Moving from elementary to high school art, Whitney Farrell is one of the many new faces at Hayes this school year.
After the retirement of former art teacher Jim Bibler, Farrell has stepped up into his position. She will be teaching a variety of classes such as drawing, art appreciation, sculpture and expressive art.
Though new to some, Farrell is recognized by many students because of her previous positions in the Delaware district. She has taught at Smith, Schultz, Woodward and Carlisle over the past 15 years.
“High school was always where I wanted to be,” Farrell said. Starting at the elementary level “was like getting your foot in the door, and I would get up [to high school] eventually.”
Farrell said she has enjoyed art from a young age. With the influence of her high school art teacher, she turned her passion into a reality and went to college at Ohio Wesleyan University to pursue becoming an art teacher.
With this inspiration, Farrell said she hopes to “make a fraction of the impact on somebody [like her teacher] had on [her].”
Shifting from the elementary ages to high school is a major change, she said. Instead of using tactics for positive encouragement, like the compliment sandwich, Farrell can take an easier and more direct approach when helping students.
“I have a lot of adjusting to do myself as far as not explaining things to them like they are six and seven,” Farrell said. “I can just be real with these students.”
Alongside giving students feedback, Farrell now will get to see her students every day, compared to only 40 minutes each week.
The classes themselves are staying student specific, meaning students are learning skills and techniques that are centered around personal growth.
Students at Hayes are all required to earn an art credit, however many students enroll in the classes for various reasons.
“Everybody’s walking in here with a different skill set and different goals,” Farrell said. “As long as I am seeing growth, we are in a good place.”
Overall, many students view the art classes as relaxing courses.
“It is just nice to sit down and not have to worry about homework or notes,” junior Tessa Zolman said. “The atmosphere [is] pretty chill.”
In her spare time, Farrell said she enjoys walks with her dogs, gardening, puzzles, weekend walks with family and reading.
“My elementary [teaching] days were so chaotic,” Farrell said. “I gravitated towards calmer activities.”
Outside of the school year, Farrell likes to travel. She has explored multiple countries, like Finland, alongside her husband and daughter.
Even though she is in a new place with a new age group of students, Farrell said that she remains focused on seeing students grow in their knowledge and appreciation of art.
“Seeing that lightbulb moment with students is the best thing ever,” Farrell said.
