Curriculum Night

Dear Blogger:

I am tired.

It's not just the long hours I've been working (which are, thankfully, paying off -- I finally feel just about caught up).  Last night was Curriculum Night.

Other Art Teacher and I have been helping our two wonderful curriculum coordinators set up for this event.  We made signs, hauled tables, and hung student artwork based on the night's theme: "Soar with Common Core!"

Teaching Watercolor

Ah watercolor--the bane of my existence some days. Every year, when I teach my kids to use watercolor, the paints inevitably become muddied and quickly wasted in the form of thick opaque globs and strokes in my students' artwork.  As I don't want to go through all my refills by Thanksgiving this year, I feel I need a new strategy, which is where this week's lesson comes in.  (After blatantly stealing the idea from Other Art Teacher) I am reteaching watercolor procedures to my older kids and swapping instructions for the younger ones.

Brainstorming (and Other Things)

This week, my students are learning all about brainstorming and thinking things through before starting a project.  The younger students are being introduced to the concept and beginning to practice, while the older kiddos are jumping right in with brainstorming an idea and then developing it further via brainstorming and research.  Taking those ideas, they begin to create art.

It's been a little hit and miss, depending on the class, but so far?  I'll call it a tentative success.  My students have not often been required to produce anything like brainstormed ideas before jumping into a project.  A fair few were stumped when I ask them to list 3 things they could make art about.  Or things they find interesting. Or cool.  Or that they like.  They could tell me unprompted about all their favorite things in the world or offer a multitude of suggestions during class discussions, but asking them to list those things on paper seems to be such an alien concept that they have trouble understanding how to even begin.  It was an interesting (and somewhat frustrating) phenomenon to witness each class period.

Planning Ahead

Today was day two (and my last for the week) on a cart--when it arrives at least--and it was only marginally less awkward than yesterday.  My second graders were wonderful, but I didn't get to judge my first graders very well as we had to go to an assembly fifteen minutes in.  We had time to cover the rules at least.  I'm excited to have the art room for the rest of the week, as I will have a full load of classes each day.

Now, since academic interventions have not started yet, I have a lot of free time on my hands.  Something that I've been wanting to do--but have never actually accomplished--is sitting down and figuring out a year long set of units or at least a comprehensive game plan for fitting in all those frameworks.

Welcome to Art Class!

Oh the first day of school. I've been looking forward to seeing all those bright little faces in the halls and in the classroom.  The last couple of weeks have been spent in preparation, trying to figure out the best way to start the school year and keep my enthusiasm fresh for as long as possible.  I've read the Teaching for Artistic Behavior book and treated it like any college text book (with likely even more notes written in the margins).  And I found a lovely site with several helpful essays that have given me many ideas and invoked quite a bit of thought about my teaching methods.

Tomorrow marks the start of a new school year.  I"m feeling far more optimistic about it than I was earlier in the year.  There was much drama and disgruntlement within our school district, and with the changes that have been made, the atmosphere was markedly lighter at the district faculty meeting last week.

Things are a fair bit different in the art department this year.  Other Art Teacher has moved to be closer to family, so there is a new first year teacher at our school.  Other Art Teacher II seems quite nice and very quietly enthusiastic.  I think working with her will be fun.  We have also lost an art room due to a large increase in student population, so we are sharing a room and a cart.  It will likely be awkward--I've never dealt with either sharing a room or doing art on a cart--but I'm determined to ignore what I cannot change and just have fun with the kids.  No pessimism or other rainy day feelings allowed this year!

I think it's gonna be challenging, but ultimately very fun.