TAKE A PEEK...

Our altered books class in front of our wonderful projects.

The group of projects produced by our talented artists.
Some of the works close up including "Cry Wolf" and "Step Inside."
My co-teacher Katie and I handing our certificates to our students.
Presenting one of our students with their certificate for their hard work and large amount of creativity.
Another one of our students being given her certificate for her dedication and caring demeanor demonstrated in our class.
My favorite moment of our ceremony seeing one of our students so overly excited and proud to receive her certificate.

COMING TO A CLOSE...

To think the semester is coming to a close and we are done teaching UAY seems unreal. The semester has flown by and so did teaching. I feel like it was just yesterday I was feeling anxious for our students to join our class and for my first high school teaching experience to begin. Our class turned out to be a hugh success and I couldn't have asked for a better mix of students, to both challenge and inspire me. I believe the topic in which Katie and I chose to teach was a great fit as well; I know we both learned a lot about teaching different book methods and taught each other along the way.

If I were to change one thing about our lesson plan it would be to minimize activities. A lot of the activities we planned like different book binding activities didn't end up fitting in our schedule. They took up more like the whole class period than half as we had hoped. We learned that each student works at their own pace and a lot of the time when you are learning new techniques they are hard to teach and can get frustrating. So don't cram to much in a lesson have one main goal and some sponge activities incase one student finishes before the rest. All of our students managed to finish their altered books which was a main goal for the class but I would have liked for the students to have experienced some of the mini projects we had planned that we never got to.

I am so glad we were able to have this experience, this preface to the high school setting was great and allowed for a more personal relationship with the students. We experienced some situations within our class that we got to work through carefully, more so than if we had been in a high school classroom setting. I also enjoyed working with a partner, we really worked well together providing feedback and backup when necessary : )! I wish all of the future teachers of UAY luck and hope that they can such a wonderful experience as I have.

BUILDING COMMUNITY...

Building community in the classroom is very important especially in the years leading up to and in high school. They need to know what different identities are out their and that they don't have to conform just because that is what everyone else is doing. Making sure I allow the students to feel they have a say in the classroom I feel is very important. Letting them hold class discussions for deadlines or projects and how they might turn out is key. Also letting students show their creativity through their own brainstorming areas. They may find out they are much more similar to their neighbor in the class than they think. Working collaboratively can help with this as well making sure they are always watching what is going on around them, including critique time can be a part of this. Below are some other ideas I found on a website that are good for any type of classroom.

Article I Found on building community....

http://www.lookstein.org/articles/ten_ways.htm

1) In the Summer, send the students who will enter your class a letter introducing yourself. Tell them a bit about your life (It's good for them to see you are human, too.) and what they will be doing in class. Tell them how excited you are to have them in your class.

2) At the beginning of the year, don't post on your wall the rules you expect to be followed. Instead, have a class meeting in which you discuss the ways everyone in the class community wants their class to function.

3) Continue having class meetings during the year. This should not just be for problem solving. It should also be to vote on issues, discuss concerns, or plan special trips or events. Students learn to become active, participating members in a community when they get to be active and participate!

4) If your school has a "back to school night" or an "open house", don't be the star of the show. Have a class meeting to decide how the members of your class community should present the class to their parents. This is a wonderful chance to reinforce learning, presentation skills and feelings that this is truly OUR class.

5) At the beginning of the year, don't decorate the entire classroom. If it's "our classroom", have the children help you to decorate it in a way that will make them feel some ownership. Of course, you should feel free to hang in advance things that you need in order to teach.

6) Why should the class be "3A" or "5B" all year? Have your students decide on an appropriate name for the class.

7) Instead of arranging your class in rows (a seating arrangement which isolates children and focus all attention on the teacher), try a large semi-circle or cooperative learning pods of four.

8) It is an oft noted irony that while in "real life" people who work well with others are likely to be successful, in school they tend to be called "cheaters". Try to do as much cooperative learning as possible.

9) Try not to yell at or belittle students in any way. Remember that children are human beings deserving of respect? If you have a bad day (and we all have bad days) and don't treat people the way you would wish, be sure to apologize.

10) Set up opportunities for your class to work with other classes. For example, "reading buddies" or inter-class Chesed projects with children who are at least three grade levels older or younger is a valuable opportunity for both community building and learning.

CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT...

