Teacher Appreciation Week: Cassie Flynn Inspires Appreciation for Art

EDWARDSVILLE - Cassie Flynn does more than teach; she inspires students to care.

Flynn is an art teacher at Edwardsville High School in the Edwardsville Community Unit School District #7. She works with students in grades nine through twelve to teach art techniques. This Teacher Appreciation Week, she’s reflecting on the hundreds of students she has worked with throughout her 18 years in the classroom.

“My favorite part of teaching art is guiding students through the creative process,” Flynn explained. “Even though their artwork may not turn out as they hoped or planned, they always learn something — if nothing else, a deeper appreciation for the arts as they enter adulthood.”

Flynn always loved art. As a high schooler, art classes became “really the reason” she attended school every day. When it was time for her to decide what she wanted to do in her career, she realized she received the most joy from creating and sharing art. It was a natural decision to become a teacher so she could share that joy with others.

Every year, Flynn works with students of varying skill and confidence levels. She tries to meet each student where they’re at and help them to have a fulfilling, empowering experience in her classroom. She noted that the art room is a place where “conversations flow and unexpected friendships form,” and she enjoys watching her students explore their creativity.

“Every student comes in with a unique relationship to art, and it takes patience and creativity to meet them where they are and keep them engaged,” she said. “I enjoy working with my students because they’re all so different.”

Outside of school, Flynn enjoys camping, kayaking and spending time with her family. She recently discovered a passion for real estate and earned her realtor license. She enjoys using her artistic vision to transform houses and share that transformation with others.

Flynn joked that having summers off is “a nice bonus” of the teaching gig, but, of course, the real reason she loves her job is because of the students. She makes a point to develop relationships with every student she encounters, and she hopes that her classroom serves as a comfortable, fun space, just like the art classroom used to be for her when she was in high school.

“I’ve been a teacher for 18 years, and in that time, I’ve crossed paths with hundreds of students,” she added. “What keeps me in this profession isn’t the 180 school days or the holidays off — it’s seeing the growth in my students. That’s what truly makes it all worth it.”

Thank you to Cassie Flynn for your work as a teacher!

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