Kate Furphey '26 | The Art of Teaching

A Studio Art and Secondary Education major, Kate planned to follow her interest in photography or graphic design to find her career path. When she uncovered her a new passion for teaching, it all came together – and now her sights are set on teaching visual arts in Boston schools.

“I made my decision to study Education basically at the last minute,” she said, “everyone from the School of Education was so supportive when I was exploring the switch.”

Her initial teaching opportunity came from an internship with Education First, where Kate helped organize events in Boston for international students and teach them graphic design. From there, she began to explore what it would take to pursue education at Emmanuel, and whether or not it was right for her.

Dean of the School of Education, Sr. Karen Hokanson, SNDdeN, and Deirdre Bradley-Turner, Associate Dean of Field Placements and School Partnerships, were instrumental in helping Kate map it out and visualizing herself as a teacher. 

Since then, she’s been able to dive into art courses as she hoped – including graphic design and photography – all while developing her skillset as an educator all over Boston.

 “I definitely want to shout out the art department and my advisor [Associate Professor of Art] Brian Littlefield, they were so supportive of me and taught me all the core knowledge I need to teach,” Kate said.

Her pre-practicum experiences – at Boston Latin, where she taught AP Art for 11th and 12th graders, and at the Lawrence School, teaching art to kindergarteners and 6th and 7th graders – helped her confirm that she wanted to stick with secondary education. While she finishes her undergraduate degree, she continues to teach as a per diem substitute for Brookline Public Schools.

In the classroom, she’s continuing to see how education and visual arts will coexist in her future. In the midst of her senior photography project, focused on how food ties people to their culture, she’s gaining inspiration from her students.

“It’s been so cool that my students can help me with my personal art,” Kate said. “I’ve been asking them for their thoughts on their favorite dishes – one student told me how to cook chicken tajin – and then I go back to them and ask if my representation looks accurate.”

Traveling and learning about different cultures has always been important to Kate. It was Emmanuel’s location and travel offerings that initially drew her to the College. By visiting Costa Rica, South Africa, and Japan through travel courses at Emmanuel, she’s been able to pursue that desire and gain global perspectives on education at the same time.

 “It’s definitely inspired me to be flexible, and to always be adapting my teaching style to fit what my students need,” Kate said.

She’s hoping her next trip will be as a Fulbright Scholar. Currently a semi-finalist, she appreciated how much support she got from Emmanuel faculty on her application.

Over the summer when Kate was in Spain, and Emmanuel’s Director of Fellowships, Dr. Laurie Johnston was in Switzerland, they were connecting over Zoom to finalize the application.

“That’s what it’s like at Emmanuel,” Kate said, “it’s a small but mighty group, and they always rally for you!”