I can learn from you, you can learn from me.

Professional Development all day yesterday!  That used to mean that my tushy would be sore and I would be SO tired from my brain not working all day.  Doing nothing can really sap your energy.

It is a good thing that times have changed.  I spent the morning with the other art teachers.  We always have a lively discussion and I always walk out questioning the philosophy of teaching art. 

The afternoon was spent challenging the way we do things as a school.  We saw an awesome video based on a TED TALK that Sir Ken Robinson did a few years ago.  (I have seen it a few times,  but I was just thinking last week that our staff needed to see it also.  I found myself paying attention to the group reaction to his message.  I know how I feel about his words, but it always surprises me when other don't agree with me!)  Then we spent time in small groups and the Iowa Core.

My favorite quote came from a student teacher working in my building.  "I can learn from you, you can learn from me."  I decided to try this out today when I started puppet making with a group of 2nd and 3rd graders.  I asked for a few students to become teachers, to learn the skill first and then be willing to teach the others at their table how to do it.  At the end of the class I asked them if they had any advice for the kids they would be teaching next time.  Many of the comments focused on messing around, and then one girl surprised me.  She said, "Think about your idea and listen to the people around you who may know more than you."

WHOA!  That was the message from our professional development yesterday.  If we as teachers can do this, imagine the possibilities!

Getting started

We started off the school year talking about ideas. (Just like last year!)  I was so excited to see the students already coming in on the first day with great ideas and remembering the routines of the room. 

We started with basic drawing supplies, pencils, markers, crayons and colored pencils.  We will be adding oil pastels and chalk pastels next week for the 1st -5th graders.  I can't wait to see what they do!

End of the Year

It seems amazing that the 2009-2010 school year has ended.  I have really enjoyed working at North Bend this year.  The staff and principal are amazing, but it is the students who have won my heart.  It has been so rewarding to see these kids representing themselves through art and challenging themselves artistically.  

Yesterday I had my 2/3 and 4/5 classes log into artsonia to see their portfolios and write comments to friends about the work they have done this year.  It was fun for me to hear their conversations.  I had one 4th grade boy say that he wished he had more time to put work into his portfolio.  Another mentioned that it was strange to see all of his work together in one spot.  He went on to say that he knew he could do better!   Overall, the students were very supportive of each others work.  Artsonia is a wonderful motivation for most of the students.  What a great place to praise our students for simply being themselves.

Art will be different next year.  This makes me sad.  We will only have art once a week and there is talk that the art room may need to be used as a classroom.  I am not sure if I will be teaching from a cart or where we will make art.  I am not sure how I will adjust my program, but I know that our administrators have the student's best interest in mind as they make their decisions.

Still Life

I introduced the idea of still life to my classes last week.   I defined still life as the main subject being an object that could be arranged.  I may have confused a few kids because I was a little hungry when I put my presentation together and most of the images were of food!  I brought in a big gum ball machine my dad gave me.  I bought gum balls this weekend so they may be even MORE motivated when they see it full!  I also had stuffed animals, bottles, plastic fruit and flowers available.  A few students drew markers, pencils, easels and even the chairs from around the room.  It lead to many discussions about the difference between a portrait and still life.  Some students questioned whether the playground and houses we see outside could be still life.  It was fun for me to hear the conversations and clarifications between students.  It was interesting to see the challenges they set up for themselves. 

Portraits

We have been talking about portraits for several weeks.   The working definition we are using:  A portrait is a representation of a face or a personality.  

Idea Gathering

One of my main goals with my students at North Bend is to help them to recognize where their ideas are coming from.  Artists get their ideas from what they can see, remember and imagine.  Artists get ideas from their interests, their feelings and from practicing with materials.

I am choosing to spend more time on where ideas are coming from, rather than what the final product looks like.  I am aware that the work coming home from the art room may look different than what parents are used to.

I encourage students to represent their ideas in any way they see fit. I allow scribbling and play.  I let students rescue art work from the scrap box and I allow them to abandon their own work when they lose interest.

As a parent, you do not need to tell your student that their work is good or bad, just ask them what they were thinking or trying to do in their work. Their stories are priceless. In the stories you will hear that they are thinking and developing ideas. At the same time, they are organizing their materials and relating their art work to their personal interests. They are comparing their work to things they have seen and thought about. They are evaluating their work and the work of the other students around them.

The art work coming home may look insignificant, but the ideas and process behind the product is the true work happening in the art room.

Welcome to my blog!

A wonderful parent came in last week to talk with me about the art her children had been making this year. She was very kind with me as she spoke, but by the end of our conversation I was quite embarrassed. Looking at the examples of "work" her children had brought home was not helping me feel any better. I remembered the work well from class, but seeing it out of context made me realize that I am missing an important component to the art experience. I need to spend time educating the families about the work we are doing in the art room. It is because of that conversation that I decided to start blogging.

I respect everything that parent said to me. I am thankful that she has challenged me professionally. I have spent many hours reflecting on her words and what my goals are for my work with the children at North Bend.