Retired Educators Chair - Debi West

Happy April! I hope you  all had a GREAT YAM, it’s always fun to hear what everyone is doing during the nation’s #1 art education advocacy month and our RAEA group did a great job sharing their YAM successes and working in their communities to volunteer their time! I was blessed to work in 4 schools in March helping children tell their stories visually! Please keep me posted with all of the GREAT things you’re doing in your community!

• Our Monthly Mentor Minutes (MMM) continue to connect, reflect, and share wisdom across the state!

• Special thanks to Ivey Coleman, Drew Brown, and Kirby Meng for contributing to our January Mentor Minutes, reflecting on our impactful 2025 MMMs

• Huge shout-outs for the fabulous insights from Isabelle Bush, Rosanne Stutts, and Marie Patty and I’m excited to share more tips over the year from past board members and retired rock star GAEA members! Be on the lookout!

• It was wonderful to connect with many of you at NAEA! Our national RAEA Interest Group is free to join and we have one of the largest groups, so once you retire, be sure to join us!

• As more seasoned art educators approach retirement, a gentle reminder: retired doesn’t mean expired and we still need you!

• We are mentors, and we are here to help guide the next generation of art educators! I can’t wait to work with our District 2 art educators this May! 

I am looking forward to hearing from YOU, so if you’re retiring soon, please let me know so we can celebrate you and keep you involved! YOU MATTER!

So Sincerely,

Debi West, Ed.S, NBCT -dewestudio@gmail.com

#togetherweARTbetter

Retired Educators Chair - Debi West