Today was awesome! I got to be so much more hands on with the students and was actually involved with the class and the projects they were working on. When the 7th graders came in I was able to help them with using the cutting board for their upside-down drawings and trim the edges off. I was able to converse with some of them and they all had interesting things to say about the project. Some really enjoyed the work, yet some thought it was silly to draw a portrait upside-down. One student had a lot of trouble with her piece and she wouldn't let anyone see it. She is in the Special Education program, which Ms. M told me, so she had a lot of trouble with feeling comfortable showing her work. Ms. M said she is sometimes very difficult to get started with projects and it is hard to keep her focused. I hope I can help to make her feel a bit more comfortable in the classroom while I am here.
Overall, it was a great second day of practicum. I was also able to observe the classroom a bit more in detail and take in a few of its features. One such feature I noticed was Ms. M's postings of the classroom rules. She had two poster board typed rule sheets hanging up under the clock, stating the classroom expectations and rules. They were as follows,
Do:
1. Listen
2. Share
3. Think
4. Ask thoughtful questions
and
Don't:
1. Talk more than work
2. Hurt anyone
3. Damage art tools or materials
4. Disturb others
I thought these rules were quite interesting as I read the list. They were so short and concise, yet they really got the point across. They touched on what I thought was a big concern for an art classroom, noise levels. It isn't stated that there is "no" talking, but the way it is stated suggests that. By listening, students will need to be quiet, and if they are not to disturb others it also fits the bill of respectful voices for in a classroom. I also really like the fact that it emphasizes thought. Because art is really all about thought and expression! By asking thoughtful questions and getting feedback, the students will be able to grow socially, academically, and creatively. I feel that the placement of the rules is very ideal as well. Because every time the students look up at the clock, they will be reminded of the rules in place.
During the day I also noticed something very fascinating about the culture we live in today. Cell phones and iPods were rampant in the hands of the young students. It is amazing to me to think that 5th and 6th graders need fancy smart phones, but a vast amount of the students had them. Which brought me to the question of how Mrs. M deals with the use of electronics in the classroom. She told me that most of the students know better than to take their devices out during work/class time, but on rare occasions she sees one come out. In that case, she will tell the student to simply put it away and not to have it out again in class. If she sees it out again however, she does have the ability to take it away until the end of the class period. She usually doesn't need to do that, but on rare occasion she has.
Another question I had arose when I saw a student walk up to Ms. M and hand her a small notebook, got it signed, and left the room. I immediately thought, "Bathroom Break," and it turns out I was right. Ms. M feels that her students have enough time between classes to take care of bathroom breaks, however emergencies do occur. In situations like that, she simply asks for their daily planner and signs them out on one of their passes. If the student doesn't have their planner, they don't get a bathroom break. As simple as that. So it is also making the students accountable for bringing their planner with them at all times. The same goes for if the student wants to go out to their locker for something, the planner gets signed and the student gets a short period of time to get the required object/material and be back in the classroom.
So far working with Ms. M has been a blast! She is so funny and obviously loves her job as an art educator. She has made these first two days in the classroom a great time and I cannot wait to continue on with my practicum experience.
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