The art room should be a space where everyone feels welcome, encouraged, and where they feel they can express themselves creatively. I believe that meaningful learning occurs when students feel valued, respected, and supported, and I aim to create a classroom environment that supports this. I believe that positive relationships between teacher and student are essential for effective learning. This belief stems from my own experience as a secondary school student, where supportive and respectful relationships with teachers gave me a positive school experience. This was further reinforced through my PME research project, where I explored the role of relational pedagogy in promoting students engagement and sense of belonging. I strive to create a classroom environment where students feel they belong. As Nel Noddings (2012) argues, “A climate in which caring relations can flourish should be a goal for all teachers” (p.777). This means, listening to students, being empathetic, and building students trust over time. Language also plays a vital role in my teaching practice. Irish was my first languge and I grew up speaking it at home, and it forms a core part of my identity. I am committed to promoting the Irish language and culture within my classroom, particularly as an art teacher, where I can draw on Irish mythology, storytelling, and music as rich sources of inspiration. I also have an interest in language through poetry and stories, which also supports literacy in the classroom. I often incorporate language as a reference in projects, for example I have used ‘Blackberry-Picking’ by Seamus Heaney to support a project about decay, which had lots of vivid imagery like “But when the bath was filled we found a fur, A rat-grey fungus, glutting on our cache.” I strongly feel that creating a safe and caring learning environment is essential for student engagement, and creating opportunities for students to explore language through art can help them connect themselves and the world to their art practice.