Beaudoin Named Teacher of the Year

Canton Intermediate School art teacher Deborah Beaudoin is not content to just educate students about Picasso and Monet. In addition to teaching about great artists and art concepts, she incorporates lessons in history, science and literature into art class.

But Canton’s 2011-2012 Teacher of the Year also sees herself as a teacher as well as an art teacher. She uses art as her vehicle to build confidence and motivation in all her fourth-, fifth- and sixth-graders.

“The arts provide a venue for students to develop as individuals, fostering aesthetic awareness, critical thinking and problem solving,” she told the faculty gathered in the high school auditorium Thursday morning.

Teaching is about “encouraging our students to express their thoughts and feelings, allowing for creativity and finding success in their own way,” she said.  “The arts are a crucial part of our students’ education. I’m proud to be standing up here not just as a teacher, but an art teacher.”

She sees herself as an advocate for the arts, and said her job is made easier by working in a school that supports art and with colleagues who are receptive to her desire to connect the arts to core subjects.

 “Our students have the opportunities to see the connections that can be made across the curriculum,” she said. “The study of light and color in science and art, [the] impact of war and other historical events through the eyes of artists, how writers and artists both ‘communicate’ using supporting details, using works to inspire poetry.”

Superintendent Kevin Case said Beaudoin, who has taught art at CIS for 10 years, represents “our outstanding teaching staff.”  In a prepared statement, he praised her initiative in writing several grants that brought in extra funding for arts enrichment. He also commended her presentations at national conferences on how to integrate the arts and social studies.

Canton Intermediate School Principal Jordan Grossman said Beaudoin is a role model to kids. For example, he said, she teamed up with Cherry Brook Primary School art teacher Ellen Raposo to organize an “empty bowls” event where students sculpted bowls and sold soup to raise money for the local food bank.

“She is a very creative person who is willing to help the greater community,” Grossman said.

In a video created by technology instructor Andy Buckle, several students credited Beaudoin with inspiring them to pursue their passion for art.

One of those students, Aime Freedenberg, grade 7, said in an interview with Patch that Beaudoin’s praise for her artwork gave her confidence in her abilities. While learning new techniques and concepts, Aime said, she grew as an artist.

Beaudoin encourages students and “inspires us to stretch our artistic limits and do our best,” she said.

In addition to being a 19-year veteran of teaching, Beaudoin is also an artist. A professional potter, she is a member of the Norfolk Artisans Guild. Beaudoin, a Simsbury resident, created one of the horse sculptures on display at The Cambridge House Brew Pub and restaurant in Granby.

This latest recognition is not the first for Beaudoin. In 2010, the Connecticut Art Education Association named her the Outstanding Art Elementary Educator.

Thursday morning, Beaudoin had more than her family and colleagues there to support her. Even though it has been several years since her youngest child attended CIS, parent Dorothy Brisco still volunteers weekly in Beaudoin’s classroom. Brisco said she’s “not an artsy person,” but she continues to help out because Beaudoin makes her feel needed, useful and creative.