This is the best job ever

I have been up to my ears in lesson planning lately, plus I am recovering from yet another "first year teacher" bug (apparently paintbrushes are germ-pushers like you wouldn't believe!), so this blog thing has suffered pretty badly. I'm here to redeem myself a little and to prove that I do indeed work hard for your property tax money!

Claes Oldenburg....Larger than life

(Intro to 3D)

• This lesson begins with an interactive power point about Claes Oldenburg. The students look at some examples and discuss it collaberatively. I facilitate the discussion, provoking art criticism questions (Observe, Analyze, Judge). Here is just an example of his work. Check out more here.

• Following the power point, the students are alloted some time to develop an idea and sketch for a papier mache (yes it is spelled that way....ask the french, not me) sculpture. They are instructed to choose an object that they use daily and is usually not considered a piece of art.
• The first step in papier mache sculpture is to construct your object out of a variety of media. We used wire, butcher paper (scrap paper), cardboard, and masking tape. Don't worry about how it looks on the surface, since that will be covered later. This is a good lesson for skeleton structuring and proportion. An easy object for beginners is a bag of candy. You simply cut two large pieces of paper in the shape of a rectangle, tape 3 sides together, stuff it full with crumpled newspaper (or whatever else is on hand), and tape the 4th side shut.
• After it has been constructed, you cover it with white paper dipped in papier mache glue. This can be homemade or bought. I bought it pretty cheaply from Blick Art, and only ended up using 2 boxes (for 20 students). You don't have to use white paper, but it is easier to paint over. You can use scrap paper, but the computer ink has a tendency to smear when rubbed with the paste. You will need approximately 3 layers, and be sure to smooth it out when applying it. Any wrinkles or folds will dry that way and create inconsistencies that can't be fixed later.
• Allow an hour or two to dry, and then paint to look realistic. You can use tempera or acrylic paint for this. Tempera is washable (good for little tots), but looks chalky when dry and chips more easily. Acrylic looks brighter and shinier, but does not come out of clothing (and is a little more expensive). I usually add a little water to dilute it and make it last longer.

These are some of my students' finished projects. I put a bottle of elmer's glue next to them so you could see the scale. From left to right is a high heel shoe (bad angle of it), large pink eraser (he has since painted "pink pearl" on it), pencil, and sunglasses (the side pieces are folded behind). I'll try to remember to post some more pictures as they finish.

Pets

I know this blog was originally intended to be for art lessons, but I can't resist writing about my pets. You might hear us (my husband and I) refer to them as our kids on occasion, which is completely dorky I know, but it feels like we are parents the majority of the time. So just humor me a minute, will you, while I exploit them?

This is Misty, one of our first pets. My husband left for deployment soon after we got married, and I convinced him that I needed a companion while he was gone. We went to the shelter one day and returned with two very messed up cats. Misty has a stub of a tail and hid under the bed for the first 6 months we had her. She's finally coming around now, after 3 years.

This is Belle (french for beautiful....ironic since she had a crusty bald tail). She's quite the cutie, and she cuddles and purrs all day (and night) long.

Fast forward about 2 months, and I get an email from a lady from church. She has this stray cat on her street that she found near death and paid $400 for emergency surgery. Needless to say she can't justify putting it back on the street, so will we take him? Somehow I managed to talk my husband into it, and before the day is over, we have a third cat (in an apartment that our landlord said could house one cat and one cat ONLY....oops).

Meet Sarge (not sure how to spell it correctly; its supposed to be short for sargeant). Thank goodness he eventually got tired of lounging around in the bathroom sink.

Then along came Jack. After we bought a house and my husband was out of the military, we briefly went nuts and decided it would be in our best interest to get a dog. Oh we were so naive. This dog has wreaked havoc in our home ever since. Within a month he had destroyed our carpet, mutilated his iron cage, killed most of my house plants, and emptied our checking account. So what did we do?

WE GOT ANOTHER DOG, duh!

You could say Bizzy, which is short for Bismark (the shelter named him), completes Jack. They wrestle together, run together, eat together, sleep together. Heck, they even chew our stuff up together! Just the other day I got my out-of-state teaching license in the mail, and put it on the coffee table still in the envelope. A few days later I found it under the coffee table with a large hole in the middle. Who knew a piece of paper worth $40,000 could be so delicious?

All in all, though, we love our animals very very much. They bring laughter into our lives, and have strengthened our patience like you wouldn't believe. Someday we would love to have real kids, but until then we'll keep enjoying the family we've got, hairballs, bed-hogs, and all.

