Tess Little’s teaching philosophy is nothing small, but to put simply, she focuses on the development of a student through encouragement and art, and now with her retirement approaching at the end of the semester, she is finding that her students inspire her just as much as they are inspired by her.
“You meet the student where they are—you facilitate their development and you encourage them,” Little said. “I promised myself that when teaching became a job and chore, I would go do something else, and I am still here.”
Little started teaching ceramics at Sinclair in the beginning of 1976. She taught part-time for 15 years before focusing strictly on sculpting and became a full-time teacher.
“I built the sculpture department—I love sculpting. I eat it. Sleep it. Love it,” Little said.
Little said her job, as a teacher is to meet them where they are and to promote them. She said their goals are just as important to her as they are to them. She teaches a variety of sculpting classes, with a multitude of different students, including different majors, ages and levels.
“In art, I have three types of students. I have students who are going to be degree seeking and they want to be in the art field, and then I have students who are here because it’s an elective, and then I have personal enrichment students,” Little said. “I want to help all three of those students.”
Huynh Lee, graphic design student, said the best thing he learned from Little is that “your mind is your own limit.”
Little said artists should be curious people and always staying in tune with their feelings, but they also need to have persistence.
“It’s really hard and you have to be persistent and you have to love it. If you don’t love it, you should find something else to do,” Little said. “It’s a competitive field and it’s been a great joy for me, but if you’re not willing to work for it, you wont make it.”
Cindy Wallace said Little gives her the guidance that needs and constantly encourages her to trust herself when she is working on an assignment.
“Tess is my favorite thing about this class. She works with you,” Cindy said. “I would’ve never done any gallery showings if it weren’t for Tess. She actually changed my focus; her passion for sculpting was so contagious that I changed it,” Christina Calderon added.
Little’s students are her biggest fans, and their favorite part about her and sculpting classes is that they inspire them to be successful.
“She doesn’t just teach us how to make things, but she teaches about what we want to do with our major and how we can be successful as an artist,” Mikaela Bell, art student, said.
Many other students agree with Bell that Little is the best part of the class. Mary Ahmad said, “she is the creative inspiration.”
Although Little is retiring from teaching full-time, she isn’t ready to give it up quite yet, so she plans on still teaching part-time at Sinclair. Aside from having a passion for art, she is also the coordinator for REACH across Dayton.
“I am going to continue to teach on class and I am going to travel and I am going to make art,” Little said.
Geanna Ampaya, visual communication student said she hopes Little continues to inspire other artists even during her retirement.
“She’s awesome—she’s the greatest,” Calderon said. “She’s like my muse.”
Little said she loves to make things and loves to teach, and that’s exactly what she did, and is proud to have experienced Sinclair.
“I am blessed to have gotten to teach here,” Little said. “Sinclair fits my mission in life.”
Gabrielle Sharp
Executive Editor