During the first few years of teaching classroom management can be key to your success. I believe the reason most teachers leave the profession is because of poor classroom management, which is too bad because it can be prevented in some cases. This is the reason I would like to strive to have an excellent understanding of classroom management. I haven't run into to many problems of classroom management in my secondary art class experiences but, I have in my elementary art workshops. I always find myself trying to use new classroom management techniques with the twin brothers I have in my saturday morning workshop. They are always off task and every time I turn my back they are getting into something or doing something they shouldn't be. I guess over time you will learn with-it-ness and you will know what is going on around the class. It is important to learn and know different strategies so that if something doesn't work for a certain problem you can try something else.

Students that are showing up in class not wanting to participate and not completing assignments usually have some underlying reason why they are acting in this manner. Most of the time if you look at what they are experiencing in other classes (grades, attention, etc.) or what has been going on at home can lead you to an explanation. I believe home life is one of the biggest factors to look at when you are dealing with this circumstance. Most of the students that are acting out in class are just striving for attention and I think one method that can work is including them as a helper or making them have some sort of responsibility. Always letting your students know you are there to talk anytime is important as well. I think children that get punished time after time for acting out need teachers to try new methods. This could prove helpful and better for that child in the long run.

FLYING SOLO...

This last week I taught our UAY class by myself, I was a little nervous but anxious to see how it all played out. We also had a new student join our group who dove right in and seems to already enjoy the altered book project. I am learning a lot through simple interaction with each student. During class on Thursday afternoon we continued working on our altered books and wrapped up the accordion fold books we had made a few weeks before. That seemed to be a great activity to start class with since a few of the students showed up early.
Kayla our high school student and I worked through some issues with the tree structure she is building out of her book. With a little problem solving and wire we fixed the problem and her book is now turning into her vision she had posed at the start of the class. Haley is really surprising me with her dedication to the project and how in depth she is willing to go with the fantasy theme. She has used found materials as well as pages from the book to create this very beautiful natural setting. We also ran into an obstacle with a certain branch she wanted sticking out of her book. We figured out that drilling into the book was an option so in the end it all worked out. Our new student is very into her work and a little closed off but i am sure with a few more meetings and as we get to know each other it will be a different situation.
Next class we are going to do another demo on a Jacob's ladder book and I hope it goes well compared to our last demo session that ended in a bit of a melt down by one of the students. I think now that we know what pushes her buttons we will make sure to stay clear of that certain issue. I am excited to explore this type of book myself since i have never attempted to create one. I just remember having one as a kid and thinking they were really cool so we will see how it goes come Thursday.

SPECIAL COLLECTIONS...

During this weeks UAY class we took the students on a field trip. Since we are going to be creating altered books we thought it would be a great idea to take them to special collections at the library. So we took a little adventure with the journaling group down the way to check out some really neat books. I was a little worried about the combination of our groups because of certain cliques. We just made sure to set ground rules about acting respectful since it was a college setting and making sure we remembered it was a library setting. The girls seemed to understand, there were only a few times a couple had to be reminded but it wasn't as bad as I had expected. I think they all really enjoyed getting to see these very unique books, it gave them a little preview into what their altered books might become through different explorations. I found it very interesting myself because I had never been to special collections and it really opened my eyes to the question "What makes a book, a book?" It is very interesting to think about especially when thinking about all the possibilities and forms books take these days. I will have to ponder this question further during my time with the students and possibly make it part of a new theme while we work along side them. All in all thursdays class was a success and I am really looking forward to diving into the project this next class.

FIRST DAY OF CLASS...

Thursday was the first day of class with our UAY students. My nerves were very uneasy the beginning of the week and up to the minutes before the students arrived. I think all of us were hoping for the best and we got even better! It was great to actually have the students in our classroom, the day had finally arrived. I enjoyed meeting all the students and some shocked me more than others. It really is interesting to see the difference between high school and middle school students. I guess you don't really think of that when you are that age cause all you care about in that time of your life is yourself : ). I am excited to get to know the girls that are a part of our class. I think each individual brings a unique artistic addition to our group and we will have some very fun work coming out of our students. The students were quitter than I expected but I am sure the conversation will come with time as we get to know one another. I am already looking forward to next weeks class, we will be taking a field trip to special collections at the university library. I have never been to special collections so it will be a new experience for me and I am looking forward to the visit.

ARTIST TRADING CARDS...

I KNEW I WANTED TO BE A TEACHER WHEN...

