Reflection

Wow. What a semester!

I can say there have been a lot of surprises. I have learned so much about myself as a person and as an educator. I finally feel like I know what I am doing with my life. This whole experience has really been wonderful for me. It has given me the unique opportunity to experience children first hand. I really enjoyed working with the kids. More then I thought I was going to. I figured out this year that I want to teach middle schoolers or high schoolers. UAY had a major impact on me. It provided a lot of challenges but it was so rewarding. I felt so proud of my kids. They were absolute rockstars. I have learned that art attracts a certain type of person, not to stereotype but it does. All these kids are looking for a constant variable in their crazy lives. They need people to be there for them and to discipline them accordingly. I can not wait to be a mentor to my kids and be there for them every single day. It wont always be easy, but I can say that this class has truly helped prepare me for student teaching.  Our project turned out better then I could have imagined. I wish I would have done more techniques with the girls, but they blew me out of the water. I couldnt be happier that this semester is ending, but I will honestly miss this class and the amazing people that I met and the friends I have made. Everyone in this class is an exceptional human being and I feel so blessed to work with these people. I just hope I can measure up and be as great as my classmates and teacher.

Total suck-up, I know. But, I mean it.

Classroom Management

What are issues that you encountered in the art room related to classroom management?

I honestly did not encounter too many issues with classroom management at UAY. I think it is because that we didn't have that many kids. Megan and I stayed on top of our kids and monitored them carefully. However, I did feel a power struggle between Rachel and I. There was also some times when her limited attention span made me frustrated, but I just had to constantly keep her on task. I do not know what I would have done with an entire class full of Rachel's.

What are the biggest problems for students in school that prevent them from succeeding and successfully completing an assignment?

I think that one of the biggest problems with students is themselves. I feel like they are so wrapped up in their own problems that seem so important to them right now that they can not focus on their future. I feel that the teacher should work to build a positive student-teacher relationship that involves trust and respect. That relationship can solve so many classroom management and self esteem problems. I think another problem is bullying. But, if you establish your classroom as a safe environment and continue to build strong positive relationships, I feel like they will be self-confident and not have such a big problem with bullies.

What are some strategies that you observed to be successful?

Proximity. It is amazing how kids stop talking or stop whatever bad behavior they are doing when I am around. It is an absolute wonder. Another strategy to keep kids on task is to give them a certain amount of time that they have to work on one project and then switch to another.

It only took me 2 tries to guess my password to this thing.

So its been awhile, I must admit. Life has a funny way of getting busy all of a sudden. Grinding day in and day out, trying to get everything done, trying to cross off all the things on your to-do lists, making grocery lists, doing laundry, being active, going to class, going to practicum, trying to make the best art I can make, trying to learn new techniques to try out with students, staying positive =), filling out the ridiculously long student teaching placement form, having it be erased when you try to save, picking out new classes, and the list could go on and on. Maybe just a little bit of procrastination as well and straight up should-be senioritis. High five for the victory lap.

I am sure you all are going through it too.

So, I was looking around at NAEA's website and it seems to have some pretty quaility material. Defiantely things you can tweek and make your own but the foundation is there. Obviously some things could not be done or I wouldn't want it to be done in that particular way, but its a base. It is a starting point. There are great resources here and I plan to utilize this community to stay current, stay focused, and come up with creative ideas to make my kids like to make art. I think its kind of fun that they have a gallery where people can vote on the pieces of art they think are wonderful. I think that could build community with the classroom and help the child feel good about themselves if I put their work up for everyone to see. I think thats important. Had to post the resume so I could start looking at some potential Jobs

Iowa Curriculum webpage: Where is the arts?
What are we 21st century skills? Where are the arts place in Iowa Core Curriculum?

I think honestly that we are going to have to fight tooth and nail for our jobs for the rest of our lives. I really feel like people are not investing in the arts. Maybe I am just being pessimistic and god, I seriously hope I am. But, it just kind of seems that sometimes other people do not value what we are doing here. We are creating more then art. We need art in our schools. Art of all different kinds. I dont know about you but art has brought me so much joy in my life. I cant imagine other students and other people having the amazing opportunity that I have. I think it wonderful that the Iowa Alliance for Art Education exists as an advocate for art teachers.

Missed UAY :(

After a week of this retched flu, I have come to one conclusion. I am getting the flu shot next year. It has been a week filled with no sleep, no nasal breathing, and a horrible cough. I read the other girls blogs who were in my group during our field trip last week. It seems like everything went okay, but it would have been better if I could have been there. Trust me, I definitely would have rather been there then cooped up at home, with nothing to keep me company other then my raggedy stuffed animal. It sounds to me like a few of the girls had difficulties respecting the boundaries placed upon them. Also, they are particularly rambunctious girls together, so I think that could have contributed to the chaos. However, it sounds like the other teachers had it under control and I am happy for that. I am not surprised that the two older high school kids did not come back, they seemed removed from the project and uninterested. They also seemed to be more concerned with talking rather then actually learning any new art techniques. However, I truly hope that they come back. But, I have a feeling that they may not. I look forward to another week of UAY when I am well and can actually participate. I thank Calley, Megan, and Katie for being so amazing and picking up the slack for me. I really appreciate the work you guys did.

