Experience
University of North Texas
In 2009, I graduated from UNT with a Bachelor's of Fine Arts in Visual Art Studies (art education). I also earned a Master of Arts in Art Education from UNT in 2021
Bridgeport ISD
I taught PK-2 art at Bridgeport Elementary from spring of 2009 through the 2014/2015 school year before transferring to the high school where I taught Art 1 and Pre-AP/AP Art amongst various other things over the years.
Through an art curriculum aimed at teaching students to self-direct their own learning, my students set goals for themselves and work toward those goals by practicing skills, researching, planning, and creating artworks that reflect their personal interests, ideas, and experiences. This process fosters a growth mindset in my students, addresses the needs of every student, and provides them with the skills necessary to be successful in their educational career as well as their lives beyond the classroom.
Ponder ISD
I've been at Ponder High School since the Fall of 2021. As their first full-time art teacher, I'm thrilled to be able to continue with my choice-focused student-paced curriculum to develop their program and provide more opportunities for Ponder students to grow. The first-annual district-wide art show in 2023 was a hit and I look forward to many more.
Professional Memberships
Leadership Roles
National Art Education Association - 2008 to Current
Texas Art Education Association - 2007 to Current
NAEA Choice Special Interest Group
Co-President Elect 2025
Co-President 2026/2027
Advisory 2028
Ponder High School Canvas Coach - 2022 to Current
Presentations/Workshops
I share what I've learned any chance I get. Links to many of my presentations can be found below.
NAEA
(March)
2024 - Plug and Play Choice-Focused Curriculum
2024 - Co-lead Choice Art Educators Business Meeting
2022 - Plug and Play Choice-Focused Curriculum
2021-Gaming Around: Tabletop Game Design
2019-Designing Art Toys
2018-The Business of Art
2016-Expressions in Green
TABLab 2022 - Choice with a Learning Management System
TABLab 2024 - Secondary Choice Studio
TIAcon
(July/since 2012)
2019-Designing Art Toys
2017-Laser Cutters in the Classroom
2016-Please Touch the Display
2015-Expressions in Green
2014-Tech-Infused Student-Directed Classroom
UT Austin
2023-Guest Speaker for Dr. Christina Bain
NAEA
Choice Special Interest Group
2024 - Co-lead Summer Share event
2024 - Co-lead Business Meeting at NAEA
UNT
2021- Guest speaker for Dr. Kathy Brown - Day in the Life of a Teacher
2021 - Guest speaker for Dr. Nadine Kalin
ESC Region 11
All Systems Go Conference
2023 - Student Paced Curriculum for Choice
2023 - Thoughtful Engagement Through Choice
Canvas Users Group Meeting
2022-Canvas for Student-Paced Curriculum
TAEA
(November)
2023 - Choice-Based Art Ed. - Where are We Now?
2023 - Plug and Play Choice-Focused Curriculum
2022-Plug and Play Choice-Focused Curriculum
2021-Plug and Play Choice-Focused Curriculum
2021-Embracing Constraints for Choice
2017-The Business of Art
2017-Laser Cutting in the Classroom
2015-Expressions in Green
2015-Let’s Talk About Choice: Round Table Discussion
2014-From Enduring to Thriving Through a District Art Show
2014-Tech-Infused Student-Directed Classroom
2014-The Student-Directed Experience
2011-What’s So Hard About Letting Them Do What They Want?
2011-I Can Make Whatever I Want?: Investigating Choice-Based Art Education
2011-Marionette Mania
Ponder ISD
District Summer PD
2024-Canvas for Beginners (1 day)
2023-Canvas for Beginners (1 day)
2023-Advanced Canvas (1 day)
Wise County
Wise County EdCamp (August/held 2014-2017)
2017-Practical Strategies for Student-Directed Learning
2016-Please Touch the Display
2015-Engage in Meaningful Learning Through Choice
2014-Thoughtful Engagement Through Choice: A Student-Directed Classroom in Action
Bridgeport ISD
BISD Full Day Training
(summer/offered 2012-2015)
2015-Expressions in Green
2015-Facing Your Technophobia
2013-Tech Prep
2012-21st Century Teaching: Learning Without Limits
Sharing my experience and resources to benefit students and teachers is important to me, and I'd love to be a part of your event or workshop!
