Being Your Own Advocate
 
Stephanie A. Baer
 
Being Your Own Advocate highlights the voices and stories of six novice art teachers. Being your own advocate is based on a longitudinal study that Stephanie Baer conducted. The study asked participants to create a weekly video diary, reflecting on their teaching experience and aimed to identify common issues for new (years 1-3) art teachers and explore new ways for them to reflect on their experiences. 
 
The first part is an introduction to the context and purpose of the study and its content. 
 
Part two explores the stories of each teacher and includes reflections from over the course of two years and imagery from the teachers themselves. 
 
Part three brings synthesis to all the stories told identifying common issues for novice art teachers, implications for understanding the inner workings of novice art teacher stories and how they can inform teacher education programs and professional and personal growth for new teachers of all disciplines. 
 
The final chapter offers practical resources and activities to guide future and current educators.
 
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Dr. Stephanie Baer’s remarkable research study, Being Your Own Advocate: Insights from Novice Art Teachers, focuses on the stories from 6 new art educators that reveal significant dimensions of their emerging classroom practice and professional growth during the earliest years of their careers. An expert in scaffolding the development of professional dispositions of preservice art teachers--including engaging them in creating their own ARTed Talks, Dr. Baer explores the evolution of professional voice as these novice art teachers navigate the real world of education, enhanced through their practice of advocacy and reflection. This study of 6 emerging art teachers, with insights added from Baer’s own early teaching years, presents a long-needed and comprehensive model for pedagogical preparation enhanced by contemplative practice. The book deepens the understanding of 21st century complex and common issues needed by preservice and novice art teachers to help them exceed meaningful performance expectations as they join the art education profession.
Renee 
Renee Sandell, PhD
Art Education Consultant, ForThCo Vision LLC
Program Director, SummerVision DC since 2010