How to make a difference in young people's lives

As an art teacher I find that I am blessed with the opportunity to make a difference in young people's lives every single day.  Every second I spend in the classroom or preparing to be in the classroom I am building opportunities to strengthen and build bonds with my students.  I have been given the chance to work on projects and ideas with children which offers them the time and freedom to be uniquely individual.

In this way, I am building a future for each of my students by facilitating in their development.  By simply becoming that positive figure, that role model they can look up to and ask questions to, I can help them to feel much more secure and willing to learn and grow.  This becomes my main goal of education.  I wish to inspire my students to be creative and open, to think critically, and to broaden their minds to new and vast ideas.  In this sense, i hope to open these doors so that my students feel comfortable and willing to try new things.

When I think of how to build on these relationships, I know I must get to know my students on a deeper level rather than just chatting in class.  I hope to participate in extracurricular activities, coaching teams, and learning about my students' interests that lay outside of the education world.  By being this inquisitive and interested mentor, I hope to gain a deeper connection with students.  In this way, I can become a driving force in their growth and show them that anything is possible.

"Individuality of expression is the beginning and the end of art." -Wolfgang Von Gothe

To me, this quote means many things.  It describes a very authentic view of art and the idea of how it is created and for whom.  When I look at this quote it makes me feel as if art is never ending.  And that is the truth.  There will never be a time when art is no longer changing, growing, and being produced.  No matter how much art is created, it will never be finished.

Art is the one thing that cannot be ended or destroyed.  No matter what, there will always be a new idea to try, or a new way of looking at an old work of art.  Ideas cannot be stopped, and likewise neither can art.  This is possible because each mind is uniquely different and will always have original thoughts and ideas.  To express one's thought is this movement toward new and uncharted territory.

Even though an idea may have been announced or thought of before, it will always be slightly new due to the variations of the mind.  In this way, art cannot be ended.  It will always have growth and continue to inspire each and every person in a new and interesting way.

Paul Weber: Principal

Mr. Weber was an amazing speaker.  I felt like I got way more out of the discussion than I originally thought I would.  He was very professional and had a good way of bringing the discussion to us in a formal yet welcoming way.  I felt like I really learned a lot and am glad we had the opportunity to have him in our class.

His discussion of how to prepare for an interview was very helpful.  Most of us know you should have a portfolio and work samples, but he gave us some really good feedback as to what exactly we should be thinking about and what to bring to an interview.  His tips and hints will greatly help in the future when I begin interviewing.  I also felt that he was very honest with us and gave us the chance to really know what to expect when interview time comes.

Discussing the concept of benefits and salaries was also very beneficial to me.  I feel like I had a pretty god idea about a teaching salary and how it worked in the current education system, but his discussion really helped me to understand it much further.  I learned a lot about how the administration works and more about coaching in the future as a teacher which is something I am greatly interested in.

Having Mr. Weber talk to us has been a great opportunity for me to understand a lot more about the education work field and what to expect when I am a part of it.  I felt he was our most influential and beneficial speaker yet!

Ways to Stretch an Art Room Budget

There are many ways in which an art teacher can stretch the designated budget for an art classroom.  It comes down to being thrifty, spending wisely, and finding resources that cost little to nothing!

Being thrifty doesn't necessarily being cheap. Good quality items don't need to be sacrificed for thrifty shopping.  By finding supplies in unlikely places such as garage sales, thrift stores, and secondhand stores, art materials can be bought for cheap and still be in near-to-new quality.  Finding a great deal on art supplies can be a big boost to your classroom budget.

Spending wisely also greatly affects the budget of an art room.  Shopping in big Box stores often lead to higher prices for name brand materials, when equally good off brand products might be available from other retailers.  Paper for example is fairly cheap, but when buying in bulk can lead to a hefty sum.  Instead of shopping through a big box store who is the middle man, go directly to a paper factory and buy in bulk there.  More often than not you will get a handsome amount of paper in many different colors, types, and sizes much cheaper directly than through another vendor.

