PHS ART

Rio

2012-02-09T13:43:00.000-08:00

A few works from one of my seniors who spends the majority of her life in my classroom. I am not complaining. She is going to make an awesome art teacher in about 4.5 years!

My Room Looks Like It Exploded

2012-02-09T13:23:00.000-08:00

Sooo, we have been so busy this semester. I got tired of all the 2-D artwork that occurred last semester and I was so refreshed and inspired to start our semester of predominately 3-D courses. On the other side of that comes the craziness of where to put it all. Kids are so funny because they always want to "hide" their stuff so no one bothers it. Hiding becomes putting it behind Mrs. Phegley's desk. Today I laughed as I literally climbed over art to get to my desk. There has to be a better way, I'm just sayin'.

My Little Art World

2012-02-07T06:33:00.000-08:00

When you teach at a little school you find yourself in a unique little world of having to know everything about art. OK, so not really, but you have to pretend you do, or at least act like you do. It seems like a normal high school teacher is expected to know one subject and teach it all day. For me, in class calendar year, I teach 8 different preps. Which means 8 different sets of lesson plans, 8 different curriculum maps, and no textbooks.

That was probably the scariest thing coming out of college and walking into a classroom. Not knowing everything. Give me a giant floor loom and I could rock it out, hand me a piece of metal and I was clueless. But I am getting better, I think...Being an art teacher requires constant learning. I had to admit, as hard as that was, that I just don't know sometimes.

I love my high school kids, they aren't afraid to try anything once, therefore we become guinea pigs together. Although I am going on two decades of teaching soon, I am finally enjoying the learning process. I don't feel like I need to have all the answers. It is really more fun to say "I don't have a clue, let's try it" and together as a class, sometimes we fail and sometimes we succeed with great results. You just never know.

This week, my students are exploring in exploding color in photoshop, creating in porcelain, designing and constructing shoes in cardboard, creating clothing from non-traditional items, and making art from recycled magazines, just to name a few things. It should be a fun week of learning...for all of us!

Art 1/ Art History

2012-01-11T12:08:00.000-08:00

Today is a good day. I have come to remember this year that I actually really enjoy teaching my introductory art one classes, especially when you get those classes where the students really want to be there and this semester I have those classes. They make me smile when they walk in the room.

My students come from three junior high/middle schools to make up my classes. Some of the students have never had art, even in the elementary and some have had art from kindergarten through 8th grade, so in a nutshell there is a large range of learning taking place.

Our first unit is a simple study of line. We talk about contour line and blind contour line drawing and we do the art basic practice rounds of both. For the first time in a long time the majority of these students had a very difficult time of letting go of the control. Contour is loose and continuous and simply implies the form. They simply could not let go of realism and in turn we had a terrible case of bad cartoon image. So learning from that, I headed a different direction. We took photos of each student and I had them trace in sharpie, the contour of the their own face. Once that was done, we flipped the photo. The sharpie had bled through to reveal their contour line drawing. At that point there was an "aha" moment and they got it! We then did four total drawings and took a time out to explore the work of both Andy Warhol and Peter Max. At this point students were then to take their four contour drawings and create a unique project in the style of one or both of those artists. The project is not initially where I intended to go, but I ended up where we needed to be. Our line study is coming to a close and I am so ok with what they learned as are they!

Resolutions

2012-01-05T08:30:00.000-08:00

I have noticed that sometimes I walk away from the blog in times that I find myself overwhelmed. I suppose this fall was one of those times. I am not sure, I suppose it was a combintation of things and I could not seem to catch up no matter how hard I tried, so while my classroom is so quiet as my advanced art students are painting on their large scale works, I decided to jot a note.

I am making some New Year's Teaching Resolutions:

I have decided to make some resolutions in regard to my teaching for the new year. I am not sure any teacher is so perfect that they never need to make changes or improvements and I am truly in need of change. I look around my classroom as I am sure a lot of art teachers do and see a lifeless messy room. To many people it is simply a happy creative area. But for me I want more. I want to create a chic, cool art room that kids want to create in, not just because its the art room and they have to, but because it is THE ART ROOM. I am in the process of brainstorming inexpensive ideas. We lack storage space. Everything sits out in the open and I hate it. I know if it could all be enclosed how nice it would look. We also lack storage space for projects, and I need to be creative in storing those as well. We are in almost an attic area of a pole building, which I don't mind. It is quiet and large. But we also have three style of walls and it is beginning to show its age. I just don't know but I will figure something out. I know I will.

