Teaching Is Creative: Bee Lee on Fostering Artistic Expression & Growth in Her Students
“As a teacher, I have a part in who children are going to become.”
Bee Lee, Emmet D. Williams Elementary Visual Arts Specialist
We are ecstatic to highlight the inspiring journey of Bee Lee, a dedicated visual arts specialist at Emmet D. Williams Elementary in the Roseville School District. With 15 years of teaching experience, Bee brings creativity and passion to K–6 Visual Arts education.
As a first-generation Hmong-American whose parents were refugees from Laos, Bee’s story reflects resilience and the power of education to shape lives. Growing up in St. Paul as one of eight siblings in a family of ten, Bee now shares her love of learning with her own two children, while fostering artistic expression and growth in her students.
Did you always know that you wanted to be a teacher?
Bee Lee: As an adolescent, I never saw myself as a teacher. School was challenging for me—I struggled with reading and math, and English wasn’t my first language. I found my strengths in creative outlets like visual arts and creative writing. Growing up as a first-generation Hmong American in a large family, education was highly valued by my immigrant parents, who saw it as our path to a better future. They worked hard to provide for us, and our job as kids was to navigate the educational system, get good grades and eventually make a good living for ourselves.
In college, I felt lost and pressured to choose a path that would define my life. I started as an accounting major at the University of Minnesota but quickly realized it wasn’t for me. After some soul-searching, I switched to art and art history, though I still wasn’t sure about my future. Taking education courses in my later years of college led me to teaching art—not as a dream, but as a practical career choice as the pressure of graduation and joining the work force drew near. Over 15 years of teaching now, however, teaching has become my passion, and I’ve found immense joy and purpose in it.
Bee Lee showcasing crafts from her students
“Taking education courses in my later years of college led me to teaching art—not as a dream, but as a practical career choice. Over 15 years of teaching, however, it’s become my passion, and I’ve found immense joy and purpose in helping students grow through creativity.”
Bee Lee teaching English abroad South Korea
What did your pathway as an educator look like?
Bee Lee: I began subbing in St. Paul district before teaching English abroad in South Korea for a year, which was an incredible experience that combined my love for travel and culture with gaining some teaching experience. I joined Central Park Elementary in Roseville in 2011, working under Florence Odegaard, who was both inspirational and a strong leader—an invaluable mentor for a new teacher. After five years, I transitioned to middle school within the district before finally settling at Emmet D. Williams Elementary, where I had the privilege of working with Principal Brian Koland and then Dr. Jennifer Wilson.
Switching to the Teaching for Artistic Behavior (TAB) method transformed my approach. Teaching for Artistic Behavior is a choice-based model where the art classroom becomes a studio, the students are the artists, and the teacher guides them as they explore their creativity, learn about Artists, and experiment with self expression. This shift has allowed my students to feel validated and recognized for their unique ideas, reinforcing that school should nurture the whole child, not only their reading and math skills. The best feedback I get about my job is from my students. When I see their excited faces lined up ready to enter the studio, when they explain their art to me with enthusiasm, and I have a number of students telling me they want to be art teachers when they grow up - that’s all the validation I need to know that I am proud to be an educator!
What ways do you see teaching being a creative profession?
I've learned that to be creative in my own profession, I had to think outside the box. I had to say my room doesn't have to be this traditional, quiet, everyone at their desk, everyone in control. It doesn't have to be that way.It can be organic. It can be loud. It can be people moving all the time. It can be messy. It can be with music. It can be dancing sometimes.
We can stop in the middle of something and try something new.
Bee Lee within her classroom
“[My classroom] can be organic. It can be loud. It can be people moving all the time. It can be messy. It can be with music. It can be dancing sometimes. We can stop in the middle of something and try something new. ”