Lesson Updates

We finally finished the toothpick sculpture! Here are some pictures. Some of the coolest ones weren't done when I took the pictures, so maybe later I will post those.

A new way to dress

If I have learned anything this past year, it is that teaching high school is like riding an emotional rollercoaster. I have learned not to take things personally, and when a student says they hate you one day, the next day you will probably be their best friend. I have beat myself up over things, only to find out later that it was all forgotten within hours. Sometimes, though, I slip and let my students' emotional instability get the best of me.

Yesterday was one of those days.

It all started with 2nd period, when I have my advanced students (all upperclassmen). One of them has a poor grade because of neglect to turn in one of the two assignments we have had so far, and as we were waiting on the bell to ring, she said rather loudly "I hate this class." Another student, one of my most talented students, agreed, saying "Yeah, I know. This class sucks." Although I know this was said out of resentment towards me because of the grade, it still hurt. And then the rest of the day was just downhill from there, mostly because I was down in the dumps. When you're in that mood everything seems worse, you know? It felt like I was pulling teeth all day just to get kids to do anything.

A day full of bad attitudes (mine and my students') wore on me, and by the last period I was drained. During my drive home, all I could think about was how long until my husband becomes a millionare and I can quit working. Thank God for my husband, though, and I mean that very seriously. When I got home and told him how I didn't have it in me to teach, he said very matter of factly "You can't quit. I won't let you." Uh, excuse me? Did I hear that right? But no matter how hard I tried to convince him otherwise, he held his resolve. He kept saying that he wouldn't let me give up on my dream just because my feelings were hurt and my confidence was shaken. And he kept reminding me to be patient, it's still just the first year.

Well, today was a new day, and I thank God for that, too. New days mean second chances,refound hope, and renewed energy.

In my case it meant a new resolve.

On the way to work (I have an hour drive), I contemplated what was really important. I prayed over and over that I would shake my bad attitude, my bruised pride, and my lack of zeal and passion. I want to be a good teacher so badly, and it is so hard to be patient. It is hard to accept that as a new teacher I will inevitably make many mistakes.

Colossians 3:12 says "Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience."

As I reminded myself of that verse this morning, I was challenged to look at my students from a different perspective. Maybe instead of beating myself up because a student treated me with disrespect, I should see the student for who she is: a student. a young girl who is learning. learning from me. I should be teaching my students how to be respectful, how to be compassionate, how to be humble, and I should be teaching primarily through my example. Am I treating them with dignity or am I treating them as inferior because they are immature and disrespectful? One of my favorite quotes (can't think of who said it though) is

"Treat people as if they were what they ought to be,

and you help them become what they are capable of being."

Needless to say, today was a much better day. I intentionally greeted my students with a smile, even the ones who hate my class and intimidate me. I was kinder to them, more gentle with them (I'm learning how to be "gentle yet firm"), and more patient with them. And wouldn't you know, their response was more positive, and I was equally treated more respectfully. The day was much more pleasant overall, and it wasn't just because the sun finally came out after a week of hiding. My change of heart had a direct impact on my students, and it felt good.

That's what she said

Dear Micheal Scott,

Your office is charming, your employees make me feel better about myself, and I find most of your humor amusing (in a very twisted sort of way). But I have a bone to pick with you.

Your infamous "That's what she said" line has worked its way into my students' vocabulary and now it rolls off their tongues like water rolls off waxed bald heads.

Ordinarily this would not bother me. Ordinarily it is funny. Ordinarily I hear it maybe once or twice a week, at seemingly appropriate times. "Ordinary", however, is not exactly the word that comes to mind when I think of my students.

Just try sympathizing with me for a minute. Picture yourself demonstrating how to construct things out of clay, using phrases like, "pinch it between your fingers and thumb", "grip it until it has consistent thickness", "it will be wet and sticky at first", and "just keep working with it until it does what you want it to".

Now imagine a room full of puberty-stricken high school students. You guessed it: "That's what she said", followed by much snickering, is prevelant, to say the least.

I'd like insert here that I was a very naive person prior to teaching high school. If it weren't for your classy little remark, I would have stayed oblivious to my "perverted" teaching tactics. So for that I guess I am grateful. That's where the appreciation stops, though, so don't get a big head..........hey I heard that.

