UAY: Day 1

After reflecting on the first day we had with the students, I can happily say that I really believe that teaching is something that I can find satisfaction in. I started off pretty jittery though. In the beginning of class, when students started showing up, I felt a little bit like we were going to be overwhelmed, or at least me. I was nervous, and I wasn't certain why. It could be the change involved, not everyday do we teach in class rather than learn. Maybe it was the thought that no one would embrace our project. I believe that my biggest fear on day one was that I wouldn't be able to connect well with students in high school, or god forbid, middle school students. I feel so far removed from there world at this point in my life!

All of these fears slowly vanished though as Amanda and I got to know our group though. They were pretty responsive to us and one another. The mixture of students in our group all seem very different, however, they communicate well. One of our members appears to be very talented, you can tell she loves to draw and is working on her skills daily. Another one of our students seems enthusiastic about getting work done, I am not sure how many different artist trading cards he made, but there were plenty! He seems to experiment and not be afraid to try things, very open minded. The other girl in our group is a bit more intellectual than the others, she has interests in music, science, robots, and botany. Very different sorts of thinking, but they all seem to embrace our assignment.

After all is said and done, things will go well and I'm sure that we will all learn from each other. I'm excited to really get to work on Thursday. Oh, and where are all the guys at? Seriously, it's like Studio Arts all over again in there!

Artists Trading Cards and The Inspiration For My Future Occupation!

These artist trading cards were done with colored pencil and ballpoint pen. I really enjoyed this assignment and will be making more! Ok, on to the next part...

When I graduated from High School, I had an idea that I wanted to become an art teacher. I never minded being in school, in fact, I preferred it. I have always been satisfyed by the feeling of being productive. School was a place that I have always worked hard and got things done.

My teachers and my family were supportive of the decision. They all wanted me to go in a direction that would encourage my growth in the field of art as well. Teaching seemed like a good fit to me as well. Teachers will always be needed, and even though the pay may not be spectacular, I've seen teacher's families survive comfortably by being smart with money. Besides, I will have summers to create whatever I want!

Certain art teachers that I had inn high school would assign a due date and that was all they did besides sit around and talk. I didn't learn anything in high school art class!

When I got to college, I was amazed! The first week I was instructed by two professors that I owe much of my talent to. One was nurturing and creative, showing me new techniques, concepts, and tools. The other was tough, strict and brutally honest. He taught us about presentation and the reality of a competitve art community.

The things they taught me, I could have learned in high school. I could have been better earlier. I want to share the information I learned to students. Not just kick up my feet and make due dates!

Blog # 2

I believe that being an artist helps teachers because we are more creative! Creativity gives teachers more options to fix problems, motivate students, and find ways to stretch budgets. Looking at things in a different way than everyone else can enable a teacher find original solutions to old problems.

Creating art has awarded me with several life skills that carry over well into teaching. Patience, analysis of situations, and problem solving are all benefits that have grown through me as I have progressed as an artist. I believe that these skills would benefit any teacher.

I would like to continue working as an artist in front of my students in the future. I believe that this will lead them technically by giving demos and showing them how to use tools and methods. Working directly in front of students also builds respect and trust. One of the first things I do when I sign up for a class is checkout the work of the professor or TA that is going to teach the class if it is available locally or on the internet. If I don't like their work, or believe that their aesthetics will benefit me, I might not take that class. I think that students should realize that their teachers are talented and hard working. Seeing good work can motivate and inspire.

In my assignments I might require my students to incorporate their values, heritage, or likes/dislikes in there work. An artist statement from each student could give insight into what these personal symbols mean in the artwork that they would produce. I want to give students the knowledge they need to effectively express themselves while fulfilling their vision of what the piece should look like.

Think about your experiences in high school, how do you think your past experiences may influence your expectations about high school students? What kind of high school student were you? What fears do you have about working with high school students? What do you think you will learn? What are you most excited about? Post a photo of a piece of your work.

During high school I was pretty laid back, but I was a hard worker. I guess I just never really let things stress me out. I was raised to take pride in anything that I put my name on and I really took this to heart during high school. I was always able to complete my work early with good grades in my AP classes. Art was kind of a let down though. In some of my art classes, the teachers seriously lacked motivation. I had one really good art teacher though. He sort of set up my idea of how a teacher should be. Learning was always easier in his class because he was excited about his job and our projects.
I think that my teaching style will be similar to the way I conducted myself in high school after I get used to my surroundings. I will be laid back but productive and I will take pride in my job. I would like to create a fun learning environment for my students. My goal would be to keep students excited about coming to my class everyday.
My greatest fear is that the funding for supplies will be crappy. I firmly believe that students need to be introduced to good tools early. In high school, our supplies were horrible. My work in college really progressed quickly because of I was introduced to better tools. I want my students to experience what it is like to draw on good paper with good pencils; something I didn't experience until college.
What am I most excited about? Uh, summers off! Duh! Honestly though, it's pretty exciting to think that I will be contributing something to society besides the obesity I serve up every week at my current job.

Here is a finished piece and a work in progress...