My second is organization. So many kids walk in and out of this room all day. One student leaves something out, ok I can pick it up, but then two, three, 20 students leave things out and I am trouble. I need to be tougher and I need to create spaces for those materials to go. To create a routine which makes it simple.

My third and final resolution is keeping up my blog. I know I can and I need to and I will!

All three are doable, I just need to do it. And sometimes, I might need a reminder.

Parent Contact

2011-11-08T08:55:00.000-08:00

Recently our principal sent us out an email that encouraged us to email or make phone contact with some of our students parents. I had already done this from time to time, but I needed a little "oh yeah" trigger in me to do it again. So I took about a half hour and sent emails to a dozen or so parents. A lot of times, as teachers, we think, oh boy, one more thing to do. We try to find the time to do it. I know when I do find the time, I always feel good after. I don't write much. Just a couple sentences. I always wonder what the parents think when they see that email sitting there in their inbox. Their child's name as the subject and from a school address. I wonder if there is a shock factor. I wonder if they think, "what have they done now..." Monday I got one of those emails with the subject box that read simply "Ali."

So, even though I know I have a pretty good kid, I still thought, "Oh crap." And then I read the email. It was from one of Ali's 8th grade teachers and her words were just what I needed to start my Monday. It was a short note, only a couple sentences. But what she said in those few sentences made me the proudest mom EVER. To get a note from someone that I don't know well, letting me know as a parent that I am doing something right and so is my daughter is a really, really good feeling.

So every time I hear a fellow teacher sigh when we are asked to give a few minutes of our time and our words, I think I will smile inside. They will never know what an impact in a parent's life those few small words, in a short little paragraph mean to them.

Claudine Hellmuth

2011-11-07T11:18:00.000-08:00

My art one classes are going to focus the next week and a half on altered collage/ books. Right now altered collage is booming. My students are always wanting to work in collage but their idea of collage is cutting out a bunch of pictures from magazines and gluing them on to a background. I wanted to find a way to teach them that there is so much more to collage than that. After researching, I found a couple good dvds by Claudine Hellmuth. The thing I like about her is that her style is simple and easy to understand, but the amount of layers and techniques she uses gives the students a great variety and a challenge. She explains herself well and is very detailed in her demos.

Once we finish the video, we will be beginning an altered project. Students are allowed to use the provided canvas or they may bring in an old book or box to create their project.

Side Note

2011-11-07T11:17:00.000-08:00

Love how I am sadly addicting my students to Pinterest. They are having a great time and are constantly pinning and repinning new ideas for projects in our art classes. I love that they are finding an interest in our classes outside of the traditional class day! Way to Go!

Pinterest Project

2011-11-02T12:41:00.001-07:00

We are working on our first project based off of Pinterest. I found this one and it was perfect for Painting and Drawing Class. They were ready to move in to painting and drawing on a unique surface and this project did the trick.

The site for the project is http://www.freewebs.com/agnestheredtutorials/gessomagimages.htm

Engaging the Parent

2011-11-01T10:37:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday and Friday were parent teacher conferences. If you are a high school teacher you honestly know what that means. The best image I can give you is to think about a ghost town with tumbleweeds blowing across the classroom. It means, no one comes. There are a few parents that stroll in but usually they are here for another reason or they are the ones who have the kids that really aren't a problem and get good grades. I wondered why we as parents just stop coming.

In the elementary, everyone is at the conferences. You park yourself in the little tiny seats outside your child's classroom waiting for your assigned time and you pray that you only hear good things and that the teacher doesn't ask you if there is anything they should be aware of that would be causing an issue in school.

As a mom I have been to my fair share of conferences, every year from Kindergarten through 5th grade. Once my daughter hit middle school, something happened and I stopped going. I don't know why really. I suppose because she had all A's and I knew she wasn't behavior issue so why go and take up the teachers time. I am not sure that is everyone's reason for slowly disappearing from the realm of the parent teacher conference night, but that was mine. I don't want to be that parent that shows up and the teachers think "why is she here?" or "she is only coming to hear how great her kid is" and then part of me thinks, I wonder if they think I don't care? It is kind of a catch 22 as a parent.