UAY

We did it!
Heck yes! I can honestly say that I was very nervous coming to class on Wednesday. I haven't worked with high school kids since my freshman year of college and I was extremely worried that I wasn't going to  be an effective teacher. The night before I was sitting in classroom management and I was trying to go over again in my head how to be a stern but effective teacher. It turned out to be a lot easier then that. I was just kind of surprised how naturally it came. I feel like the natural student - teacher relationship was just there and it wasn't something I had to really try for. I was very worried that I would have to prove myself to them and that didn't seem to be the case. I think the trading card activity was a good way to get the kids started. It got them brainstorm about their project. Initially, when I heard that I was going to get some of the middle schoolers, I was very worried because they seemed to be very vocal and energetic. I just wanted to be successful and I wanted to start building a positive relationship with them. However, combining the middle schoolers and the high schoolers was a great idea because the middle schoolers tried to harness their rambunctious selves to try to fit in with the high schoolers. Overall, I think the day went well. I found that the high schoolers varied in maturity and some kind of seemed like they held themselves in high regard. However, I do not foresee this being a problem. I think that I need to continue to be firm and am excited about the no cell phone policy. I also believe that I will try to have some points of discussion to talk about, so I can better get to know them. Cant wait for next week!

I knew I wanted to be a teacher when...

I holdfast to the belief that tragedy can inspire and provide guidance to those who crave it. I knew I wanted to be a teacher when Ms. McGuire died. Ms. McGuire was the high school art teacher at my old Catholic high school, St. Albert. Even though I transferred schools in sixth grade, she still remained one of my mentors. I met her in our private painting class that took place on Saturday’s. Her work inspired me. The day of her funeral, I arrived at St. Albert gymnasium to see over 5,000 people had gathered. I wasn’t surprised that she had touched this many lives, she was an incredible woman, but I was surprised that her impact on their lives was so great that people flew in from around the country to attend her funeral.  This small Catholic community, in its entirety, was in mourning and there wasn’t a dry eye in the building. Grown men sobbed and held on to their wives at the passing of this incredible teacher.  During the funeral, her name was used in a way that is only reserved for legends or heroes. I knew then that when I was laid to rest, I wanted to join Ms. McGuire in the company of heroic, legendary teachers that have impacted thousands. She had reached that status of immortality.  She was not just an artist, she was a teacher, a guide, a mentor, and a friend.  I knew then that I wanted to touch hearts and minds of the youth the same way that she did. 

Teaching Narrative:

The first thing to do when crafting an environment conductive to teaching and learning is to establish a sense of community within the classroom. The foundation for a healthy classroom community can be established through mutual trust and respect between all members of the classroom. It is invaluable that the students feel a strong sense of comfort and safety from physical and emotional abuse within my classroom. My classroom is to be a place where ideas and thoughts will be cultivated and encouraged, not be ridiculed by any member of the classroom.

Last Thursday's Post

I think that my lessons that I have learned as an artist will continue to help me relate to students in the classroom. I feel that it is a teachers responsibility to continue to practice their passion and their craft to continue to be a student, as well as a teacher. I feel that continuing to express myself through my work is vital to maintaing my sanity, my clarity, and to keep me in love with art and teaching.

I think that communication is probably one of the most important, if not the most important, quality that a teacher can have. I want to be able to communicate with my students in a visual way, as well as interpersonal communication skills. Also, I think that the technical skills that artists use  and experiment with make the artist a continuous student of life. The ability to take risks and to be expressive are key to both the artist and the teacher.

I believe that is important to continue to make art while we teach because it is important to develop and to continue to develop our craft. It is important because it makes you a more genuine teacher and educator. I plan to incorporate my work into my teaching to show the kids that in addition to being their teacher, i am still a practicing artist. I also plan to make examples for every single one of my projects to set a standard. They do not have to be able to do what I can do, but it is important to show them that with hard work and dedication, it is possible to achieve great things. I hope to add some of my work into the critiques so they have an opportunity to grade my work and let me know how I can be a better artist and teacher. The relationship between teaching and art making is interlinked and I will continue to push myself to do both things better.

Art needs to be personal to be meaningful. However, the technical skills help express the artists feelings in an intelligent way. It makes the work better and thus makes the art more personal. The better the work is, the better the artist feels about themselves. Technical skills are necessary to be able to speak the language of art and express yourself in a way that makes art understandable to all people.

Artist Trading Cards

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

To me, it seems that even though high school feels like another lifetime, it was not so long ago that I was roaming the halls of my high school looking for trouble. When I think back to my high school experience, I just remember wanting to be in college and thinking: these days cannot possibly be the best days of my life, if they are, I am jumping off a bridge. Thankfully I went to college and discovered a world outside of my small rural community.

I went to a smaller high school, that is to say I knew everyone in my graduating class of 150. On the surface, I don't think anyone could have known how unhappy I was. I fit in with the 'popular' crowd, I was on the high schools prestigious dance team, and I was strong academically. However, I remember feeling very different and alone majority of the time. I made it through high school because of my family, my true friends and my passion for life. However, it is not easy to see who or what has your best interest in high school. I worry that high school students vision of their life only extends to the end of their senior year and that troubles me. But really, it only gets better and I hope to show students that.

To me, the high school social life is an overhyped, oversexed, and over glorified. I hope to guide students away from all the superficial nonsense and encourage the students to peer into themselves to find the strength that they need. Mostly, I worry about classroom management and the harassment of students. I hope I am wrong, but I think high school is just going to get harder for students, emotionally and academically. I am very excited to be there with and for my students. I am excited that I get to inspire students and give them the opportunity to explore another outlet of creativity. I hope to learn more about my craft and the students I will work with daily.

This is the final part of a 3 piece series that I did. The first painting was done in 2001, the second in 2003, and this final painting was completed in 2009.  All three of the paintings are of the same subject, but are represented differently by different colors, races, etc. My parents keep the originals in their house and enjoy looking at a collection to see my growth over the years.