Erin Bastian is an art teacher and freshman class advisor for Kennard-Dale High School. When she was in high school, she knew that she was good at art, and she wanted to do something that would impact people’s lives, but would also let her go down the creative field with her love for art.  

She ended up deciding to be an art teacher so that she could merge not only teaching students, but also getting to teach creative content and something that she is passionate about.

Unlike some teachers that exclusively teach one grade, Bastian teaches grades 9 through 12. From her perspective, she finds that it’s good to teach all grades because she gets to see students grow as the years go on.

Last year, she became freshman class advisor, a role she enjoys as it allows her to connect with many freshmen in her classes and share information more effectively among them. But she also likes that she gets to learn more about her students outside of class and get the opportunity to meet other freshmen.

Throughout her career, she has done other activities with the freshmen like link crew, freshman seminar, and other activities. While Bastian was thinking if she wanted to take the role, knowing that she enjoyed being able to work with the younger students gave her more of a reason to take the position. 

As an art teacher, Bastian teaches Global Arts, Ink and Watercolor, Art History, and Art I. She also serves as the K-12 Art Department Liaison and Department Head. To some people, they would find all of these responsibilities stressful, but Bastian says that being the freshman class officer doesn’t get in the way of all her other roles. The only thing that takes some extra time out of her day is if the freshman class is running a fundraiser, but altogether, it doesn’t affect her time.

As a teacher, Bastian doesn’t put a lot of pressure on her students with the artwork and just wants them to give it their best shot. Even though some students don’t believe in themselves, Bastian states, “I would just encourage students even if they think that they aren’t creative or really strong in the art field, I would encourage them to try out in art class and see.”

Similarly, Bastian feels that freshmen should try to get involved with their class. If you want to become an officer, you have to run for the role you would like to get. You have to make sure you have good grades and no discipline issues. Teachers would have to sign to make sure they would be a good fit for the role. The freshmen class will then be able to vote for their officers for the school year. The biggest role with the freshmen is to make money for their account for future events, like prom.

In both the classroom and at Kennard-Dale, Bastian wants her students – including all of the freshman class – to try their hardest and give each day their best.