So my question is, how do we as educators get our parents more involved in what their children are doing without the parent/ teacher conferences? Our school offers short awareness nights on topics such as Internet or online grading. The most recent is one on prescription drug awareness. I know as a teacher I send home emails to parents on their kids, just letting them know I enjoy having them in class, or something I would like them to work on more. Many teachers have websites and blogs such as this one, that talk about the daily comings and goings in their rooms. We even have online grading and parents have access to their students assignments and grades on a daily basis. By doing that, I wonder if we give them all the info they need so they don't feel like they have to contact us. I think about myself. What would or will get me into the school as the parent of a high school student next year. I guess I will find out.

If you have any ideas, shout them out here!

EIU

2011-10-31T08:35:00.000-07:00

basic 10-20 second gesture drawings to incorporate in to the contour drawing

working on drawing textures

The advanced art class and the drawing/painting class attended a class at Eastern Illinois University instructed by the Art Education students as part of their practicum time. They were given a tour of the faculty exhibit and then were directed in creating a piece of art based from a particular artist. The idea of the project was to create a triptych style work. For the sake of time, the students only created two separate drawings. After cutting them in half, they were then asked to piece them back together.

The projects were created in charcoal. A little messy but fun. It was interesting watching the student teachers work with my kids. Watching the EIU college instructors was interesting. It reminded me of the time I had to do and all the fears I had facing a group of students I didn't know. You could tell who was comfortable and who had no idea how to handle the normal high school kid. Right then and there I could tell who was going to be a high school teacher and who was going to be elementary. If you have ever taught high school, you will know, they are a different breed. All in all the kids enjoyed their day and I enjoyed taking them out and experiencing some great art!

Fantasy Photoshop

2011-10-31T07:22:00.000-07:00

by Meredith

by Alec

Photo 1 students have begun to "play" around in Photoshop. We are looking and learning the very basic techniques of combining images together to form a single image. One of the first assignments they had was to create some sort of fantasy scape in photoshop. We rely a lot on using the many online tutorials to help us learn. I enjoy them teaching me what they learn, so after they finish creating, we have a show and tell time where the students have the chance to teach us the new tricks and tidbits they learn!

coming back

2011-10-31T07:03:00.000-07:00

It has certainly been a long time. I would love to have a great excuse, but illness and being overwhelmed at the end of the nine weeks, seems to be it. My kids have been working so hard despite my lack of enthusiasm. I hate it when you don't feel good and no matter how hard you try, you can't seem to shake it. I am working my hardest to get over it and get back to being super duper art teacher!

So today my plan is to get some student work up and to show you all how very busy we have been!

Addiction

2011-09-26T12:04:00.000-07:00

I will admit it, I am addicted! Pinterest is my new favorite thing in the whole world, or at least on the Internet these days. If you haven't been there, try it. And you shall soon be an addict too!

Sister School

2011-09-22T08:36:00.000-07:00

So recently I sent out a request on Twitter and even a couple emails, but have no response. I am looking for a sister school art program. I would love to hook our programs together and share what we do. If you are interested, send me a note on there. How much fun would it be to brainstorm and share ideas and artwork! We don't care how far away you are!!!!!

Brain-Freeze

2011-09-21T12:47:00.000-07:00

I don't know if anyone ever has this happen, but sometimes I simply feel uninspired. I have artistic brain-freeze. I search and scour the Internet for new ideas for my kids. Some great project that will wow me, and little miss negative Nellie (that's me) looks at them and thinks, "well that is just about the ugliest project I have ever seen", or "already done that." All kinds of things. But, nothing just hits the spot.

Today is one of those. I have been scouring and scouring and can't find anything truly cool to try with my kids. Sooo, if you are out there and feel like you might want to share with me, I am all for it! Bring on the ideas, I need them!

Advanced Art

2011-09-21T07:52:00.000-07:00

Right now the advanced art students are working on a second portfolio piece. This particular project is open subject matter and open media. In the words of my four year old... we'll see.

