For those who don’t know Ms. Stapleton, she is the teacher that houses Gables’ very own ceramics classes. Interested in Ms. Stapleton’s passions, we decided to get to know her even more.

Q: How long have you been teaching at Gables?

A: I’ve been here about sixteen years.

Q: What was your college major?

A: I was a fine art and art education.

Q: What is your favorite art medium?

A: Drawing and painting and ceramics.

Q: In what ways do you feel that students benefit from your class?

A: I think they get a hands on experience art. They feel like they can do art. They can use their creative problem solving skills that they don’t get to use very often. It’s not about taking a test, it’s about making something. It being productive and creative at the same time.

Q: Share a funny experience that took place in one of your Gables classes.

A: We have lots of funny experiences in this class. One of the things that happens is when people have an accident. We have a spill on our ceiling where somebody dropped a glaze bottle and it just shot straight up. I have a very high ceiling, so it was a pretty amazing feat that they hit the ceiling and we’ve left that. I wouldn’t let them remove those tiles because I just couldn’t believe it could happen. And it landed of course on everyone in the class too. It was a really exciting moment.

Q: Do you have any hobbies?

A: Art. I make art in the summers.

Q: What is your favorite and least part about teaching?

A: I love working with my young adult students. I’ve been talking about it all day today. We’ve been talking about how I just really love my job. I’ve been at it a long time and I feel really good about providing a chance for people to make art and experience that kind of feeling we get from being highly creative and challenging those things in ourselves.  It’s just a really fun material. Clay is really an attitude that people come in and go “I can do that.” They don’t do the “I can’t draw” thing. With clay they think “Yeah, I can do that,” so I’m really lucky.

Q: Any thing else you would like to share?

A: I really like being here at Gables, it’s been like my second home. I’m here and work long hours-it’s a very intense job. But, I like that demand it has. It’s been a really important part of my life for sixteen years. Your job becomes who you are at some level, too. It’s been great.