Mrs. Jaimee Taborda is an Art Teacher at the Oxford High School in Oxford, Massachusetts. She has been the art teacher of Oxford High for a number of years now and has been a big influence on myself and why I wanted to be an artist. Jaimee Taborda has graceless allowed me her time in interviewing her via by email and has told me a great deal about how she came to choose her career as an Art Teacher.

 

Erin: What made art to be your career choice? 

 

Jaimee: When I was in high school, every square inch of my bedroom was covered with my artwork. I always had a sketchbook with me. I practically lived in the art room at my high school. I loved art more than anything else. Choosing to study art seemed the only logical choice.

 

Erin: Did something influence you growing up that led you to choose Art as a career?

 

Jaimee: I can’t think of anything specific that influenced my decision to study art besides my love for it. I do remember drawing a lot as a child. We would go to auctions as a family and I would sketch animals to keep myself occupied. I also found a home in my high school’s art room. My love for art was encouraged there.

 

Erin: What type of art interested you the most to pursue your career?

 

Jaimee: I love all types of art. There wasn’t one type of art that made me pursue my career. However, being an art teacher has broadened my horizons as an artist. I know a lot more about many different styles of art as I work to be the best teacher I can be for my students.

 

Erin: Did you actually want to be an Art Teacher as you went to college or did you want to pursue a different career?

 

Jaimee: I didn’t decide to be an art teacher until several years after graduating from college. I honestly never gave my career much thought. All I knew for sure was that I wanted to study art in college. I wasn’t thinking about the practicality of that choice until later.

 

Erin: What made you choose to become an Art Teacher?

 

Jaimee: Well, after graduating from Gordon College with my Bachelor’s degree in art, I got married and had children. For a while, I was a stay-at-home mom. One day when my first son was almost two, my husband asked me when I was thinking about going back to work. I remember thinking that I didn’t want to go back to waitressing or bartending (the job I had been doing before having my son). I started to think about what I would want to do. In college, I worked as a youth group leader in Lynn, MA. The time I spend working with the teens in Lynn was precious to me. It dawned on me that if I got a job working as an art teacher, it would give me the best of three worlds. I could share my love for art, work with teenagers (who for some strange reason I love), and I would have vacations at the same time as my kids. Once I figured it out, I couldn’t believe that I hadn’t thought of it sooner.

 

Erin: How were art classes during high school/college different from how art is taught today?

 

Jaimee: In some ways it is the same. Teachers still use demonstrations to show students how to use materials. Students still do hands-on projects. There has been a shift in the way projects are graded with the use of rubrics. Students are asked to do more self-reflection and writing. There is also more incorporation of technology.

 

Erin: Do you love teaching at Oxford High?

 

Jaimee: I do love being an art teacher. I really enjoy working with students and watching them grow as artists over time. Seeing a student’s eyes light up with understanding is one of the best parts of job.

 

Erin: Did you have a different job before you became the Art Teacher in Oxford?

 

Jaimee: In addition to working at Oxford High, I have worked as an art teacher at Shrewsbury High School and Quabbin Regional High School. Before being a teacher, I worked as a waitress and bartender. I was a stay-at-home mom for five years.