Week 9 Blog 9

1. Consider the word “teacher” We, as does the public, have many ideas

surrounding this title. Imagine dropping the title “teacher”.... What lies beyond

the title? 

 

I have always been annoyed at the used of teacher with general public. When people hear I'm a teacher they automatically ask "what grade do you teach?". Do they think that teacher means you are automatically a KD-5 classroom instructor? or do they have to know what age group you teach to determine your worth? But then again I don't know what would be a better question for them to ask. I have always referred to myself as an art specialist, but then the general public looks at me confused. I have taken to saying when asked "what to you do?" "I teach KD-8 art". The title teacher is way too general. Webster's definition of teacher is a person or thing that teaches something; especially : a person whose job is to teach students about certain subjects.

2. Contemplate deeply the idea of truth speaking. Reflect on your classrooms and

your relationships with your students... How and where is truth speaking

present?

 

I try to be open and honest with my students. I don't want to flat out lie to any of them; this is my philosophy as a parent as well. This is sometimes difficult with younger student. Christmas is always rough for me. I tell my daughter that Santa is just a game that we play and he isn't a real person, same will the Easter bunny and the people in costumes at Disney world. I've been told "your crushing her childhood" but I want her to trust me and not be hurt when she finds out the truth. I've had students who ask "is Santa real?" I never know what to say. I don't believe in lying like that. The world is full of magic, wonder and life lessons why should we lie to children to try to teach them that, why can we let them see it for themselves.

3. Thinking back through all the reading and reflecting to date, write a personal

classroom mission statement. Something you could put up in your room. After

you come up with this statement, share it on your blog and talk (truth speak) a

little bit about how you arrived at this statement, 

 

Mission statement soon to come!

 

4. Reflect on some ways your consciousness about teaching has expanded since

the start of this course and how does this relate to your goals? Do your goals

need tweaking at this point? Restate them here (as they were or as they now

are). 

 

My goal was to be the best teacher for my students but I need to understand my students more to accomplish that. I have given some of my students a survey to understand how they feel about me and art in general. it was good to know most of my students like me but it still don't tell me how to be better.

week 8- reply to burnt toast

I participated in the Dirty Pictures Workshop as well. I have been waiting till it got warmer to take my students outside to do a similar project!
Your portrait is more then impressive! how long did it take you?

week 8- reply to Erika

I love this concept and you executed it beautifully. I hope to be more like your fly next year with my jr high students.

Week 8 Blog 8

This assignment lines up perfectly with my 7th grade self-portraits. I will be showing them all my steps. I started with a pencil drawing of myself, a flower (a symbol of grow, that I usually use as a symbol of my daugther) and a quick drawing of some of my 7th grade students. I then photographed each drawing and digitally blended them with some of my student's artwork. I also included my teaching philosophy overlapping a photo of my daughter finger painting. The final piece is 16x20 which I will be getting printed on canvas.
I think this portrait represents my teaching life perfectly. I am all over the place, crazy chaos!

 

Week 7 Blog 7

Playing, Creativity, Possibility!

Olivia Gude always makes me feel "I can do it! I can be the best art teacher for my students!" When reading Anxiety I immediately thought this is me. I have been the student's position as well as the teacher's. I want to do so much as a teacher but I get so overwhelmed. I often picture how a lesson will work and sometime it doesn't turn out as I picture it. Sometimes I can tell my students (mostly 8th grade) aren't excited about a project. They groin and wine, but then once they have gotten into it they are like "ok I guess this is cool". I also have those students who never seem to "get it". I have put it off that their background in art limits them, but I'm realizing that there will always be those students who never "get it".

Reading Resistance made me think of  two example of this that happened this week. One was in my 8th grade exploratory class. We have started talking about illusions and I was sharing a youtube video of Julian Beever (one of my favs). Two students keep making comments like "that guy has too much time on his hands" my reply was this is his career, he is an artist. They laughed at that! These are two boys who will most likely follow in their fathers' foot steps of becoming a farmer/construction worker. I do not want to sound like I'm putting down those career choices, I just hate the idea that if you work in manual labor you can't be creative or expressive as well. These two students have made it plan many times that they see art, music, reading, basically any education is a waste of their time. How can I push through those ideas? Are these two boys a lost cause? What is really sad is one is fairly talented at drawing, but always throws away his artwork when I sent it home with him. :( The other example was a 6th grader who told me he hate cities (weird comment I know). Is he scared? Unsure of the big and new? This comment has helped me see he is resistant to change and art is change. How can I push past this?

I try to make a community in my room. I try to have discussions with my students allowing them to share. But I saw the full benefits of letting them work together to problem solve and create on their own and to see their work in full glory. First semester was a struggle with 3rd grade. Big group, lots of boys, lots of attention problems. I was really worried about my TRYPS project I knew I was going to do with them. (TRYPS is a children's theater group in Columbia, the past two years I have collaborated with them, having my 3rd graders create public works of art as props in their plays.) This year it is Willy Wonka. This year"s 3rd graders had amazing ideas, and equally amazing solutions to problems. Yesterday the owner/director of TRYPS came to speak to my 3rd graders... I have never seen them so quiet! They where in awe that their artwork will be part of a real play! I can't wait to see their faces when we go see the play next month! They have been so well behaved for me since this project, I am so proud of these kids!!!

I have not given up on my horrible 8th graders! It could be like my 3rd graders. I am going to try to letting them work in groups (of their own choice) and come up with their own ideas. The project will involve recycled plastic, but its still in the works so I will let you know how it goes.

week7 - reply to Burnt Toast

I hear what you are saying about "unconsciously tend to give up on those students." I have some of those. The one I am thinking of is also in 5th grade, he too is sloppy and lazy (his teacher tells me he is the same in most every subject). I have tried talking to him outside of class casual at lunch, but I can't seem to get him interested.
I too hate to be interrupted when working, this is why I struggle with my short classes. I tend not to eat lunch, because I'm working on one thing or another. I do sometimes work along side my 7th and 6th grades but my other classes are too large or too needy.

Week 4 Blog 4 - Revised

Amy suggested I share my original metaphor. Like I said in my first post this was hard assignment. I am my own worst critic, I thought this metaphor was cheesy, but Amy likes it. So here we go...

I started with watercolor paints symbolizing my classroom. I have 6 table in my room and above each are hand made colored collage fish. Six table = six colors. I then started thinking of connections; between myself and all my students, between students and each other, students and families, students and other teachers. My school is part of a very small community. It seems like everyone knows everything about each other. At the beginning of the year I felt like an outside, try to introduce something completely unfamiliar to them. My student past experience with art at Hatton has not been up to my standards of art education. It consisted of coloring pages, crafts, no technology, and very little 3D projects. I want to use the connections in this small community to help change the view of art education at Hatton and my school district. I have already had students, parents, and administrators excited with the changes I have introduced. This is due to the small community, connections, and communication. Butterflies symbolize new life, so in this visual metaphor each butterfly is a student at one of my classroom tables and they are starting their new lives in art education. The background is made up of my student's artwork.