And in an even more economical fashion, it is always great to save some money by using your resources.  Find all of your available resources to material that might not be seen directly as art materials,but can be used in such ways.  My mother for example eats a lot of lean cuisine meals and the containers work great for little cutouts, beads, buttons, and other little craft supplies.  Egg cartons are great recycled materials that work for paint trays.  Looking at the materials you already use in your everyday life can easily be used in the art room.  Going around to all of the other classroom teachers and asking for any old crayons or colored pencils left behind can become a collection bucket and used in the art room.

It's all about being smart and knowing how to use your materials and wen needing new materials, the different avenues of getting them.  An art room budget doesn't have to be a nightmare when you are thrifty and a savvy shopper.

Ramona Carrier: Teacher Presenter

Ramona was an awesome presenter to bring into class.  She was very knowledgeable about Special Education and was able to help answer some of my questions.  She was personable and easy to talk to.  However I felt that a lot of the conversations we had went off on really specific tangents that really didn't relate to the class in general, and were more for personal benefit from some of my classmates.

Ramona did a good job of trying to answer all questions, but sometimes it seemed to skew off too far from her planned presentation, leaving most of the class with unanswered questions or lacking in some areas of information.

She did however have some great information to give to us in handouts and website information.  I felt that I learned a lot from doing the simulation and will use much of what I learned in my own teaching and classroom to make sure I am aiding in the learning of all my students.  Many of the websites seem very up-to-date and will be useful in the atrium. I was happy to have her come in and take with us and I do feel like I was able to get some good information, even though there were times when it went off track.

Three Reasons Assessments are Important in Art Education

Assessment can be a difficult task for many teachers, especially in the Art room when many people find art to be for fun, rather than as an important building block in education.  But assessment is extremely important in all fields of education, even the Art room.

One big importance is through assessments, teachers can evaluate many learning traits and abilities of students.  A lot of the time students may be struggling in a general education class and  teachers may not know why.  Through many different types of assessments in the Art room, teachers can learn on a deeper level of what the student may be going through.  It is a way to see what a child is feeling and why they may be struggling with a certain topic.

Many of these assessments are also important for the student themselves.  It is a stepping stone for them to learn better communication skills through critiques, group discussion, and self-assessment.  Instead of just taking a test, art assessments give the student more control of their own learning and understanding.

One final reason assessment is important in the Art room is that it proves that Art is important in general.  Art is a vessel in which creating and learning blend together.  It is extremely  important for students to understand that they have a voice and can express themselves through art.  It validates the creation and process the students go through and makes them feel as if they have really accomplished something they can be proud of.  Knowing that their work is being graded and assessed, they will know to put pride in it and really strive for excellence.  I feel that if it was just a pat on the back then students wouldn't be willing to really put their hearts into their work, which is extremely important for learning and growth.

That is why I will assess my students in a variety of ways.

Jen Dahl: Teacher Presenter

I thought Jen Dahl was an amazing speaker and presenter for the class. She was relevant, fun, and very informative.  I felt that I was really comfortable asking questions and having discussion during her presentation and she was very welcoming of questions and answered very honestly.

I felt very strongly that Jen is a great teacher and I hope to be as excited about teaching and creating with my students as she seems to be.  I learned a lot about the atmosphere of the classroom as well as other tasks of the elementary teacher such as PLC, PD, and other meetings and groups involved within the education world.  I felt she was very knowledgable and helpful during her presentation.

I loved that she brought in example projects and is really interested in always changing her curriculum.  It shows she is still interested in creating new learning and engaging activities rather than getting stuck in a rut.  I hope that when I am in my own classroom I can be as inspiring as she is in her own classroom.

My Best Characteristic & How I'm Using it to Become an Art Educator

Thinking of what has brought me into the world of education, I reflect on my strengths and passions and use that knowledge to see what it is that in fact inspired me to begin.  I find that one of my greatest characteristics that has influenced my decision to teach is my passion to open doors that may not be available to all if the opportunity isn't presented.  I find that I have a deep seeded need to allow and influence change in the world and through art that change can be explored and utilized in ways that are reachable by anyone.  I want my passion for kindness, acceptance, and peace to influence my students' learning and development.

I have a strong sense of gratitude toward my teachers for giving me the opportunities to learn about so many different things, and I feel that in education, I can in turn give back to those who need it most.  I am passionate about inspiring and opening the minds of our communities' youth and hope to be a positive influence in their lives.  I want all of my students to feel powerful, to feel important, and though the creation of art, I feel they will find that strength.

