International Visual Arts Educator
My name is Christine Makowski and I am a Visual Arts teacher from Chicago, Illinois. I spent three years teaching in Barcelona, Venezuela, and two years teaching in Port of Spain Trinidad before returning home to Chicago. After a few years in Chicago I have returned to Venezuela. I enjoy the challenge, opportunity, and community that international teaching has provided.
As a teacher my strongest desire is to leave students with a lifelong love of learning. Working at Colegio Internacional Puerto La Cruz has given me the opportunity within and outside of my practice to do so. While living in Venezuela, I started scuba diving, and I have also sponsored a student dive club in Trinidad. Having the chance to share a personal interest like diving with students and their families is something that I would like to continue doing in a new community.
In addition, international teaching has given me the opportunity to travel and bring those experiences into the classroom, and build off of the travel experiences my students bring to the class culture. I use the openings created by those interactions to build ties to my co-workers and school community. Over the past few years I have started the tradition of family craft days after school. Students and their families have come together to carve pumpkins, make holiday wreaths, and this year we will be making masks together before carnival.
With my co-workers I enjoy bringing the group together over dinners. I love the opportunity to cook for others, adapt my recipes to the ingredients available in a new country, and try out new things.
My experience in Venezuela has also made me confident in myself as an international educator. Working there has given me opportunities to adapt to different cultural needs, political situations, supply shortages, and general complications that can be expected as a part of an international career. I feel comfortable not only adapting to complex situations, but also using those challenges to improve my teaching.
My personal and classroom experiences make me an excellent addition to any international school that is interested in an innovative, collaborative teacher who wants to take the visual arts outside of the classroom. One of my strongest assets is my own passion for lifelong learning. While in Venezuela and Trinidad, I have collaborated with classroom teachers, activity sponsors, and our technology department. In Trinidad I have continued my passion for technology integration by being an active member of the Technology committee, and working to bring 21st century learning tools into the art room. Currently my students and I are delving into game design and 3D printing. I have also brought service learning into the art studio and taken it outside. I have taken our dive club and used it as a tool to teach students, and then have students teach the community about our effect on the ocean. My desire is continue building on these strengths in a new school community. I believe strongly in the importance of visual arts as part of education, and its need to be integrated into community life and promoted with 21st century learning skills. I am looking forward to continuing to challenge myself and grow as a teacher in new school environment.
As a teacher my strongest desire is to leave students with a lifelong love of learning. Working at Colegio Internacional Puerto La Cruz has given me the opportunity within and outside of my practice to do so. While living in Venezuela, I started scuba diving, and I have also sponsored a student dive club in Trinidad. Having the chance to share a personal interest like diving with students and their families is something that I would like to continue doing in a new community.
In addition, international teaching has given me the opportunity to travel and bring those experiences into the classroom, and build off of the travel experiences my students bring to the class culture. I use the openings created by those interactions to build ties to my co-workers and school community. Over the past few years I have started the tradition of family craft days after school. Students and their families have come together to carve pumpkins, make holiday wreaths, and this year we will be making masks together before carnival.
With my co-workers I enjoy bringing the group together over dinners. I love the opportunity to cook for others, adapt my recipes to the ingredients available in a new country, and try out new things.
My experience in Venezuela has also made me confident in myself as an international educator. Working there has given me opportunities to adapt to different cultural needs, political situations, supply shortages, and general complications that can be expected as a part of an international career. I feel comfortable not only adapting to complex situations, but also using those challenges to improve my teaching.
My personal and classroom experiences make me an excellent addition to any international school that is interested in an innovative, collaborative teacher who wants to take the visual arts outside of the classroom. One of my strongest assets is my own passion for lifelong learning. While in Venezuela and Trinidad, I have collaborated with classroom teachers, activity sponsors, and our technology department. In Trinidad I have continued my passion for technology integration by being an active member of the Technology committee, and working to bring 21st century learning tools into the art room. Currently my students and I are delving into game design and 3D printing. I have also brought service learning into the art studio and taken it outside. I have taken our dive club and used it as a tool to teach students, and then have students teach the community about our effect on the ocean. My desire is continue building on these strengths in a new school community. I believe strongly in the importance of visual arts as part of education, and its need to be integrated into community life and promoted with 21st century learning skills. I am looking forward to continuing to challenge myself and grow as a teacher in new school environment.