AS AN EDUCATOR: 15 years.

PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND: Double major: bachelors of arts in sociology and education from the University of New Mexico. Teacher and artist. My first experience with teaching was a Head Start program in Albuquerque. I like being around the young kids. I always taught art in the classroom along with the other subjects. I have been an art teacher at Stapleton for the past five years. I see 950 children as opposed to 25. It can be hard to get to know them.

AWARDS, CERTIFICATES OR HONORS:

Public Service Company of New Mexico grant recipient for $500. I received the grant to paint large canvas pieces to hang up in the new school. Each grade level painted a canvas with a different theme.

HOBBIES AND INTERESTS: Art, hiking, jogging, dogs. I have one dog; she’s a heeler/lab cross. I’m also into photography.

MOST MEMORABLE DAY AS AN EDUCATOR AND WHY: When I was offered the position to teach art. I believe exposing children to all types of fine art broadens their horizons. I was very excited when I was offered the art job. I was already here teaching, doing my thing.

FAVORITE TEACHER AND WHY: My high school art teacher. She let me draw, color and paint anything I was interested in. She let me do what I wanted and let me take it for all the three years I was in that high school.

FAVORITE HISTORICAL FIGURE AND WHY: Salvador Dal. His style was exciting and bizarre!

If you know someone you would like to see profiled in Meet Your Teacher, contact Journal staff writer Elaine Briseo at ebriseno@abqjournal.com.

(c) 2007 Albuquerque Journal. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.