Not all children will have the same experiences outside of my classroom, but in my classroom it is my goal to create the most equal, compassionate, and fun filled atmosphere my students can have.  I want my classroom to be a safe space, where expression and optimism can flourish.  And I feel that my characteristic of compassion will aid in that goal.

My mother was a teacher and seeing the way in which she has inspired so many lives is a blessing to me.  She has been an amazing role model and guide in my teaching experience so far, and I own much of my compassion and caring to her beautiful example.  It was she who first inspired my love of education and who has continued to help my love for teaching to flourish.

Current Student Teacher Presentation

Having Erin Carr come in to talk to us about her experience student teaching so far was extremely helpful.  I  learned a lot about what is all required for student teaching and it was nice to hear from someone who was actually going through it at the time, not someone trying to remember what it was like in the past.  Her presentation was very relevant to me and was extremely beneficial.

Her discussion of the BE's was very insightful.  I felt like they were very relatable and that they are something that I can work on prior to getting into the classroom to prepare myself for the experience. Having her actually write out a timeline for when edTPA was to be done was also very helpful.  It was refreshing to hear about edTPA from someone who is actually doing it at the moment and to get some tips and tricks from her.

I would definitely suggest having a current student teacher come in to talk to future 308 classes as well.  It was good experience and was very helpful.

First Day Prezi: High School Art

Making my first day presentation was a really fun and interesting to me to actually get in the groove of some of the types of things I will actually be using and doing in my future classroom.  It was a great way for me to really reflect and think about what are my main goals for my classroom and how will it look in a regular semester or school year.

I had a lot of fun and learned a lot about what I expect my classroom to be.  It was also a great way for me to see what my peers are planning and to take some great ideas from them and use them in my own work and classroom.

When I was creating the presentation I was forced to really think deep about how my classroom would look and to actually physically get my ideas and rules down in words.  I don't always think about how something will look in words, rather i usually just think about communicating my ideas verbally and visually with images and interactions, but actually writing them down was very helpful and made me think deeply.

The Prezi in itself was also really interesting to use and I will be able to implement that technology into my classroom with my students when needed.  It was a great way to describe rules, expectations, and was really fun to interact with.  I think I will definitely be using that program in my future classroom.

Here is my Link:
https://prezi.com/1ensjvma888d/welcome-to-art-welcome-to-creativity/

Academic Language and its place in the Art Classroom

I felt that our class discussion about Academic Language was very rewarding and helped me to open my mind to all an art classroom can truly be.  Many times as educators of a specific discipline, we think we are meant to teach only our specific objectives, when that is very far from the truth.  It is much more than that, we as educators, are creating an education as a whole, not individual pieces of knowledge.

Academic language is the idea that while speaking, writing, and communicating in general to our students, we must push ourselves to a more scholarly level.  This will help our students to strive for greatness and understanding of language and higher level education in general.  When we talk to our students at their level, they will only stay at that same education level.  We must elevate our language in order to help our students become more competent and comfortable speaking, reading, and understanding academic language when on their own or out in society.  The way we present lessons, ideas, topic, etc. should be using this type of approach in order to aid in the understanding and comprehension of such topics at a higher order of thinking.  Our students should be able to think metacognitively and critically to gain knowledge and in turn be able to communicate that knowledge with others.

In saying this, I am referring to the prospect that academic language is something I will need to promote, discuss, and aid in learning with my students in the art room as well.  By conducting discussions and working in academic language with my students I will help them to be capable and informed students.  This applies to being able to communicate their own art to others, to understand ideas and topics in art that in other cases would be far advanced for their current level.  Using academic language within my own classroom becomes an educational experience that can contribute to all areas of the students academic career and life in general.

Academic Language is not simple grammar and sentence structure to be taught in the Language Arts classroom, but one that filters through all areas of education and life and must be conducted in such a manner.  Using Academic Language in every area of life and education will only increase the use of it by our students, resulting in a more knowledgeable and intelligent youth.

Where I am now and where I am going in Art Ed.