OIL PASTEL PORTRAITS

2011-09-20T11:19:00.001-07:00

Imitation

2011-09-14T12:20:00.000-07:00

So, outside of school my very good friend and I have a wedding decorating and coordinating business. I love my job, but I also enjoy this new venture in my life as well. I get the chance to use my creative side by designing and arranging new venues for special events. I am always planning a party, how fun is that!

We work so hard to come up with creative and exciting ideas for the people we work with and for and because of that, by word of mouth, our business is very productive and exciting.

Brainstorming for us is getting together and hitting Jo Ann fabrics or Hobby Lobby and doing a little visual shopping. We also do a lot of Internet reference as well. But one thing we are so proud of is that our ideas are our own. It may take us a little longer, but then our clients get a one of a kind event and things turn out great!

I understand that "imitation is indeed the sincerest form of flattery" however when someone imitates you or your work, sometimes it is a bitter pill. We have had that happen to us recently, and I am not sure how to take it. I know it shouldn't bother me, that it should make me feel good knowing that someone else enjoys our work enough to reuse our ideas. However, when it took us a while to come up with things, it is awful tough to be OK with it. My other concern is that when we feel we give our clients that individual personalized event, we turn around and see someone else giving their client our same event, it isn't so personalized anymore.

I guess my thoughts are if you are going to be a in a creative business shouldn't you be able to be creative enough to come up with your own ideas or at least make them your own by alteration? I don't know, something to think about.

2011-09-09T07:28:00.000-07:00

As we are getting ready to venture into the art of Matisse, Picasso, Cezanne and Braque, I always start my students out with an artist that they can relate to and they simply "get." We watch a video on Alexandra Nechita.

At the time the DVD was made, she was a high school student talking about balancing her high school life and her art. I think it is great for them to see someone who started enjoying and creating at a young age and taking her works to where they are today. Today she is still creating and graduated from college a few years ago. Her work is inspiring and the DVD is great. 20 minutes, to the point. Check her out. http://www.alexandranechita.com/

Blogging

2011-09-08T11:51:00.000-07:00

I often wonder if anyone really reads my blog. It doesn't really bother me if people do or don't. I guess I feel sometimes as if it is more a therapeutic thing for me. Like now for instance. I find it hard to believe that tomorrow is already midterm of the first nine weeks and although I need to be grading and getting those into MMS. I can't. Right now at this very moment, I simply can't think. My head is spinning about lesson plans, grading 200 projects that all came due at once (and I am not even joking, it really is 200), keeping certain students busy who I know will find more unproductive things to do if I don't keep them focused, how we are going to get a float built and powder puff practices run if we don't have a theme yet for homecoming, getting my art club meeting agenda settled, scheduling a field trip... And on top of all this I have to go home tonight to make supper, check homework, pick up my house, give the four year old a bath, and do laundry. And now you can completely comprehend how one becomes so overwhelmed they can't do anything. It's paralyzing.

My husband used to be the one who always thought teaching was so easy. He would laugh at me when I would come home at the end of the day tell him I was exhausted. Then he would reply..its not like you do much except spend time with kids all day. .......No really he has said that to me on more than one occasion.

What I think he and so many people do not understand that a teacher wears hundreds of hats. Hats that mentally exhaust, physically exhaust, and sometimes spiritually exhaust. We are known for being cheerleaders, inspiring and motivating speakers to those students we see everyday. We are the motivation that keeps students going and doing and growing. Sometimes I wish I had a teacher that I kept in my coat pocket that I could pull out, set on my desk, wind them up and let them go. My own little motivation and inspiration when I needed it. My own personal cheerleader.

So many teachers out there feel completely under appreciated. We are asked to raise and educate today's youth. To instill what values we can with all the underlying "junk" that they already have in them from today's society. And the minute one of those kids fail, it becomes the educators fault. Sometimes I want to fire back, you try it. It is easy to lay blame, we always need someone to blame or at least we think we do. Perhaps before laying the blame, we need to step back and see the bigger picture. We are not superheros, we are people. Plain ordinary people who love what we do and try our best everyday. Some days are better than others, but still we try. So to all you teachers out there that are sitting at your desk at this very moment, completely overwhelmed and don't know what to do next, know that I am out there for you. In the land of bloggers. I get it and I get you. You are awesome. Don't forget it. Oh and thanks for making a difference in the lives of our children today.

