meet mrs. benke
Maureen Benke has been teaching children art for over 39 years. As a little girl, she loved playing “teacher” with her dolls. This early creativity not only inspired her to become an educator, but gave her a deep respect for the childhood imagination. Getting to experience a child discovering their own creative potential is the reason she teaches art. Her primary goal is to inspire children to recognize the creativity they uniquely possess.
Mrs. Benke earned her Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education inclusive of a minor in Art from Baylor University in 1984. As a professional teacher and a mother of four, Maureen has taught in all kinds of settings, but she’s savoring this stage of getting to teach out of her garage studio. It’s fun for her to keep learning and growing alongside her students.
Apart from art and teaching, Maureen’s life has always centered around faith and relationships. She recently earned a graduate degree in Christian Spiritual Formation, and enjoys worshiping in the Anglican tradition with her husband of 38 years. She has four kids and five grandkids.
After all these years, she loves looking back to that little girl who just loved setting up the “class” in her 1960s bedroom and remembering that all the joy she’s received from teaching children over the many, many years started in her own imagination. Our imaginations have so much power because we are the very imagination of God, Imago Dei. And that’s why Maureen will always love teaching children art.