Publications
Teaching Students to Learn From Each Other
NAEA News
Choice Art Educators Special Interest Group
Summer 2024
International Journal of Education Through Art (2022)
My review of Purtee and Sands' second book on teaching secondary students using Choice-Based Art Education (CBAE) was published in the International Journal of Education Through Art.
Trends (2011)
My article on exploring Choice-based art education was published in Texas Trends in Art Education.
Highlights
Bridgeport ISD District-Wide Art Show
In 2010, my colleagues and I got together to found the annual Bridgeport District-wide Art Show. It has been a success ever since. We pack the space with over 1,500 artworks, art activities, and various musical guests.
Co-Founders: Shaye Watson, Sherri Jones, Brooke Brei
Instructables: Teacher Spotlight
I was honored to be chosen for a spotlight article on Instructables in September of 2019. Read the entire article with the link below.
National Portfolio Day
Each year, I take my advanced students to National Portfolio Day where they get to speak to art school recruiters and get feedback on their work. On our way home, we stop by UNT to check out the campus and the art building.
For more info on NPD, check out this video or click the link above.
Wise County Art Association Scholarship
Seniors Jacob Richey (left) and Laila Ali Lumas (right) each received a $1500 scholarship from the Wise County Art Association this year. There were only two of these awards given this year after a lengthy application that required students to write thoughtfully about their art. After submitting their applications, they participated in a face-to-face critique with a panel of WCAA representatives. I am so proud of their dedication to their craft and this accomplishment is well deserved. Several pieces from their portfolio will be on display at Trinity Street Coffee Bar in Decatur, TX through the first week in June 2021.
NAEA 21 Gaming Around Brooke Brei.mp4Gaming Around
Through my NAEA 2021 presentation I'm excited to be able to share an authentic learning experience during which my students created their own tabletop games. Throughout this process they practiced skills in design, copyright, photo editing, digital drawing, and 3-D modeling, among others.
Links in the presentation below will provide you with the actual lessons my students used as they worked through this process along with many other resources.
If you use these resources with your own students, I'd love to see what they make! Feel free to tag me on Instagram or send me an email with any questions you may have.
The presentation above has links to all the student lessons used in this project, but they are not able to be copied. If you'd like to view the lessons for information or to write your own version, use those links.
If you would like to use my lessons as is, and making copies for your own students would be easier for you, please consider supporting me by buying me a coffee before using the link below.
Student Artworks
On the Digital Fridge, you'll find student artworks throughout the year. The 2021 Digital Exhibition is Live!
Below, you can also view the digital portfolios of some of our AP artists.
View From My Desk
I'm super excited to have hung some ceiling tiles from students who submitted AP portfolios last year. These tiles are a reward for a job well done , a reminder of my students after they've moved on, and an encouragement for younger students to join the AP program. Because of covid, we didn't get to do them at the end of last year. For my seniors and some students who stayed virtual, I sent the tiles home to be completed. Lumas and Jacob collaborated on the koi tile, and Sarah, our first 3-D design student, created the one with the waves. I'm so proud of them and am honored to be able to enjoy their work everyday.
Tracking Progress on Digital Lessons
Keeping track of progress on digital lessons with in-person students has been a bit challenging. To help my students keep track of where they are and how far ahead or behind they are, I created these tracks for each course. Each student has a magnet up-cycled from promotional magnets that they move down the line as they finish assignments. It also let's me know who needs to be checked in on more often.
Congratulations
Lumas is an excellent student who really thinks about the world around her and has so many wonderful thoughts and skills to add to it. I look forward to seeing what she does in the future. I'm sure it will be amazing!
Green Screen in the Classroom
Green screens are often used to add a cool background to a presentation, but how can it be used in an art classroom to create original works of art?
My students, elementary and secondary, have used a green screen in various ways to generate fun and interesting imagery.
Driving Question Generator
In order to help my AP Studio Art students begin to create guiding questions for their Sustained Investigation inquiries, I created this Driving Question Generator. If you've never read about using a Tubric for writing guiding questions for project-based-learning, you should check it out. It's helpful, though it's most often used by teachers to write questions for their students. In the case of an AP Sustained Investigation, students have to write their own questions, so I've added a few options that sound like the types of questions an artist might ask. If you have any suggestions, please let me know.