I knew I wanted to be a teacher when… I would help my mom from time to time in her classroom when I was in high school and into college. I had always thought being a teacher would be rewarding but it wasn’t until a few years ago that I realized the talent she had as an art teacher, I wanted to have that too. I have also heard stories from my mom over the years that have lent to me wanting to be a teacher. One thing in particular that I have witnessed over the years my mom has taught is the letters she has received from students. All of them have made mention to the impact she had on them as artists, how she made them feel about art, or how fun she made the learning experience. One student thanked my mom for going out of her way to pay attention to him. These letters may not come within the first few years of teaching and maybe not at all but I want to be a teacher to make a difference and impact the way kids view art. You might not be able to “save” or “change” a child’s life but you can at least try and make a difference. Watching my mom strive to do this in her every day of teaching is what has made me want to become a teacher and I hope I can do the same.

In the first part of our reading from In The Making it talks about how artists are "unencumbered by methods, rules, and requirements" and when you think about this in comparison to a teacher they are actually very similar. Teachers have to think of ideas of how to work around some of the requirements that have been instilled to make things interesting. Teachers don't let the rules and methods restrict them to getting through to their kids. Laramee used her fathers discoveries and notes to construct an exhibit her past served as inspiration for her art. I think we can all use past experiences as teachers and as artists to teach us something new. You can construct a story with things of the past just like I have used my past experiences watching my mom as an art teacher to create my story of why I want to be a teacher.

USING YOUR TALENT IN THE CLASSROOM...

I think my artistic qualities will be useful in the classroom in many different ways. The fact that creativity is usually a strong characteristic of an artistic person will help immensely in the classroom. Creativity allows you to think of new innovative ideas that others might not have been able to come up with. Along with creativity comes being able to think out of the box, for example like some of the lessons in the reading using simple objects most people wouldn't think of for an art project. Artistic people view things differently and I think that would have a major influence on lessons and how you present certain ideas in the classroom. In art you have to be willing to look at all the possibilities and make sure you have considered a range of ideas and this relates to how you have to work with students and respect that fact that everyone has different views and interests. Considering all the ideas to be good ones is something teachers have to be accepting of.

I want to use my artwork as inspiration in the classroom. Depending on the lesson you are teaching you might have something of your own that relates to that particular lesson. Using your own artwork as an example shows your credibility and I think students would see that as a strong point. Most likely you would be able to show more insight to why and how you created your piece of work compared to something you might not know as well. I believe that continuing to practice art while you teach is very important because it keeps you fresh and up on the material as well as an outlet for stresses or just plain expression.

Vieth seems to have a strong belief that you were an artist before you were a teacher so it is important to practice your art while teaching. Allowing them to mingle is very important to be a good artist and teacher. I will balance the teaching of technical skills and still allowing for creativity by including the teaching of the skills during there creation of there own project. Allowing your students to have input is always important, as long as they still feel a part of their own project while you teach the technical skills I believe there can be a happy medium.

A LITTLE ABOUT ME...

My favorite classes to attend in high school were my art classes, especially ceramics and AP art where I was free to create whatever. I looked forward to them and was always excited for the next assignment. In most situations once students reach high school they have a choice of what specials they would like to take. I believe this means that students enrolled in your class want to be there and enjoy some aspect of art. High school was important to me at the time, always wanting to do the right things and fit in. Now that I look back on my four years in high school I realize that all that "stuff" was really not that important in the whole scheme of things. I think it is important to put yourself in the shoes of the high school student or think back to when you were in high school and you might find some things easier to relate to. That is what I believe anyway. I have a cousin that is a junior in high school and sometimes when I am around students her age I think of her and what she enjoys to give me some idea of what I am dealing with. I was very involved in high school... sports, student council, and different clubs. It allowed me to broaden who I was as a person and I also met a lot of different people.

When I think about working with high school students I cringe just a little bit. I always told myself that high school was not for me. The thing that gets me is the fact that I am not that much older than they are and how will I be able to teach them, plus the "attitude" has kicked in. I think I need to throw myself into the setting to realize that their really is a big difference in age and knowledge, which might make me feel a little better. I think we can all learn from each other no matter the age gap. High school students are interested in a lot of things we may not know about that we can learn, which in the long run will help us to close the gap. We will never truly be able to understand why they do some of the things they do but we can at least try to put our arms around it.

I am really excited to start practicing and teaching some of the things I enjoy after a hiatus from the art world. It will be neat to see the ideas that these high school students come up with. I am looking forward to bouncing ideas around and really letting creativity run wild. This semester should be exciting and I can't wait to meet our students.