As I think about my journey thus far in the Art Education program I find that I am continuing to gain experiences that further reinsure my desire to become an art teacher.  I continue to grow in my learning and understanding of my own abilities and where I must improve, and through these learning experiences I find my passion for working with our youth about a topic I find so true to the heart of education.

I have gained many experiences working in and with schools, clubs, summer camps, and other programs to build my confidence working with students, other teachers and staff, and even parents.  Through these interactions I have gained the opportunity to grow in my own pedagogy of education and in how I feel art pertains to the education system and my influence on it.  I feel compelled to continue sharing my own ideas while learning and sharing with others.

I absolutely wish to continue learning more and discovering new and diverse ideas and views when it comes to the arts, but I feel very confident in my own positions of its importance and relevance to our children and schools.  I am confident in arts importance and will be a positive force in keeping it alive and exciting in our schools.  I have much to learn and I know I will continue to learn for years to come even once I am in my own classroom, but I feel very comfortable and excited to start my next journey of student teaching!

My Philosophy of Education

Over my summer with the BGC I was able to put my philosophy of education to the test and really see it in action.  I was very surprised by how it worked and am confident in myself as an educator to make it happen.

My philosophy is all about bringing my students into an environment and be able to share and communicate their experiences and understanding to one another, and then be able to take that knowledge with them out into society.  I feel very strongly that what I teach and what they learn is vital to how they will behave and interact in society. I want my students to be thriving and spontaneous individuals dedicated to bettering our world.  And through my time at the BGC I felt I was well on my way to making a difference with the kids.

My time working with the kids and other staff gave me a bunch of time to plan, implement, and assess the learning and enjoyment of the kids.  Because no matter how much your students may know, if they aren't having fun, they won't benefit from the experience.  If they aren't enjoying themselves and wanting to go out and share their learning with others, then I have failed as a teacher. I desire a movement of education in which my students will be ecstatic and ready to go out into the world and spread their knowledge and understanding with others in meaningful conversations and situations.

By working with the club this summer I was able to truly understand my philosophy and want it even more for my students.

Reflecting on my BGC Summer

This summer has been an extremely important and educationally rich summer for me.  I have had so many opportunities to both teach others and learn myself.  I have been given the chance to work with kids while also communicating with parents and other staff as well.

My time at the BGC was very influential and educational.  I was given opportunities to teach my own lessons, plan last minute activities, and work with other staff to create collaborative projects and activities.   In doing this I have been able to look at my experience as an education major and use what I learned to help me in my future teaching career.

I learned a lot about my own teaching and how to change or adjust that teaching to fit everyone.  Not all of my lessons and activities worked out perfectly.  And not all of them were fun for everyone, but I asked questions and took information from what I say during the activities to better them and learn why they weren't working.  I asked my students what they thought about certain activities and took suggestions from them to try and make them more fun and enjoyable.

Through this, I was changing my thinking and planning activities that they would enjoy.  As much as I would like to think I understand all kids, I really don't.  Everyone is so individual and has their own self that I need to remember what was fun for me as a 3rd grader, might not be fun for them.  This was a big step I took while planning activities.

I learned a lot about my own teaching and my philosophy while at the club.  I took a lot of time to just step back and think about why or how I was doing something and making sure I was doing it the best way possible.  Not just for myself, but for my students and their learning as well.  It was a very informative summer and I am very appreciative for it.

BGC- Special Needs Experience

Working at the BGC has been an extremely rewarding and educational experience.  I have had the opportunity to work with a huge variety of kids including those with special needs.  One little boy in particular was a great experience and challenge for me to test my knowledge and teaching practices to make the experience at the BGC as great as it could be.

The little boy that I got to work with was named Noah, and Noah had a high spectrum diagnosis of Autism, and Cognitive Delay.  He was a very sweet and sensitive 4th grade boy and he was very fun to work with.  He often had challenges when I can to simple tasks such as choosing a table to sit at and follow instructions such as lining up, but he made this a learning experience for me to it was very interesting.  He gave me many challenges and tested me as a teacher, but I am thankful for it all.

