Dana Love is an art teacher who teaches half a day at Union Elementary and the other half at Garfield Elementary. Love considers Bartlesville her hometown, because her family moved there when she was 9 after moving around due to her parents being teachers and their wanting to see different parts of the country.

Love has worked for Ponca City Schools for 15 years. She and her husband lived in Ponca City for 13 years, but moved back to Bartlesville to be closer to family and friends.

Love grew up hanging out in her parent’s classrooms, her mother was a home ec teacher and her father a driver’s ed teacher and coach of football and basketball. Love went to college for Art and had originally planned to work in a gallery, but it was her husband (an elementary music teacher) who convinced her to get her certification to teach.

Love has always been an advocate for public education and believes education is one piece that can help level the playing field for all children regardless of background or circumstances.

“I love my job because I get to spend it talking about art all day,” said Love. “Especially in today’s world, kids need a positive outlet for their feelings, art does that, it’s accessible to everyone.”

To Love, the process of creating art can have a positive effect on the mental attitude and state of mind for children and that art creates the environment to understand that everyone and their opinions are valid and have worth.

Love’s teaching philosophy believes all children have the capacity to learn and that they all have their own unique skills and talents.

“The key is finding out how each individual child goes about that process and what those skills and talents are,” said Love. “A one size fits all philosophy just doesn’t work. You have to meet the child where they are at and go from there.”

Building relationships with students is key to Love, and giving them an environment where they feel cared for.

“If a child feels you care about them, they’ll strive to meet your expectations,” said Love. “But, the relationships go both ways. I say all the time, the kids teach me new things everyday.”