Teaching Philosophy
(abbreviated)
(abbreviated)
Design is an intrinsic human inclination, and my role as teacher is to help students understand that the heart of design is to shape the world for the good of others. As such, it is essential to feed and guide students’ creative instincts by instilling an understanding of the inherent dignity of every person.
I challenge students with a paradigm-shifting vision for why people matter and why creativity is essential to the human story. The interplay between these two concepts provides fertile ground wherein the discipline of design best takes root. As an educator, I challenge students to interact with these concepts for themselves and welcome them as co-learners in the pursuit of excellent design.
Beyond this, I aim to equip design students with a working knowledge of the design community and discipline in their chosen focus, enabling them to graduate as mature contributors to their field. A designer must wield problem-solving skills, a keen sense of visual aesthetic, technical aptitude, and the ability to think clearly in order to communicate intentionally. While ensuring that mastering these learning objectives is rigorous for students, I seek to engage and coach each student throughout the learning process from a posture of trust and encouragement.
In the classroom, design is best taught alongside the disciples of empathy, collaboration, and critique. When students tackle real-world design challenges together with the design’s end users, they learn how to effectively address people’s needs through the design process. Assessing student designs through collaborative critiques invites feedback from peers, design faculty, and end users, further grounding students in the discipline of iterative design refinement. My goal is that each student be able to confidently accept design challenges, think through the design process on their own with curiosity and optimism, and ultimately create compelling human-centered designs that positively shape the human story.
Comments from Students
I’ve had many opportunities to witness JaMarie's skill and character, coming to know her as both an inspiration to my own career and a personal role model.
JaMarie is an excellent teacher, communicator, and team player. In addition, JaMarie possesses many skills and talents including her expertise in the Adobe Creative Suite, graphic design, typography, brand identity, and many other areas. She played a huge role in developing my skills in Adobe Creative Suite and exposed me to brand identity.
I would not be where I am today without having JaMarie as a mentor. She was extremely attentive to my educational growth and challenged me with projects she knew would help strengthen my weaker skills. She is hard-working, highly-talented, humble, and shows outstanding integrity. She creates effortlessly, and teaches with even more ease.
JaMarie's technical prowess is rivaled only by her skill with encouraging others. Under her instruction I always believed that I could grasp the material and grow in it. Firmness and corrective criticism was always in exceptional balance with positive affirmation. In my own journey towards teaching, I hope that I can learn to achieve the same balance which has for me created such a growth-filled and positive experience.
I first met JaMarie before I was a college student at College of the Ozarks. I remember how kind she was when I first walked in to introduce myself. From there, I was determined to work with her when I went to college.
JaMarie taught me the importance of the design industry and shared her life story, welcoming me into the art world with open arms. From her I learned to never give up, especially when confronted with a design challenge. Instead, I should take a walk and come back to it with a sketch book. I looked up to JaMarie and I began to think of her as a mentor while in college. She helped me thrive in the most difficult times and soon I will be graduating with the knowledge she has given me.