Day 1 Creativity Challenge

2011-09-08T08:33:00.001-07:00

Last night, while grading art projects, I did my first day creative challenge. I made playdough. You remember playdough. We use to love the stuff! Of Course, some of you weirdos out there, ate it;)

Now my son loves it and so I decided that heck, I'll give it a whirl making it. Let me preface this with, I tried making it last week and after three very unsuccessful batches, I deemed myself a failure. But it turned out so easy ,with the right recipe and so fun! Little Mr. Jake took it to school today for everyone. He was quite the proud 4 year old and I am quite the proud art mom!

RECIPE

2c.flour

1c. salt

2t. cream of tartar

1 pack of koolaid

dump in a sauce pan and mix together

2 cups water

2T vegetable oil

any additional liquid food coloring if needed

add to saucepan

heat on low/med.low and stir

it will form a ball as you stir

dump it out and knead it on the counter

store in ziplock

PERFECT PLAYDOUGH

*thanks to one of my FB Friends for the recipe!

30 Days of Creativity

2011-09-07T11:59:00.000-07:00

I stumbled upon a site today that is http://www.30daysofcreativity.com/ Pretty cool really, it is all about taking a few minutes every day for 30 days and being creative. It states that creativity is like a muscle and the more we excercise it, the stronger it gets. Although this was meant for the month of June, I am going to take the challenge starting today and see what happens. I don't know if I can "man-up" to this task, but I am sure going to give it a try. If I succeed I will try and post what I do each day on here!

Photo One - Basic Image

2011-09-07T05:55:00.000-07:00

photo by Christine A.

Photo By Aubrey L.

Photo By Jordan B.

Photo By Jordan B

Trying to decide what to teach the first few weeks of Digital Photography has always been hard. Kids want to jump right in and take pictures. I have read several blogs and lesson plans but none really fit us. We only work in Photoshop CS 2 and we really need the basic beginning. The first thing I have to do is make sure that students understand that a camera is a camera and a phone is not a camera. Then we read the camera manual. Yes, I make them read it. Heck most adults don't know all the things their cameras can do. We talk about the idea, that although it's fun to hold the camera out and take pictures, that isn't something we turn in for a grade and if you are in the photo that means you are not taking it so don't turn that in either (no I don't encourage the timer right now)

So our first project is simply about basic photography rules. We talk about Rule of Thirds, diagonal and curved lines, simplified background, etc. Photoshop basics are focused on such as cropping, cloning, using curves, and working in color. Most years the projects are pretty average. They learn the skills but don't care about taking their image much farther. This year, I am quite proud of how excited many of them are in taking a little extra time in their imagery.

2011-09-07T05:49:00.000-07:00

On my way to go get my much needed Iced Tea with 8 splenda from Mickey D's this morning I pass by a student who is riding a UNICYCLE....to school. And I begin to think that may have been my sign for the day of what is to come! Happy Wednesday.

The "TIES" have it!

2011-09-06T12:58:00.000-07:00

Our first project in art history, formally known as Art I was to study the artwork of Peter Max. The 8th hour class took his work one step further and created ties in his style. Pretty Cool outcome!

Drawing Class

2011-09-01T09:09:00.000-07:00

From Ordinary to Extra-Ordinary is the book by Ken Vieth that our current project was obtained. I like this book alot. It is all about challenging my students and taking them past initial drawing into creative thinking and problem solving strategies.

The assignment was to create a drawing which would then be created from "pencils." You can draw anything, but to come up with something that would work well with the idea of the pencils created a challenge. Several students re-started once they realized their basic subject matter was not going to work. It was so interesting to watch this lesson unfold.

Is There Such a Thing as the perfect Assessment Tool?

2011-08-29T08:10:00.000-07:00

Assessing art students and their work is probably one of the most challenging things there is in the role of an art teacher. Sometimes I think people think, we take a big stack of art and simply lay it out in piles of "a", "b", "c", and so on. Wow wouldn't that make my life simple.

