Hello Everyone!

My name is Paula Smith and I am a new middle school and high school art teacher this year at Kenedy HS.
I graduated from the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor in May of 2005. I did my student teaching in the Belton School District at the Junior High level and High School teaching art, and also at the Killeen ISD at Harker Heights, HS. After I graduated, we found out that my husband would be stationed in the Fort Lewis, Washington area, (he was in the Army). I moved up there and re-certified in teaching and in art. I was only able to substitute teach while I was there for about four years. I took long-term substitute positions teaching 8th grade, Art, and other subjects,  and worked mainly at one of the middle schools where I felt welcomed.

We found out that we would be returning to the Fort Hood, Texas area and I looked for a public school to teach at and was unsuccessful for three years. I found an art school to teach at in Harker Heights and then the week I was hired I found out that they were bankrupt. They kept me on through the summer for art camps, and then I taught privately for students I met at the school once the school closed. I was hired to teach art at a gymnastics school and a music school in the area during that time and I worked at Central Texas College for the Continuing Education Program during one summer.

This past summer we moved because my husband retired and he was hired in LaVernia, TX measuring liquid measurements for oil and gas companies. After six months of being separated, I had the feeling that we needed to move down here to where he was working, so we bought a house out in the smallest town I have ever lived in. I was able to get hired on as an art teacher for this year, because the art teacher retired. ( Art teachers hold on to their jobs, and it has been difficult finding one) Anyway, I am looking forward to teaching art to them, but I am the new teacher and it is tough to start with no resources.

The books I have chosen to read for this course are Color Mixing Recipes for Portraits by W. Powell, The Oil Painting Course You've Always Wanted by K. Staiger, Painting Classic Portraits: Great Faces...by L. Winner, Classical Drawing Atelier by J. Aristides, and Classical Painting Atelier by J. Aristides.