In this article, the author writes about her early years as an elementary school art teacher. In her early years, students received a formalist, discipline based art education. Every lesson began with students, pK-3, viewing a thoughtfully selected collection of paintings created by a famous artist. After viewing this carefully curated selection of art work, students would be presented with an expertly crafted teacher demonstration and given step-by-step instructions on how to create their own art project to meet this idealist model. She felt her students received an art education rich in art history and rooted in the elements and principles of design, but learned little about themselves during the artmaking process. She felt the curriculum provided no opportunities to connect with broader real world social issues and unofficially discouraged the inclusions of lessons rooted in cultural arts. When she moved to a new school, she abandoned her discipline-based approach to art education and implemented a postmodern student-centered learning environment into her elementary school art room. She began to create a learning environment where "the students and their ideas are the focus." "The class begins with them and their artistic pursuits… choosing a medium that will best express their artistic goals and visions" (Henriksen, 2010). In this new learning environment, the students are the focus of their own learning and the directors of their art education. The art room serves as a safe place where students are encouraged to engage with their own ideas, experiment with new materials, and explore their own artmaking practice.