Sincerely,

an embarrassed fan and frazzled teacher

*Disclaimer: I do punish my students for saying this, just for the record. Call me mean, but they'll thank me someday.

All in a day's work

• A fter a 3 day weekend, today felt like getting hit by a truck.
• R eally had to pee 7th hour so I left my students unsupervised for 2 minutes....oops
• T emporarily went in sane during 6th hour when I had 19 students all yelling "Mrs. Fouse I need help" in sync.

• T old a student to move to a different table and he refused. Told him to go to the office and he gladly accepted. Hmmmmm.
• E very time a bell rings a teacher gets her wings (and does a little dance inside).
• A t the precise moment I turned around, 5 toothpicks got glued to the wall.
• C ut some cheese during class and it got blamed on a student. Oh yeah.
• H ad to listen to country music ALL DAY (per students' request).
• "E xcuse me, but I don't remember "male genetalia" being part of your drawing assignment!"
• R eally loves my job, especially when the math teacher shares Oreo truffles with me at lunch.

Current lessons

More for myself than anything, I'm going to start documenting my lesson plans and projects. Eventually I'd like to put entire lesson plans on here (or at least a link to them), but for now here's just a brief description:

Drawing/Painting
We're working through "Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain" by Betty Edwards. We just started using the viewfinders, and so far my students are liking it. It is encouraging to see them start to "get" it.

Independent
These students are working on full body self portraits. We just finished studing the proportions of a figure, and now we are beginning a study of the face.

Introduction to 3D
This class is beginning the semester with a basic construction sculpture with the emphasis on the elements of line, shape, and form. They are currently building a 5"x5" composition out of toothpicks and Elmer's glue. The requirements are that it must be round. It has been amazing to see even the most antsy students spend an entire class period (45 min) focused on this. There are some pretty creative ideas growing out of this project.

Ceramics
We have just begun making a clay whistle. We studied the Central Andean Area and how they used handmade whistles for various things, and then researched South American animals. Each student will decorate their whistle to look like a "stylized" version of a particular animal of their choice.

7th Grade
I love this class, mostly because I'm taller than all of them! We just finished their first project, which was a quick pastel rubbing using warm and cool colors. I walked them through their first project reflection and group critique, and I think they got a good idea of my expectations. The first big unit will be African art, in which they will make wax batiks and paper mache masks.

*This semester I have started some new teaching strategies, including daily "sponges" and weekly sketchbook assignments. I'll talk about those later though. I'll try to add some pictures from these lessons, too.

Ready or not, here I come!

So this is my third attempt at writing a post. I've had my profile set up for a couple months now, but to no avail. No better time than the present, though, right?

Since there has been quite a lot of snow lately, life has slowed down a little and I've had some time to do extra things around the house. Tonight I tackled the pile of boxes that I brought home from my parents house back in October. In them were various things from my old room, like photo albums, letters, and little nick-nacks. You know, stuff that really has no use anymore but is too sentimental to just throw away.

I have always loved going through stuff like that for some reason.

I remember as a little girl going though my great-grandma's old trunk with her; everything had a story to go with it, and she was such a good story-teller.

I also remember finding a box of my dad's old track ribbons, trophies, and newspaper articles once. I never knew how good he had been, and hearing him talk about it gave me a new sense of admiration for him.

Anyway, as I was going through all my old stuff, it kind of felt good to think about old times. It always amazes me how much those memories fade. Memories from church camp, high school prom, graduation open house, mission trip to Arizona, college.....so many people in and out of my life that I had hoped to never forget. Yet here I am, a long way from that life, moving on and making new memories with different people.

There was one thing especially that caught my eye tonight, and it did more for me than just rekindle a fond memory. I had a teacher in high school, Mrs. Hursh, who taught me 4 years of French. I was terrible at it, even after 4 years, but that teacher had a lasting impact on me that I will not, cannot, ever forget. I nominated her for an award, actually, and wrote a letter that got printed in the newspaper. They took our picture together, and I came across that article tonight, yellowed with age.

The last line of the letter really struck a nerve:

"Thank you, Mrs. Hursh for not only teaching me French, but also for showing me that being enthusiastic about life is one of the most important qualities anyone could ever have."

Mrs. Hursh died a few years ago, and as I read that I wondered if I had lost the enthusiasm that she had tried to pass on. Has life already gotten so mundane that I've lost my passion, my zeal? I can quote from memory her graduation card to me. She signed off by saying

"Abbey, go set your world on fire!"

And that, world, is exactly what I intend to do.