Issue link: https://publications.tfs.ca/i/609675
EDUCATOR – STUDENTS Living the (Lifelong Learning) Dream LEARNING COMES SO NATURALLY when one is in school. Be it primary, secondary or post-secondary, students at all points on their educational journey are surrounded by the energy of discovery and the adventure of deepening scholarship. But after graduation, it's all too easy to get caught up in career and personal lives. Too often, the satisfaction found in continuous learning becomes relegated to the past. For the four TFS teachers featured on these pages, being a perpetual learner has always been top of mind. Theirs is a perspective that says learning is an intrinsic part of life and wellbeing – whether inside of class or out. By Maryann Shemansky Who says that creative types can't also be utterly pragmatic? Meet Marina Nicolaou, an artist who dispels that myth. Marina Nicolaou: The Constant Creator Art Teacher, Senior School A NATIVE OF THE GTA, Ms. Nicolaou decided to go into art at university after a summer spent rediscovering her love of drawing. Her University of Guelph studio art studies encompassed sculpture, drawing, photography and video. They also included her professors' advice on the many career paths involving the arts, outside of being a pure artist. Their thoughts resonated with Ms. Nicolaou's own and, knowing that she didn't see herself pursuing a career as a visual artist, she continued and expanded on her studies. At the same time, she was determined to make sure art was part of her professional life. Considering the education field, she saw a way to do both. This led her to Nipissing University in northern Ontario, where she completed her bachelor of education degree. Returning to Toronto, she sought out additional qualifications at OISE, including as a specialist in art education. Ms. Nicolaou then joined TFS' community, and has been a visual arts teacher for Levels I through V for the past six years. Always seeking outlets for her creative energy, and not wanting to limit her outside learning experiences to visual art, Ms. Nicolaou studied adult ballet at the National Ballet School for five years, and now takes ballet as part of her fitness regimen. She upgraded her drawing skills at the Ontario College of Art and Design and her painting skills at the Toronto School of Art. She has taken sewing at The Workroom and, through access to studio space at Open Studio, has embarked on printmaking. Ms. Nicolaou's newest creative passion is interior design; however, she sees it through the lens of a visual artist, comparing the rules established for visual art with design rules used to create balanced and aesthetically pleasing interior spaces. And she brings all this creative inspiration and discovery back to her classes. "It becomes part of my process when I am lesson planning and working on the curriculum," she shares. "I recently included printmaking into a group project for my Level I students, and I try to do that kind of inclusion wherever I can." 28 TFS ENTRE NOUS 2015