Curious about our Arts Education program and wondering where this degree could take you?

Today, we’re shining the spotlight on alum Teddy Roduta (B.Ed.’21), who shares why he values the Arts Education program and how it prepared him for the dynamic context of the classroom.

Self-expression and development through trial and error were aspects of the Arts Education program that Teddy found valuable. Teddy says, “No two teachers will be the same; the Arts Ed program gave me different opportunities to discover ‘me’ as a teacher. As with many things that a teacher does in the classroom, a lot of trial and error are involved. I felt like the classes offered gave me an opportunity to see which ideas worked and which ideas need to be improved on.”

Being well-equipped for today’s dynamic educational landscape requires versatility and confidence, which Teddy has developed because of his Arts Education program.

Teddy, who followed a secondary education strand, is currently a homeroom teacher for Grade 2 students: He says, “Because of the Arts Ed program, I felt well-equipped to accept the role. … I was able to adjust accordingly by incorporating Arts Ed in all my lessons. I strongly believe that despite the grade level you are training for, the Arts Ed program does a great job of preparing teachers to be versatile in the teaching field.”

Making adjustments is achievable because, says Teddy, “My Arts Ed program helped me gain the confidence I needed to prepare for outcomes I don’t have experience with in teaching…If I were to be assigned to a new teaching role in the future, I would feel confident enough to accept that new role because I always have my Arts Ed training to go back to.”

Teddy feels confident in his ability to incorporate the arts into subjects other than arts: “I feel better equipped to incorporate Arts Ed in subjects such as English and Math. By doing so, I think that the students benefit more by learning critical subjects while simultaneously learning self-expression and development through art.”