There are two paintings saved to World Religions in History and AP Art History teacher Ms. Mary Katherine Sheena’s laptop, both by Wassily Kandinsky. The first depicts a large circular outline filled with an organized group of smaller circles, diverse in both shape and color. The other image, though by the same artist, could not be more different. Depicting various lines and shapes, it is chaotic and messy. Nothing is confined to boundaries, only to exploration.
“This is how I imagine my teaching,” explains Ms. Sheena. “They are both beautiful, just in different ways.” The first image represents how she hopes her lessons will unfold, while the second reflects how they sometimes actually do.
Ms. Sheena’s interest in Kandinsky and in art history more broadly traces back to her undergraduate studies at Princeton University. Her freshman advisor, a member of the Religion Department, encouraged her to take his course, “The Problem of Evil.” Immediately, she was enthralled—not only by the study of religion itself, but also by how “he used music, art, and film to explore the themes of the course.” Hoping to continue wrestling with the philosophical and ethical undercuttings of religion, Ms. Sheena enrolled in more religion classes, eventually declaring herself a Religious Studies major. As art is essential to religion, she discovered her love for its history along the way.
After graduation, Ms. Sheena attended Yale Divinity School. There she dabbled extensively in a variety of subject matters, finally choosing to hone in on comparative religious ethics. After a tedious but rewarding master’s program, Ms. Sheena went into education. Working in Washington, D.C., New York City, and Los Angeles, she has taught classes on religion, philosophy, and ethics. Complementing this, she served as an educational consultant for numerous nonprofit organizations. In this role, she facilitated teacher workshops and wrote curricula.
Two years ago, she moved back to Princeton to begin her master’s in Curriculum and Teaching. She finished her coursework last year and “was looking to get back into the classroom.” Ms. Sheena saw the opening at Princeton Day School and applied. As a graduate from Princeton High School, she’s excited to experience Princeton once again, but this time, through a new lens.
Additionally, she is not only a teacher, but also a parent to a kindergartner. Thus, she has experienced both sides of PDS’s welcoming community. She spreads support into the classroom through her creative and engaging teaching style. Ms. Sheena believes that “curriculum should create a sense of belonging. This belief both anchors how [she] design[s] curriculum and animates how [she] teach[es] each day.” Like the Kandinsky paintings, she thinks teaching is intricate and beautiful, and she hopes her students view learning in a similar sense.
