There is a common wisdom that teaching is like planting an oak, a person do not live long enough to see the results. Therefore, a teacher has to believe in the future. However, life will be very different when the oak matures. Thus, we do not really know what is needed for future success, and there will always be an element to education of sending a person on a path into the unknown. As teachers, we try our best to prepare students for their first steps in life and enable them to face diverse challenges they will meet in the future.

Individual differences and diversity of cultural backgrounds require flexibility in teaching. People learn in different ways and combining theoretical, experiential, visual, interactive components in educational process enables students to relate to the material, making it more meaningful. There are different ways of learning, all paths should be accepted.

My major assumption is that while not every student that takes classes in the Arts Department is planning a career in arts, they all are looking for a creative component and aesthetic feeling associated with arts. Therefore, nurturing creativity and eliciting emotional response is an essential part of arts courses. Students learn in different ways, and instruction has to include diversity of experiences to enrich educational process.

Independent work helps reflect and nurture uniqueness of each student. Education, particularly in Liberal Arts model, enables students find their own way and has to facilitate this process. It is important that students, working on projects, learn to develop and substantiate their ideas and opinions, link them to personal lives, social issues, and cultural phenomena.

Arts are based on craftsmanship, which goes beyond neatness of work and includes knowledge and understanding of materials, opportunities and limitations they offer, construction processes, etc. Media should complement conceptual design, and a good command of techniques expands the choices and opens new horizons. Furthermore, hands on experiences add excitement to the educational process, particularly when the subject is related to costumes, be it masks, make-up, jewelry, or clothes.

Computer technologies have become an essential part of design process and education. Texting in class may not be the most productive use of instruction time but pen-and-paper-only times are also gone. Students have to learn how to navigate in the oceans of information and use software and hardware to enhance the work they are doing.

Good analytic skills and knowledge of principles of design are critical not only for the artists but for general public as well. Education in arts enhances personal abilities to respond to cultural events and enable personal development in general.

Students should be encouraged and feel secure to try and challenge themselves. It is important that students receive constructive feedback (not only grades) on the work they are doing with the eventual goal of enabling students of critical analysis of their own work.

Ability to collaborate with others is one of goals in education; therefore, group projects, presentations, and class participation deserve particular attention in a classroom. Students have also to familiarize themselves with professional traditions, learn how things are done, and elements of apprenticeship are very important to make students capable of starting their careers right away after graduation.