It is hard to walk down the halls of an elementary school without tripping over a group of kids sprawled out on the floor working on a presentation. Collaboration is an integral part of every school kid's life. As a professional artist I don't invent that process when I enter the classroom. My job is to enhance the experience and understanding of artistic collaboration. It's a great job.

Facilitating the creation of original plays is my strength as an Artist in Education. When respectful and qualified facilitators present kids with an opportunity to develop stories, professional coaching meets raw energy in a fruitful and creative exchange. In this mix I find kids to be candid, animated, and insightful. Their stories are often surprising and it is a privilege to facilitate this creative communication. My responsibilities are great in this capacity.

Primary concerns within the process are:

• Was the process inclusive and did it resist favoritism?
• Did we somehow grow in the process? i.e. overcome some personal barrier, achieve some clarity, try on a point of view we had never considered, etc. (I say this because this is often the case for facilitator as well as the participants)
• Was there any joy in the process?

When students' contributions are genuinely acknowledged and utilized, when they participate in every aspect of the production, and when the artistic output rings true, I am successful in my role as a facilitator. I find great satisfaction in meeting these goals as an Artist in Education.

I believe that the benefits for the child involved in this collaboration are substantial and have the potential to resonate long after the initial experience. These benefits are individual and diverse but include; enhanced self esteem, new artistic vision, greater appreciation of the artistic process and, expanded problem solving skills.

Teaching Philosophy: Sue Richards

I am convinced that by integrating creativity in all aspects of our lives, we will be a more empowered community of people. When I am involved in any Artist in Education project, I find myself witness to and part of:

• unique individual expressions
• the freeing of the individual's spirit
• improved quality of life
• increased self esteem, confidence and choice
• the excitement and joy that comes from any creative endeavor

I invite creative participation, as though one was embarking on an adventure, offering no right or wrong and no guarantee of outcome. It takes courage to engage in the creative process. When children are encouraged to be brave and are given the opportunity to be creative, their imaginations are unlimited and their joy contagious. Two of my keys strengths as a Creative Adventurer is to inspire bravery and imagination.

It seems that as we mature, our individual creativity tends to be discouraged and suppressed by society as more “practical” life skills are learned and encouraged. Funding cuts to the arts and social sciences is an ongoing condition of our province and country. It is my belief that the more opportunity that we can provide for young learners to have meaningful creative experiences, the less likely they will lose their abilities to self direct their own creativity in the future. Creativity is a vehicle for expression and communication which helps binds us together as a caring community. It is the facilitation of this process that fuels my passion.