Reflecting back on this Semester

Reflecting back on this Semester

This past semester has been quite eventful and I've learned so much in these last few weeks.  I created some art, talked about art, and watched kids make art; all these things I have thoroughly enjoyed doing and experiencing.  I gave myself some advice at the beginning and since than I feel that I have learned so much and seen so much that their is more advice I would like to give to myself...

Some additional advice I would give myself is no to become discouraged when some students seem disconnected or disengaged at first.  Some students take longer to warm up to you and open up to you.  Give them time to come to you when they are ready.  Be empathetic, show your students that you care and be accessible to them.  You'll need lots of patience, probably way more patience than you have now.  

Most of the time the students that seem to give you the hardest time are the ones who need you the most.  You will have students that will need you more than others.  Make lesson plans that you would enjoy and engage kids in a way that you feel would interest them and don't be afraid to change things about a lesson that don't work.  Once you start working with students you'll be able to see what works with your students and what doesn't work.  It'll be all about trial and error.  

I think the most important thing is to remember is that you're trying to make an impact in these student's lives, even if you end up teaching young kids they are still impacted by what you create with them.  Not all of your students are going to grow up to be artists or pursue a career in art, but it'll be nice to know you sparked their interest in art and made them realize that they are creative individuals and maybe even grow to love art.  

My Practicum

My Practicum

These last few weeks I've had the opportunity to observe a High School Art classroom.  This was my first experience observing high school students and overall it was a very eye-opening experience.  I observed a teacher who teaches mainly Media Arts classes consisting of Graphic Design, Photoshop, and Photography.  She has taught at this high school for over 10 years now and has taught basically all the courses one could think of.  One of the first things I learned about her teaching experience was that when she applied for the job at this school, they claimed they would hire her under the pretense that she would be in charge of the Yearbook.  Ideally, the art teacher shouldn't be asked to take on an extra duty that is outside of their expertise.  It made me realize that their are duties that are given to teachers that go beyond their job description, and teachers are expected to perform/do these duties without question.  

I had the chance to briefly observe the other art teacher's as well.  I found it interesting that one of the art teachers was told he would teach a stained glass class and he had no experience with stained glass what so ever.  Yet, he was able to create a curriculum that was quite engaging.  He actually gave me some good ideas of some possible art projects I would like to do with my students.  One of the teacher's has the largest art classroom I have ever seen, equipped with three kilns and 2 throwing wheels (though only 2/3 kilns and 1/2 wheels is actually funcational).  I'm glad that I was fortunate enough to observe some of the other art teachers because I learned that every teacher has a different personality and style of teaching.  Some are more laid back and relaxed while others are more assertive and blunt. I see how some students bond with their teachers and come to them for guidance and advise.  I feel this bond is necessary between teacher and student.  I understand not all students are going to want to come to you, but it's important to be accessible to students who may need you.   

My Ideal Teaching Situation

My Ideal Teaching Situation

Once I begin teaching, I would like to think I will always have a say in where I will teach and what grade level I will teach.  However, I'm also aware that if a position opens up and it is not necessarily my ideal option, I may be compelled to take the job.  I've been able to observe Elementary, Middle, and High School Art classrooms and I've gotten a taste of what one can expect.  I always feel I have been drawn towards teaching at the Elementary School level.  I've always enjoyed working with young children and feel that they definitely keep you on your toes.  However, a while back I got the opportunity to work one-on-one with some middle school students and I found that I also enjoyed working with them as well.  I feel middle school is a good age where you can do more advanced art lessons.  So I guess I can see my teaching Elementary or Middle School level.

I've never seen myself teaching at the High School level.  Yet, I've had so many teachers tell me that they never intended to teach High School and they find themselves teaching high school.  I feel in order for me to be a successful teacher I need to become more assertive when interacting with students.  I feel with younger children I don't have difficulty interacting with them, but I've noticed I struggle more to interact with teenagers.  I don't want to limit myself and say that I cannot teach at the High School level because if theirs an opening for an Art Teacher at a High School I'd more than likely apply for the job.

Ultimately, I want to help my students to think creatively, to create freely without fear of judgement.  I want them to push their artistic abilities and be willing to think outside the box.  I want to create an environment where all these things can happen.  I want my students to walk into my classroom and feel that they are in an relaxed and fun place where they can take their mind off of the stress of school.  I want them to learn and grow as young artists, but I also want them to have fun doing it.   

My Portfolio

My Portfolio

Over the years, I have created a variety of work both 3D and 2D that show my strengths and weaknesses as an artist.  It's hard to say which medium I prefer because I seem to do a little bit of everything.  I feel I may be have more strengths when it comes to Drawing and Painting.  But recently I'm finding myself really enjoying working with Clay. I feel some of weaknesses can be shown in my craftsmanship.  This is something I've struggled with 2D and 3D work.  I tend to rush and at times that can lead to work that could be more polished and refined. For my future job interviews I'll try to showcase work that shows a variety of what I can do.  I want to show that I am versatile and can work in both 2D and 3D mediums.  I feel my main weaknesses lie in media arts.  I haven't used Photoshop and Illustrator in a few years and feel I need to practice working with these programs again.  I don't really have a preference of what medium I would like to teach, but I do feel I would prefer to teach 2D as opposed to 3D.  Although, I would have to make an exception for Ceramics.  I would love to teach a Ceramics class.  