Art teachers are all different when it comes to grading and I cannot pretend to think that my way is the right way or the wrong way and let me tell you, I have gone through a lot grading techniques in the past 17 years. This year is a transition year in the way that I am grading. ( I may sound from this point on as if I am all over the place, but bare with me people, I do have a point) This year our high school has begun a new style of teacher evaluation. One that not only looks at how we teach, but also how we improve, how active we are, and how much we are willing to grow. So I thought what the heck. If that kind of evaluation is going to be placed on me, perhaps I can place something similar on my students.

So this year, with every project a student turns in, they must turn in a personal assessment as well. The assessment asks them to answer questions that make them think. Questions such as how well they felt that they answered the question at hand in the assignment, how did they address their challenges, did they ask for and receive the help they needed. The assessment is based on composition, growth and progress, effort, work habits and ethics, solving a problem, and the overall impact that they think their art makes on its viewer.

In order to obtain the right assessment, I really, really researched online. I had to keep in mind the students who would be reading and answering these questions. I tried to make it user friendly. I could have used huge, super fancy wording, but really what was the point. I want the students to understand what they are answering. Once the students self assess, then it is my turn and I will assess right next to them. I want them to see how their ideas and my thoughts overlap. This is after all a learning tool. As we get comfortable with self-assessment, then I am going to slowly start tacking in some of the learning standards from my curriculum map. I want to see if the students think they are getting what I am hopefully putting out there in my lessons.

So far this years new assessment is going pretty well. The students are receptive and I am enjoying hearing what they have to say. Not to mention this is a great tool for me to make sure that I am on target in their eyes!

Artist of the Week in Art History

2011-08-18T08:38:00.000-07:00

Peter Max. Interesting fellow. I don't remember ever studying or even looking at his art when I was in school. But you know, he is pretty darn nifty. I love when an artist has a unique background and a background that kids think are cool. Working with the Beatles, painting Taylor Swift, those things are cool to them. So if I can make it work and add in all the other great things he has done, then I make it count! They are working on sketches today and starting the project the following day. I really want to do something very cool, but I am not sure what yet. we will see!

Check him out! http://www.petermax.com/

Welcome Back!

2011-08-16T08:55:00.000-07:00

Another year and another great group of students! We have huge numbers for our small school, so I am looking forward to seeing some great work coming out of them. The summer gave me a lot of time to sit back and re-evaulate my lessons, my teaching, and my overall "what kind of teacher do I want to be" ideas this summer. I am not sure I came up with concrete answers, cause part of me likes who and what I teach and the way I have done it, but there are some places and things that I see stepping back that could make what I do a little stronger and possibly reach some kids I might not have reached before. This year I am looking at challenging them a little more. I want to see their strengths come through in their art. If they create a good piece, next time I want to see better. I think it is time for me to quit settling on my students being good. I want them to be great!

We are starting in our Art History classes with a project on Peter Max. Very cool guy, and very fun art for the students. I look forward to see just what comes out of their ideas! Photography is going to have a mix of old and new but first we need to learn our cameras...wow do we need to learn how to use our cameras;) Drawing class is going old school. I watched the Bernstein Bears the other day with my four year old. Yes you heard right. Bernstein Bears. Brother Bear was taking an art class and was being taught to draw circles and squares and triangles..and hated it. He wanted to draw people, places and things. His Art teacher told him to have patience and those things would come. I would have to agree.

So here we go off into a new year, so wish us luck!

Happy Stuff

2011-04-27T06:45:00.001-07:00

One of my seniors made this great present for me over break. I love everything vintage and she does too. She created this awesome Kerr Mason jar as a "photo holder" of sorts. She used an oil and mica on the inside. So amazingly cute! Thanks Miss Ashton!

Spontaneity

2011-04-15T12:03:00.000-07:00

Sometimes you just have to have fun when you teach. Today, last hour was one of those times. I have an extremely good sized art exploratory class that ranges from freshman to seniors. I really like the vibe I get from them all the time but since they began this semester we have been confined to sitting at desks until today. As the Cupid Shuffle came on, I announced I did not know how to do this dance. One of them suggested that they teach me. Now in a normal teacher moment, a teacher would have laughed that off. BUT, due to the fact that it is only a few short hours before spring break, and in a few short hours before I leave for Florida I said what the heck. And we did the CUPID SHUFFLE! What great fun with those kids! Kids keep memories from school. they are not memories about reading a great book or doing a fantastic art project, they are moments like this. It will be one of my favorites too. I believe one of the kids video recorded it so as soon as I have access to that I will proudly display my new dancing skills!

