Sara Block

Teaching for Curiosity

During my time in RISD’s Teaching + Learning in Art + Design program, I had the opportunity to student teach at Hope High School and Vartan Gregorian Elementary in Providence. Before this, I had always been a student: raised by teachers, shaped by classrooms, and guided by mentors. Entering this program, I knew I wanted to be an educator, but I did not yet understand the weight of choosing to lead.

Teaching asked me to reconsider what it means to show up for others. Throughout a single day, a teacher holds space for hundreds of young people, each with their own needs, experiences, and ways of learning. In a time when our broader understanding of leadership feels uncertain, I recognize the classroom as a place to practice care, attention, and accountability on a daily basis.

Working within the constraints of limited time and large class sizes, I design lessons that prioritize connection as much as content. Each project becomes a way for students to engage not only with materials, but with themselves, their peers, and their community. I ask my students to answer big questions throughout the day that will cause them to evaluate what it means to be a good friend, a kind person, a good community member, because school has never just been about learning math or science. Through this approach, I aim to build relationships that make meaningful learning possible.

Before drawing from observation students were asked to observe their subject closely and verbally describe what the see. 

After planting daffodils in the fall, students drew the flowers from observation and were asked why it is important to engage in a community.

Students excitedly responding to me asking "tell me or show me what a drawing of someone jumping looks like" in a conversation about connecting our words and stories to what we draw.

Student exploring layering through Geli Plate printing.