College & Career

College & Career

Being a college student, I know first hand what it was like when I was a senior in high school trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my life. It was a nerve wrecking time senior year, trying to decide where I wanted to go to school and what I wanted to major in.  At 18, you're still on the fence about a lot of things so it's alot to ask someone at the age to decide on what they want to do for the rest of their life! I knew I wanted to go to college that was for sure, but it wasn't till my senior year that I decided what I was going to study.  I knew I wanted to pursue a career in the arts.  I just had no idea I would want to be a teacher.  For the longest time I was against being a teacher and disliked the idea of going back to school to teach kids.  I had people tell me that they believed I would be a great teacher, but it still wasn't something I saw myself doing.  It wasn't until I volunteered to help out at an Arts festival where things changed. I worked at a booth there and helped kids make some art.  I can't explain the feeling I got, but that day something clicked for me. Something changed. I realized in that moment. 

I could see myself being a teacher!  

I loved making art and I loved working with kids.  So ideally being an art educator seemed like the right choice for me.  If I were to teach high schooler's I would definitely want to introduce them to some art careers that some of them may want to consider pursuing.  It's easy to pinpoint the students who have an overzealous passion for their art and love to create.  These students will have specific skills and talents that you would be able to recognize.  Once you recongize their gifts you can guide them and inform them on opportunities for their future.  An example being, you have a student who's a talented designer and show an interest in graphic arts you may talk to them about how they could have a career as a Graphic Designer.   Most students don't know alot about what art careers are available to them.  It's alot more than they realize...

Their are so many careers for students to choose from and it will probably astound them to find that their is a career that they can see their selves pursuing.  It's important to really get to know your students and be interested in what they are interested in.  It's also important to give them practical advice, especially if you feel their expectations or ambitions may be too far off.  However, you must always encourage them and be supportive of what they want to pursue and never tell them what to do.  At the end of the day it is their decision.  You can give your opinion and be honest, but ultimately they will choose.  

Collage

Collage

Doing collage is a great way to get your students to use mixed media and use their creative skills to create interesting works of art.  Collaging gives students an opportunity to work more abstractly and incorporate what they have learned about the elements of art into their work.  Students can tear, rip, shred, cut, and manipulate their materials to create interesting collages.  They can use a variety of paper with different color, patterns, and textures.  You can also use paper of different weights and with different transparencies.  Students can use almost anything to create their collages; cloth, buttons, beads, magazine paper, wallpaper, paint swatches, tissue paper, the possibilities are limitless.  

I would encourage my students to create a non-objective collage image incorporating what they have learned about the elements of art.  So this is a good time to review the elements of art with them and also teach them about some different compositions they use for their collages.  

Composition Arrangements 

S-Z Curve 

Radial

Cruciform

Diagonal 

Rectilinear

Overlapping

Pattern

I would show some examples of non-objective collage art to the students so they can get some idea about how they can go about doing their collage.  I would recommend Matt Moore and Greg Larmarche who are both brilliant collage artists.  

Greg Larmarche

I would have students grab what they want materials they would like use for their collages and have them start cutting and ripping their materials and start arranging their collages onto their paper they are going to glue their work on.  This paper can really be any color, though in my opinion using black paper makes the colors and patterns stand out more.  Have student experiment and try different techniques.  Show students how they can create balance and unity in their pieces.  Explain to them that you do want them to have fun and experiment, but still want them to be intentional with what they are doing.  Also be sure that they don't start gluing down their work too soon, have them try several different compositions even until they find one they respond to the most.  

  

Marker Ink Wash Drawing

Marker Ink Wash Drawing

Recently I watched Cindy Foley's Ted Talk on creativity and how young people perceive themselves as being artistically gifted.  I feel that too often I hear people tell me that they feel they are not artistic or creative.  At a young age some students are told they are very creative and art teachers and other adults praise these students on their ability to draw and paint realistically.  On the other hand, other students do not receive the same kind of praise for their artwork and therefore deem themselves as not being artistic or creative.  This mindset is ingrained in children's minds and they carry this with them for the rest of their lives, believing they are not creative individuals.  This is a sad occurrence that happens too often in art classrooms.

As I have grown as an artist and realized my desire to be an art educator, I have often wondered myself what constitutes something to be art and what makes someone an artist.  What I believe to be true is that everyone is creative in their own way and everyone is an artist is their own way.  Yes, I do mean everyone.  But by saying everyone is an artist really mean that no one is an artist?  I do not believe this to be true.  Art can be more than just drawing and painting on a piece of paper or canvas, art can be found in everything and in everyone.  Maybe this philosophy is a little on the free-spirited side.  But I would rather children be taught at a young age that they are all artists instead of having so many children grow up with the mindset that they are not creative individuals.

And on that note let's talk about making some art!

When doing still life drawings it's good to have your students experiment with using wet mediums such as india ink wash.   Another medium you can use to create a wash drawing with your students is washable markers.  Students can do contour drawing in pen or marker and than go back with a brush and water.  This is a cheap way to get achieve ink wash drawings.  Students can draw on the paper and add water to the paper or can add water to their paper and add marker.  Students can also create a palette of colors and add water to create some color swatches.