One day I was just assisting with a lessons so I was able to roam around the classroom and help those who needed help with a project.  We were making posters for "Peace Day" and each member was to make their own poster.  Noah was really struggling with his poster, it was a large blank white sheet and I could tell he felt very intimidated by the instructions to fill the space.  I sat down with him and just talked through the process again, very slowly and one-on-one with him.  I felt him somewhat ease and to understand what he was expected to do.  Noah has very little speech abilities but I began to understand his actions and words to know he was feeling more comfortable.  I even took a pencil and began to draw on the sheet in broad ideas and shapes to explain to him what he was expected to be doing.  He immediately picked up his pencil and began drawing.

This was an "aha!" moment for me.  I had made a connection with him and he was understanding what was needing to be done, even though he didn't at first.  I was so glad to have had the time to sit and talk with him one-on-one.  This was me changing the way the lesson was being instructed and implementing differentiated instruction.  I felt my teacher mode just click and it was an awesome feeling.

I was able to work with Noah a few more weeks and I felt like I was able to make his time at the club more enjoyable. It was a positive way for me to end my summer and I was very grateful for the experience.  Looking back at it now I have had many opportunities to work with those with special needs and I feel that by getting those first hand experiences I have come to understand the importance of truly knowing and feeling for your students.  In this case, by sitting down and helping Noah I was able to make the lesson more understandable to him, and that made all the difference.

BGC- Taking Disciplinary Action

So today was a very interesting day.  It started off like any other but it seemed to change the further we went through the day.  There was a bit of an incident that I needed to take care of that I wasn't expecting to have to deal with or prepared for.  I had members pretending to be ISIS.

Okay, I'll start with a little background.  Throughout the past week I began to notice a group of members starting to really bond and gang up.  Always playing and hanging out with the same group of about 6.  They didn't seem to be causing any trouble but i could tell it was a very exclusive group and I didn't want it to become a problem among the members so I started to keep a closer eye on them.  And today was the day it paid off, because I heard them while out on the playground pretending to be ISIS and discussing how they were planning a terrorist attack.  Of course these kids are in 5th grade, but it is no joke to discuss things like this so I knew I needed to take action.

I immediately went down to the group and stopped them right away, telling them it was absolutely not okay for them to be playing that as a game.  I wasn't exactly sure what the consequence was needing to be, but I knew a conversation was going to need to take place.  After stopping the initial game, I then contacted my advisor and talked to him about the situation.  He asked me to bring in all the members of the group and he was going to have a discussion with them.  I sat in with the discussion and we discussed what ISIS was and why it was not okay to be playing that at school/club.

The conversation went pretty well and I felt much better about how I handled the situation when my director complimented me on my decision to discuss it with them all.  I was not planning for a discussion on that specific topic with the kids, but it felt good to help them understand it better and know why it is wrong.

I felt like I had made a breakthrough in my education career.  I had to discuss a very important topic and it was good to be able to do it in a smaller group.  I feel that I handle the situation correctly and I hope in the future I can do the same.

BGC Summer Programs

Today at the Boys and Girls Club I was given my first opportunity to teach my own art lesson.  I had the 2nd and 3rd Graders and they seemed to really enjoy the project which was a great experience.  I had my students making 3D fish out of paper.

I explained how the project was to work and the basics of how to put it together, but the kids had free range in what kind of fish they wanted to make and colors and size.  (Many of the kids made narwals because that has seemed to be a trending topic among the kids here at club for some reason.)

I began with a demonstration on how to draw, cut and trace my first fish side and helped the kids to do this first step.  I was able to aid in the needs of a member with autism to draw and cut his fish so that it was larger and easier to manage for him with scissors. Once all the fish were drawn, traced, and cut we learned how to stuff them.  I showed the kids how to glue one edge of their fish together and then crumple newspaper to stuff inside.  Once most of the stuffing was filled we added more glue and began closing the fish.  The kids loved to see how the fish started to bubble up and look 3D.  After they were completely stuffed and glued together, we glued on googley eyes and cut out fins to give it a more realistic and goofiness.

The kids loved their fish and many named them and took them outside to play with them.  I was happy with the result and learned how to adjust the project to benefit members with special needs.  It was good to make a sample fish to trouble shoot and plan for any issues that might occur.  Overall the program ran really well and I was pleased with the results and excitement of the kids.