I don't believe in charging other teachers for resources, but if you use them, please consider buying me a cup of coffee with the link below. It's fast and easy.
Interactive Art
When is art most fun? When it's interactive! Make artworks that sing, talk, or play sound effects when they're touched. Makey Makey allows you to control your computer using simple circuits you complete with your body. With Scratch, you can program your computer to make any sound on command.
Wayne White Inspired Cardboard Masks
Wayne White is a versatile contemporary artist all of my students can relate to in one way or another. But, it was in an impromptu moment while filming "Beauty is Embarrassing," a documentary about his life and work, that he made an oversized cardboard mask of former President Lyndon B. Johnson that sparked another aspect of his work and inspiration for art teachers everywhere.
Talking Art Display
Displays in school hallways can get a bit dull. Most of the students don't look at them or give much thought to the work they create for them. I wanted to create a more engaging display that would require my AP Art students to speak thoughtfully about their artworks. This display uses a Makey Makey and Scratch to create a display that, when touched, plays recordings of the students talking about their work.
Group-PDF-Export-3 copy.pdfNew Studio Incentive Program
In the past, I’ve given out journal passes and that was pretty much it. Those that always did what they were asked had more than they cared to use, so this year, I’ll have a series of different types of free rewards they can buy with Art Bucks, like sitting in my rolly chair or leaving for lunch 5 minutes early. They can also save their bucks up for large rewards like a “Leave Me Alone Pass” for a day when life has really got them down and they need a break.
Different rewards will cost varying amounts of Art Bucks. Some of these pages will be printed 9 to a page so they can buy them, keep them in their folders, then use them when they need them. Others will be printed on a full page and hung in the classroom or put in a binder to be used on demand.
You'll find a PDF of all my reward tickets including the Art Buck to the left. Feel free to use them for your personal classrooms. If you want to share them with other teachers, please direct them here.
I don't believe in charging other teachers for resources, but if you use them, please consider buying me a cup of coffee with the link below. It's fast and easy.
Syllabus Infographic
This year, I’m using a fill-in-the-blank infographic when we go over the syllabus. Everything in color will be addeed to the template by the student. Hopefully, it will keep them a bit more engaged while we go over “the boring stuff.”
Teacher Toolbelt
How many times a day do you end up walking back to your desk or around the room to pick up that pen, scissors, or glue stick you left lying in the last place you used it? With an art teacher toolbelt, you'll always have what you need right on your hip. This is seriously the most useful thing I've ever made. I can't imagine my day without it anymore. I even reach for it when I'm not wearing it.
Organization Bin Labels
I know there's lots of fun colorful labels on Pinterest, but if your school is like mine, we don't get to print in color unless it's a super special occasion. And if you're like me, you know color ink is expensive and don't want to use your own color printer at home. These are designed in black and white, so they'll be beautiful when printed grayscale.
Untitled_Artwork-47 copy.pdfYou'll find a PDF of all labels above. Feel free to use them for your personal classrooms. If you want to share them with other teachers, please direct them here.
I don't believe in charging other teachers for resources, but if you use them, please consider buying me a cup of coffee with the link below. It's fast and easy.
Faux Post-it Murals
With only a week till Thanksgiving break, I wanted to task my students with a series of collaborative large-scale murals. I've always wanted to try a post-it mural, but the number of post-its we'd need seemed too large an expense. We did have plenty of construction paper that isn't typically valued in a high school studio, so I opted to have the students cut squares themselves. This proved to be the greatest challenge for many while serving as an opportunity for some math cross-curricular learning.
Mosaic (semi) Complete
It's not grouted yet, but my NAHS members did an excellent job putting it together and getting it finished before the end of the year.
No More Tears Watercolor
If you've ever given a young child a set of watercolors, you know that they aren't as simple to work with as the craft aisle may have you believe. Watercolors are on just about every elementary student's school supply list, but every time they paint with them, the image comes out blurry and often the tears start rolling when the child can't seem to put their idea on paper. Watercolor is actually a challenging medium even for an experienced artist, but a crayon (or wax) resist can make all the difference in helping a beginner create a beautiful watercolor painting.
Bubble Painting
For a little fun on a warm summer day, try painting with bubbles! This technique can be a fun activity for the kids or a great design element for an artist.
