Andrea Crane

Art Teacher

Mrs. Crane is happiest when her art students are having fun and learning at the same time. As an artist, she loves the calmness she feels when drawing and making things with her hands. Did you know her first language was Spanish?

Art Teacher

Mrs. Crane is happiest when her art students are having fun and learning at the same time. As an artist, she loves the calmness she feels when drawing and making things with her hands. Did you know her first language was Spanish?

Impacting Students
Lessons that I enjoy teaching and that make an impact are the ones where students are given a choice. For example, one year, students had to figure how to create an interactive sculpture that sent positive messages to anyone who interacted with the art. Students learned how to work together with non-conventional art materials that they may not have used otherwise. The sky’s the limit for these types of projects, and the results are always amazing and powerful. I believe when you give students choice, they feel empowered.

Lifelong Learner
A workshop with the Stanley King Counseling Institute was one of the best professional developments I have ever participated in. I learned how to ask the right questions and be a better listener. I left the institute with some life skills I can implement at school and home.

Favorite Teaching Moment
The best teaching moments are when the kids get excited about what they've created. Recently I heard a student say to himself, "This actually looks pretty good" about his portrait. I just looked at him and said, "Of course it's good." When students are confident and can say positive things about what they make, then I believe I've done my job. Students need moments to reflect and enjoy what they are doing. Everyone can find joy in art and it's especially rewarding when the kids in my class do.

Artist I Admire
I go through phases, there are a lot of good artists out there that I love. Yoyoi Kasuma’s installations of tentacle type objects seem to slither out of the ground and bring you joy. They are just fun to look at. Kehinde Wiley's style of painting is just beautiful. One of my favorite pieces by him is "Shantavia Beale II," Oil on Canvas, 2012. It is a remarkable painting.

Outside the Classroom I’m ...
... hanging out with my husband, drawing, making books, looking up new recipes, snowboarding, running, mountain biking, listening to music and reading.

Favorite Childhood Memory
Riding the train from Nairobi to Mambasa Beach in Kenya. It was one of those old fashioned trains with a restaurant cart and everything! It’s on my bucket list to go back one day.

Joined Graland in...
2011

Also Known As
Grade 7 Advisor, Gates Coach

Hometown
Wellington, New Zealand

Education
BA in fine arts, Metropolitan State University

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Graland Country Day School

Graland Country Day School is a private school in Denver, Colorado, serving students in preschool, kindergarten, elementary, and middle school. Founded in Denver in 1927, Graland incorporates a rich, experiential learning approach in a traditional classroom setting, emphasizing the development of globally and socially conscious leaders who excel academically.