Michael has taught fine arts at Southern High School in Harwood, MD for ten years now. He also serves as Anne Arundel County Public Schools' Gifted Visual Arts Lead Instructor, and the high school division director of the Maryland Art Education Association.

How has the way you teach changed over the years? What lessons have you learned?

There has been a tremendous push over the years in Maryland schools for students to take more rigorous Advanced Placement (AP) courses, and improve test scores in the content areas, especially in areas of reading and writing. To help every child meet the high standards set by the No Child Left Behind Act, which holds states, local school districts, and individual schools accountable for the success of all children, consistent standards need to be connected to classroom learning and assessments.

Supporters of the arts in education are weary of the best-designed arguments for the arts improving academic achievement. The position of some art advocates that attempt to convince skeptics of the value of the arts, may, in the long run, prove counter-productive. The point the art advocates raise is simple: arguments that can serve up the arts as a teaching tool or a source of revenue are tempting, but if we depend on those we may one day find ourselves making and teaching something that is not art at all. The very thing we were hoping to protect will be once again held in contempt. I wouldn't want to contribute to this, but I do believe in the strong connection between verbal and visual language.

I bridge the gap between disciplines in my art classes by incorporating reading and writing into the student's art curriculum through my invented practice of visual journaling. Allowing my students to explore visual journaling is a creative way for them to explore literacy as a means to record life's experiences, feelings, emotional reactions, or one's own inner experiences. Because images are a primary form of communication, visual journaling is an effective way to communicate. Words invariably become an important part of the Visual Journal, as they describe and support depictions, and aid reflection on personal themes and metaphors. Expanding on our creative resources can enhance problem-solving skills that could lead to improvement in other academic content areas.

What advice would you give to a teacher who's starting their first year and feels overwhelmed?

In the teaching profession the first thing kids learn right away is whether you care or not. This is the first thing they will learn about you. So, you have to have a clear-cut picture of the good we want for ourselves as teachers and for our students. You also must learn to stay current. Get involved in your students' lives. Never before has such widespread attention been given to improving student learning. This is a shared responsibility. We must continually realize how we influence and how we are influenced in today's age of visual culture. In order to strengthen and improve ourselves in the face of many adversities, and even when sometimes feeling overwhelmed, we have to remember that we are all in this profession to touch lives.

Even the most effective teachers need help developing the skills required to build this kind of support structure that will inspire and lead our students into becoming all they long to become. If teachers cannot or do not know how to engage students, parents, and community where they teach, there needs to be mentoring support structures in place for our teachers. Early in my career, Mark Coates (now the Coordinator of Art in Howard County) took me out of the classroom for a day to visit other successful art programs throughout the state of Maryland. This helped me to see firsthand what other winning programs were doing, and I was able to share and exchange knowledge with other successful teachers, who served as mentors to me. This mentoring experience directly enhanced my current teaching style, and it helped the overall future successes I have had with our art program at Southern Senior High.

What do you think is the key to your success?

I continuously strive to touch lives. As the Anne Arundel County Teacher of the Year, my message for the entire teaching profession has been for teachers to continue to find new ways to touch lives. Inspire your students by: (1) staying current; (2) taking an active interest in their lives outside the classroom; (3) making personal, meaningful connections with students, faculty members, parents and the community; (4) sharing an appetite for personal growth, for yourself and your students; (5) inspiring creativity, in order to create better problem solvers; (6) making a direct impact within the community by creating a triangle of success to support each child throughout their academic careers. When you touch lives, you become the spark that ignites infinite possibilities for that student, who takes that inspiration back into the community and inspires others. This is the teacher's ultimate display of exerting their power constructively…when your students take your knowledge and shared visions, and they teach it to others as if it were their own.

As a teacher that also doubles as a professional artist, I understand what it is be a source of inspiration, by promoting professionalism and excellence through education and community involvement. I practice what I preach, and my students reap the benefits from the kind of hands-on learning and experience that extends far beyond the classroom and into the colleges, art institutes, and professional art galleries I have formed partnerships with over the years. Education is a central and valued activity where innovation is based in exploring practice and content. As a professional artist and mentor to my students, studio practice, art criticism, and educational content merge in a multi-disciplinary approach to teaching and learning that is an incredible shared experience for all. I believe in leading by example. I touch lives.