Teacher Spotlight: Sarah Krajewski

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You might recognize Sarah Krajewski (better known as @artroomglitterfairy in the social world) from a piece we recently wrote about our favorite art teachers to follow on Instagram. An 11-year veteran teacher and recipient of the 2019 Wisconsin Art Educator of the Year award, she knows how to make art meaningful to her young students.

If you had an extra $500 to spend on supplies and/or wish list items for your class, what you would buy?
I’d purchase diverse books for our classroom library and more building manipulatives. When our students finish their art steps for the day, they have multiple free-choice stations to choose from such as reading, sketchbook drawing, and building!

Why did you go into teaching art?
I want to give my students an opportunity to cultivate a love of creativity. I enjoy supporting my students as artists to create meaningful connections with them mentally, emotionally, and artistically.

What is your favorite school supply and why?
I enjoy all neon art materials, such as neon oil pastels, crayons, and paints! Neon art materials are especially awesome because you can shine a blacklight on the artwork and create a glowing art show!

What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced in your teaching career?
The biggest challenge I’ve faced was leaving my first school position after four years to work at a new school. Transitions can be so difficult and emotional, even though they can also be exciting. Not surprisingly, teaching during a continuing pandemic has quickly overtaken the challenge of switching to a different school. Now, prioritizing my own self-regulation takes the cake as my current biggest challenge.

Do you have a favorite project you do year after year with your students?
One of my favorite projects is a kindergarten self-portrait lesson called “I am an artist”. During this lesson, students work with many different materials such as paint and oil pastel to create an abstract background design. Then, I photograph and interview each of the kindergarten artists to learn all about them! Finally, they attach their interview sentences and photos to their artwork to make a fun self-portrait collage!

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