Me:
I'm from Karachi, Pakistan, and have been through business school, graduating in 2011. I worked at a bank for a couple of years after graduation, and it was during my stint there that I began to feel discontent with my career choice. I started exploring different avenues. I had taken art classes in school so when neighbors asked me to tutor their kids, I jumped right in. Tutoring over the weekends really made me happy, and I began to seriously tinker with the idea of moving towards art education.
I took up a class at one of Pakistan's most famous art school, the Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture (IVS) to become better at my own work in order to teach. While there, I applied to the SAIC, and given that I got in, decided to come all the way to Chicago to become an art educator.
I feel several factors motivated me to make this choice. My mentors and the people to guided me towards this path aren't necessarily art educators, or even remotely connected to the arts. Given my b-school background, they are more business-y, and less artsy.
1. My father
My dad encouraged me to step beyond the classical notion of a 9-5 job. He wanted me to do something I loved and it was him who actually suggested that I look into art education as a career.
His stance is that a person is happier doing what they love to do.
2. John and and Hank Green - Vlogbrothers
The Vlogbrothers are inspirational because they truly challenge paradigms in the field of education. They have come up with several projects which focus on education outside the classroom. Using youtube as their chosen platform, they have various channels, such as Crash Course, on which they have short video courses on history, literature, biology, etcetera which are in a format that you can digest and enjoy. Infotainment even.
They have also other, similar projects and its really inspiring to see them challenge paradigms in the field of education. One of my favorite projects is The Lizzie Bennet Diaries (LBD) which recently won a Grammy.
3. Prof. Dr. Mahnaz Fatima, Associate Professor at the Institute of Business Administration, Karachi
Dr. Mahnaz is a life long educator and someone who has herself faced and successfully challenged stereotyping and other issues along the way. She teaches Development Economics and Managerial Strategy and Policy, and is a free thinker. She challenges students to think outside the box, to critically assess the education system and to try to do something about it.
Posted On: Sept, 05, 2013
No comments:
Post a Comment