The art room in the middle school hallway looks quite different this year. Gone are the mobiles from the ceiling and huge paper mache animals. In their places are new paintings, small sculptures, and potential art references. The room is now in the capable hands of Amanda Lea, the upper and middle school art teacher who joined Barstow this year.
The seeds of appreciation for art and teaching were sewn at a young age for Ms. Lea. Since she has been old enough to hold a paintbrush, Ms. Lea has always been drawn to art. Her teachers in elementary through high school also helped shape her perspective on learning and the positive influence of teachers. She recalls how her high school math teacher especially helped her realize the positive impact teachers can have on their students.
Despite this admiration for teaching, Ms. Lea decided to initially follow her parents’ wishes and pursue a career in business. After earning a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in Accounting from Rockhurst University, Ms. Lea worked at a financial services company. However, she found the career unfulfilling and felt that she “wasn’t doing anything to make the world a better place.”
Later on, the company merged with another corporation, resulting in the outsourcing of Ms. Lea’s job. However, this event made her eligible to return to school through a federally funded education program. From there she decided to follow her passion for teaching and studied K-12 Art Education at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. Since then, she has taught elementary school, middle school, and high school.
This past year, Ms. Lea began looking to teach at other schools, primarily public. However, when someone suggested that she consider independent institutions, she thought of Barstow, the school her father had worked at in the late late 90’s and early 2000’s. When she saw that the art position was open, it felt like fate.
Ms. Lea teaches drawing, painting, photography, and other upper and middle school art classes. As an instructor, she emphasizes the importance of stepping outside of one’s comfort zone. She comments, “It’s really easy to stick with the same things and do those things over and over, but when you challenge yourself to try something different, and you find that you really love that thing, I think that really shows that someone is successful as an artist.” However, she recognizes that leaving a familiar and comfortable space is one of the most significant obstacles artists face.
Another common issue she sees in the art community is often a lack of support from parents. She looks forward to encouraging parents to become more involved in students’ art careers. This extra support can not only help develop an artist’s career but also help them integrate art into other subjects and spheres of life. Ms. Lea explains that “by supporting the interest in art, it will help support interest in all those other areas that really tie back together.”
Ms. Lea plans to help students through these difficulties through the various projects she has planned for this year, such as unconventional landscape pieces and portraits. She will incorporate some of the projects from Mallory Hilvitz, the previous art teacher, as well. Ahna Chang ‘23, who is taking Ms. Lea’s art portfolio class says, “Ms. Lea is a cheery and great addition to the Barstow School. I’m really looking forward to this year.”
Correction: a previous version of this article stated Mr. Lea taught at Barstow in the late 80’s instead of the late 90’s.
