Teacher Feature: Emily Mickel

By Barbara P. Jacoby

Little River ES art teacher Emily Mickel teaches her students techniques to let their imaginations take flight.

“I try to choose projects that give students a structure, or guidelines, but also allow them to explore their creativity. I give my students a starting point and then allow them to actualize their own designs,” the 23-year educator said. “It is like a mystery or a puzzle.”

As an example, her second-grade students make clay butterflies. Mickel gives them a general idea (make a butterfly), guides them on how to construct it with clay, and then stands back to allow their ideas to soar.

“Students used marker caps to add eyespots to the butterflies; they added pieces of clay to their butterflies’ wings to create texture; and they used clay tools and pencils to draw cool designs on their butterflies,” she said of last school year’s projects. “The butterflies turned out beautifully!”

Mickel, who was named her school’s 2022 Teacher of the Year and a Cherokee County School District Teacher of the Year finalist, makes every moment count in her class, from the carefully crafted lessons to the fun learning games that fill any spare minutes.

“Students frequently tell me that art class flies by. I know it does for me, as I am teaching. When it is time to clean up, they say it feels like they have only been in class for five minutes, even though classes are 45 minutes,” she said, noting that she is always trying to develop new ideas and projects. “I think this is because students are constantly challenged and are excited about the projects in art. Students love to create!”

In addition to teaching her classes, Mickel also organizes the school art show, volunteers to create art for her school (including murals, T-shirt designs, and bulletin boards), and has served on the school district’s fine arts committee.

“I love art, I love working with children, and I love that teaching allows me to be creative,” she said.

What can parents do to help their child be as successful as possible at school?

“Parents can be interested in their child’s work,” Mickel said. “They can let their students know that their work is valued, and it is important. I think the most successful students are the ones whose parents value education. Education is a way to change people’s lives. Parents can talk about what their students learn and can display their child’s work at home. Encouraging their children when they have success, but also teaching them how they can learn from their failures are significant ways parents can contribute to their children’s success. We all make mistakes. If your child doesn’t do well on a project or a test, what can he or she learn from it? How can she or he improve the next time?”