Idaho Arts Charter School
Daylene Peterson - Art Teacher
Greetings to all. Let me introduce myself to the IACS family. I was born and raised on a homestead farm in the windy Magic Valley of south central Idaho. After graduating from Minico High School at Rupert I came to Nampa to attend Northwest Nazarene College and graduated with a degree in Home Economics Education. For the next eight years I worked for the University of Idaho as an Instructor with the Extension Service in Payette and Canyon County, teaching classes to adults and youth and directing the counties' 4-H programs.
When our first son was born I began a thirteen year career as a full time Mom. I would joke with people that I was taking a sabbatical to do research in my field of Home Economics. During the next few years we added three more sons to our family and it became real research and development! I loved my time being a Mom and homemaker but kids get expensive when they discover that the Youth Ranch is not an exclusive department store at the Mall!
When I returned to the world of paid employment, I worked for one year as the lead teacher in the Latchkey program at Lincoln Elementary School in Caldwell. I then spent the next six years as the Church Administrator for our church. It was a part time job which worked great as our household of boys grew into young men.
In 1998 I decided to make use of my teacher certification and began teaching Home Economics (which by this time had changed to Family and Consumer Science) at Notus High School. I found that the curriculum had not changed much over the years but the education system and teenagers had changed a lot. Thank goodness I had four teenagers of my own to set me straight on new language and teen behavior. Unfortunately this was the year that Notus High School had a shooting incident and I almost did not go back for a second year. After a calm summer to internalize the situation I decided to give it another chance. I am so glad I did. I fell in love with my students and the school.
I taught Family & Consumer Science at Notus for eight years. I was determined that the material that I was teaching students was of vital importance for their future adult lives. I taught classes in Child Development, Foods & Nutrition, Personal & Family Finance, Housing and Interior Design, Health and Wellness, Fashion Design, and of course, Art and Art History. I also taught and directed the Senior Project, organized class trips, and was advisor to the FCCLA organization.
It was my interest in teaching Art and Art History that led me to a master's program at Boise State University. In 2004 I received my Master's of Art Education degree from BSU. I came to Idaho Arts Charter in the fall of 2006 as the Art teacher. It has been quite a ride as I endeavored to hop on the "Arts Wagon" at Idaho Arts Charter. I love the energy that resonates from this school and the staff and students. My goal is to provide an environment where visual art students can experiment and create art that is unique to them and of which they are proud. I want to open the doors to the world of art and help students experience and embrace multiple art forms.
I am married to my college sweetheart, Dan. He spent his working career in education for over 36 years as a teacher and in administration. The majority of his administrative time was with the State Division of Professional/Technical Education. He has now retired and is enjoying his second life as a Bookbinder. We love to travel and experience new cultures. We also love to have new cultures in our home and are hosting our fifth exchange student this year.
Our four sons are now grown and have professions of their own. Ben is a Computer Technician, Chris is a Graphics Designer, Jef is a graduate assistant in Theatre at University of Oregon, and Andy is a Marketing Account Executive. The early instruction that I gave them in art has paid off. They are all artists at heart and delight their mother every now and then with some creative, and usually wild, piece of art.
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