Hello Everybody! My name is John Gibson. I am a retired military musician and I currently teach visual arts at Georgie D. Tyler Middle School in Windsor, VA. I am also a working musician in the Hampton Roads area as well as working towards my second master’s degree. I graduated in 2013 from ODU with a BFA in Three Dimensional Studies and Photography. In 2015 I received my MFA in Visual Arts from the Vermont College of Fine Arts. After that I went back to ODU and took education classes and received my certification to be a public-school art teacher. This is my third year as an art teacher. I see many of my students that need help finding a constructive outlet for their feelings due to a wide variety of issues in their lives. When I was younger, the arts were that outlet for me. My goal is to start an art therapy master’s program in the fall to help me bridge the gap with my students between art making as a school requirement and art making that is honest and open. I like the idea of incorporating art therapy type of ideas in my lesson plans, but I can also see taking the therapist route. I took this class because I want to learn more about what drives society, as well as the way society droves the individual. I did a lot of research on this during my MFA and I think this class will help me in my growth as a teacher, as and art therapist and as an artist.

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