Most people become teachers after years of education and hard work. However, Constance McCullen of Denver, CO, took a slightly different path: Her taste in funky, eccentric jewelry landed her a job as an art teacher at Williamson Middle School!
“I was walking down the street one day wearing my favorite statement necklace where the beads are made of rolled up newspaper strips,” Constance explained. “The next thing I knew, I had accepted a position as a 6th and 7th grader Art Appreciation instructor. It was wild.”
Wow! We can’t believe how Constance got a job from her fashion choices alone!
Despite never having taught before, Constance doesn’t feel like this job is too much of a stretch for her.
“I have no formal art training and I’ve never taken a childhood education course, but I figured why not try it out? I needed a job and I love to craft. If you couldn’t tell, I make a lot of my jewelry myself! Give me a glue-gun, some beads, and a couple of hours and I’m in heaven.”
Administrators at the school are confident in their hiring decision.
“She seemed like a good fit for the job,” said Principal Dale Rappaport. “From the minute I saw her, I thought ‘Yup, looks like an art teacher.’ When she told me she had no experience, I couldn’t believe it. I mean, she had plastic bracelets in the shape of stars around her wrist, no way she hasn’t explained the color wheel to a kid before.”
But family and friends were a little surprised by Constance’s new career path.
“I had no idea Constance wanted to become an art teacher,” her mother, Martha McCullen, told us. “She studied engineering. But she does make lots of cute little necklaces and things. That’s kind of art, don’t you think?”
“She’s always had really funky jewelry, so I’m not surprised it got her some notice,” Constance’s best friend Lanie Torres told us. “I always thought she’d like open up an Etsy store or run a booth at a craft market. This makes sense too, though.”
At the end of the day, Constance is excited for this new opportunity.
“I never thought of myself as an artist before I got this job, but now I know that I have a gift and it’s on me to share my talents,” she said. “There’s a lot you can learn from making brooches out of bottlecaps and vintage fabric and I can’t wait to inspire the next generation with my work.”
We know they’ll just love rocking their new papier maché hair clips, Constance!
