Parents Say:
"I'm impressed by the way Mrs. Garrett is able to maximise her time with students. My son learns new strategies and art concepts with a trusting relationship that allows for individual choice in his projects. Mrs. Garrett provides a supportive environment for students to practice creativity, application of skills, and opportunities for reflection- with an organised and clean room at the end of the lesson too! Her teaching and classroom environment are truly amazing."
Tracy Blair, ASB Parent (and Grade 4 teacher)
"While allowing the kids to be creative and make their own choices, her calm voice and lucid instructions has the attention of the children all the time. She asks gentle probing questions that to motivate the thinking of the child. Her planning is meticulous , with children sketching or planning what they want to do. It is obvious a great deal of thought has gone into the plan of each class, as well as the overall direction....With about 17 kids in an art class it could get chaotic as children each work at their own pace, but nothing ever misses her... The careful structure and plan is countered with an impromptu sense of fun too, conducive to bringing out a creative ambience. I have no hesitation in recommending her candidature as an excellent teacher in both her teaching skills, children skills, along with a deep knowledge of her subject matter. Her enthusiasm and involvement will be a great asset for the community she works in. "
Tara Ramaseshan, ASB Parent
"My son Reza says that Ms. Garret has taught him to "be a better artist." When I inquired what that meant to him, he said that she had taught him to use shapes better. "Before, I just drew a triangle or a circle, now they are a body or a face!" In the year and a half that Reza has been under Amy's tutelage he has learned about various art mediums, studied artists like Matisse and Picasso emulated their styles and most importantly, started thinking of himself as more than just a dabbler with paints, pencils and colors. She has taught him to believe that he has the capacity to produce art that others might enjoy as much as he likes creating it. He is constantly drawing and "making art." I find that so very wonderful. It takes a good teacher to make the subject being taught both interesting and doable. It take an even better teacher to make that subject inspiring. And then it takes an excellent teacher to spark a student's desire to continue pursuing the subject outside of the classroom walls. Amy has done that and I am grateful to her for making my son believe in his power to create."
Milena Javadi, ASB Parent
"Mrs Garrett has taught my daughter Zainab for the last two years. Whenever it is an 'Art Day' Zainab is extra especially excited and this enthusiasm for art and creativity is a pleasure to witness. On these art days Zainab always wants to hurry home and continue to draw or show me a new technique she has been taught. This shows how much Mrs Garett inspires my daughter and how much love for creativity is being nurtured by her.
Last year, in grade 2, I was very impressed by how much Zainab had learnt about art history and styles. She was able to articulate, explain and reproduce Impressionism, pointillism & cubism; as a seven year old! The project that my daughters class has just completed involved using technology to bring her self portrait to life, using a process called augmented reality. This has placed art class at ASB straight into the 21st century and as a parent it is really pleasing to see a teacher offer such extensions to traditional learning methods.
As a parent I find Mrs Garett very approachable and helpful. As my children are growing up & developing I have come to realise how important the teacher student relationship is. Teachers that nurture and work hard on their relationships are rewarded with enthusiastic and hard working learners. In my opinion Mrs Garett, with her understanding & kind nature works very hard to get the best out of my child."
Mrs Zulekha Bangee, ASB parent
Tracy Blair, ASB Parent (and Grade 4 teacher)
"While allowing the kids to be creative and make their own choices, her calm voice and lucid instructions has the attention of the children all the time. She asks gentle probing questions that to motivate the thinking of the child. Her planning is meticulous , with children sketching or planning what they want to do. It is obvious a great deal of thought has gone into the plan of each class, as well as the overall direction....With about 17 kids in an art class it could get chaotic as children each work at their own pace, but nothing ever misses her... The careful structure and plan is countered with an impromptu sense of fun too, conducive to bringing out a creative ambience. I have no hesitation in recommending her candidature as an excellent teacher in both her teaching skills, children skills, along with a deep knowledge of her subject matter. Her enthusiasm and involvement will be a great asset for the community she works in. "
Tara Ramaseshan, ASB Parent
"My son Reza says that Ms. Garret has taught him to "be a better artist." When I inquired what that meant to him, he said that she had taught him to use shapes better. "Before, I just drew a triangle or a circle, now they are a body or a face!" In the year and a half that Reza has been under Amy's tutelage he has learned about various art mediums, studied artists like Matisse and Picasso emulated their styles and most importantly, started thinking of himself as more than just a dabbler with paints, pencils and colors. She has taught him to believe that he has the capacity to produce art that others might enjoy as much as he likes creating it. He is constantly drawing and "making art." I find that so very wonderful. It takes a good teacher to make the subject being taught both interesting and doable. It take an even better teacher to make that subject inspiring. And then it takes an excellent teacher to spark a student's desire to continue pursuing the subject outside of the classroom walls. Amy has done that and I am grateful to her for making my son believe in his power to create."
Milena Javadi, ASB Parent
"Mrs Garrett has taught my daughter Zainab for the last two years. Whenever it is an 'Art Day' Zainab is extra especially excited and this enthusiasm for art and creativity is a pleasure to witness. On these art days Zainab always wants to hurry home and continue to draw or show me a new technique she has been taught. This shows how much Mrs Garett inspires my daughter and how much love for creativity is being nurtured by her.
Last year, in grade 2, I was very impressed by how much Zainab had learnt about art history and styles. She was able to articulate, explain and reproduce Impressionism, pointillism & cubism; as a seven year old! The project that my daughters class has just completed involved using technology to bring her self portrait to life, using a process called augmented reality. This has placed art class at ASB straight into the 21st century and as a parent it is really pleasing to see a teacher offer such extensions to traditional learning methods.
As a parent I find Mrs Garett very approachable and helpful. As my children are growing up & developing I have come to realise how important the teacher student relationship is. Teachers that nurture and work hard on their relationships are rewarded with enthusiastic and hard working learners. In my opinion Mrs Garett, with her understanding & kind nature works very hard to get the best out of my child."
Mrs Zulekha Bangee, ASB parent
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