About the Author

Shannon Lauffer

I stepped into my first art room in 2007, lugging my methods textbooks, studio supplies from undergrad, and a slew of lesson planning books. I was 21 and ready to change the world. I was the only art teacher in my district and split my part-time role across two schools. A real-life “art teacher on a lonely island,” I was starving to grow and learn.

I went back to school for special education, which helped me better understand all my students and made me more marketable. I loved it, but I couldn’t hack the after-school commute, so I started looking for online graduate courses.

I discovered The Art of Education. I was already an avid blog reader and decided to try out a course. I took one and was hooked. Fast-forward a couple of years later, I’d taken almost every AOE course, finished my master’s +30, and was the lucky recipient of an email that changed my trajectory. “The Art of Ed is hiring.” In what felt like a dream, I joined the AOE faculty.

In 2015, seven art rooms and nine years of teaching later, I packed up my textbooks and art supplies, scrawled a note to my successor, and left the art room to join AOE full-time. As the dean of student services of what’s now AOEU, I help other art teachers find the relevant graduate work I found years ago. I’m passionate about helping art teachers learn more, earn more, advocate for themselves, and believe in themselves. I love helping teachers push against the stereotypes of art teachers and the status quo of art education. I believe that art teachers deserve community, camaraderie, and collaboration that their schools sometimes can’t afford them. I am honored to serve as one tiny piece of the puzzle that helps art teachers who are starving to grow and learn.

What do I do when I’m not working? I have two darling, well-fed cats and a blue parakeet named Paige, who loves to say, “You’re so pretty cute!” I’m working on my doctorate and want to live in every city I visit.

Education

Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership

Northcentral University, La Jolla, CA  |  Anticipated Graduation 2023

Master of Arts in Teaching

Morningside College, Sioux City, IA  |  Graduation 2015

Graduate Studies in Special Education

Kean University, Union, NJ  |  Certificate of Completion 2011

Bachelor of Science in Art Education

Indiana University, Bloomington, IN   |  Graduation 2007

Publications

Voices for Any Given Child Indy: The Arts Give Students a Voice, 2016

AOEU Accomplishments

Team Member of the Year, 2019