A vital part of the classroom dynamic is the professionalism, empathy, integrity and respect exhibited by the teacher. I believe a sense of community holds a classroom together and that it is the teacher's responsibility to create the community. As an art teacher, I will teach my students how to respect one another not just as artists, but as human beings. My students will understand that artwork is an expression of oneself and that to be a member of our community you must show others, and their artwork, respect. As my students learn how to treat their fellow students they will be able to take our classroom community into the real world community. This sense of unity, with compassion, will follow my students from school and into the professional world.