Katherine Parenti can easily recall her most influential teacher, Doc Westeen at Rich South High School, for his encouragement and ability to make her feel as if she could accomplish the impossible. She remembers making her decision to become a teacher in the second grade, when her teacher’s daughter came in and drew a picture of Thumbelina. While an art director of a local nursing home during her years at college, Parenti was reassured of her choice from the “passion and joy [she] encountered in teaching and helping older people achieve their expressive goals.” Years later, her dedication has paid off. The 2008 Illinois Art Educator of the year award was given to none other then Neuqua Valley’s own Katherine Parenti.
Parenti’s classroom methods were one of the components that led to the award. She respects her students’ individualities and believes that her main responsibility is to bring out the natural creativity she believes all human beings are born with. Parenti mixes both standard technique skills that are critical for a student’s foundation but also said “I embrace the mystery in life.” She sets the bar high for each one of her students and believes in their potential, one of her attributes that distinguished her as an art educator. Though she was one chosen out of many potential great teachers, Parenti states that “I am like every other art teacher in the world struggling to do right by his or her students…I just happened to get noticed.” Her efforts to advance teaching do not stop in the classroom; she is constantly reading and learning new research to apply in her classes. She says, “I think we are on the brink of an incredible leap in understanding the human brain and the myriad processes involved in intelligence.” She owns a rocking chair in every room of her house, and uses them to do her major philosophical thinking, enjoying the chair on the porch the most. This passion to enhance her teaching skills even more is what drives her to not teach her students how to draw, but how to let loose their creativity towards an artistic piece. Rewarded for her role in the classroom, community, and her philosophy of education, Parenti received a beautiful plaque in October and is to represent Illinois at the National Convention of Art Education.
Parenti will continue to live out her calling as a teacher, but has additional ambitious plans. She hopes to one day become a world-famous artist, oboe player, saxophone player, and drummer. She hopes to visit Italy, become a grandma and sometimes considers teaching elementary school. Though this is an obvious achievement, Parenti said “I am pleased and greatly honored to have been noticed by my peers, but I still have to feed my dog.”
By Pallavi Bamzai, staff writer