In the News

2011-04-11T11:16:00.000-07:00

The Paris Beacon News came and did an article on the Portfolio Class at PCHS. Very proud of my students. Here is the link! http://www.parisbeacon.com/articles/2011/04/07/news/doc4d9e0584c162b106625923.txt

What it Takes to Make Things Work

2011-04-11T10:37:00.000-07:00

I am the first to admit I am not good at delegating. It takes everything in me to let go of that control and honestly sometimes to me it is easier to simply do it yourself than it is to take the time to let someone know how to help you. This weekend, while in clean up mode after prom, a great friend said. "Stop, slow it down and tell me what I can do." Sometimes we all need to hear those words from someone. It makes us step back and regroup. it also lets us know that we have great people in our lives to love us enough to help us.

This weekend, I had a great group of friends who helped Staci and I make it through prom. These ladies were amazing and stepped up to help where we knew we would falter. It started last year with a group of women who helped with Grand March. This year the group grew in numbers and helped the event run flawlessly from what I have heard. So thank you to Linda, Michelle, Denise, Carla, Pam, and Michelle. And thank you to Kevin, our head of maintenance for all your stage setting and chair moving! You guys did an amazing job. We are so happy to have you each and every year! And prom this year, we had the best turn out of faculty we have had in a long time. They of course are always awesome, staying and just keeping extra eyes out there. But to be honest, our kids were great as usual. I think one of the best things that we have ever done is to move our prom from our little town in to a different environment. The kids now have a reason to get dolled up, limos ordered and truly have a night on the town. So proud of how they are in this kind of social situation. They were polite, funny, and kind. I look forward to prom each and every year for that simple fact. The best part about my job as junior class sponsor is working with great kids, wonderful faculty members and parents, and an excellent co-sponsor!

April 5th, 2011

2011-04-06T10:23:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was election day. I talked in my last blog about the amazing opportunity that the community of Paris, Illinois had sitting in front of them. A once in a lifetime chance to build a new school. I headed to bed quite nervous, I did not know the outcome, that is, until my 12 year old burst into my room and said "I just got a text, it passed!" I sat there looking at her and I know I didn't believe her at first. I grabbed my phone and climbed on Face book, the end all and be all in my world, and indeed she was right. Last night I had trouble falling asleep. It seemed surreal. In only a few short years, we will have a new school thanks to all of those individuals who worked so hard to campaign and those members of our community who simply marked a yes box. This morning when I woke up I came to the realization that my daughter would be in one of the first graduating classes from this new school. I also came to the realization that I have a few short years to get a lot of work done. My daughter kindly reminded me of that when she said to me in the middle of breakfast this morning, "Mom, what are you going to do with all that stuff in your room?" And there is where reality sank in. Wow I have a lot to do. Sorting, purging, organizing. It will all have to be done. There are things in my classroom from so many teachers before me, I have yet to discard, because I, like all art teachers, can't throw anything away. So now begins phase two of this wonderful adventure. I will have to post the randomness of what is in the art room from time to time so that all of you can gain an appreciation of my newest task at hand. Thank you again Paris Community for making our young people come first!

Today is the Day

2011-04-05T10:31:00.000-07:00

Today is one that can go in the City of Paris' history books. Today our community is given the opportunity to better the lives and education of young community. Today we have the ability to Vote YES.

A little less than a year ago, we found out that our name was up on a building fund list for the State of Illinois. We were up for a new school. The State of Illinois has money (and yes they actually have it!), money that makes up 66% of building costs toward a new high school. We, the community of Paris are voting today on a referendum to fund the other portion. A portion that will build a children a school where education and technology will bridge together and spring our students into the educational world of today and tomorrow.

Talking to a fellow co-worker this morning, I was telling him that my tummy was full of butterflies today. He said you know, 102 years ago, our community put aside fears and the thought of taxes and did something for the good of our young people and our community. 102 years ago they built a new school. I only hope that our community can see it that way today. Wow. Well said!

I was one of those people who questioned this new school at the beginning. I honestly thought, no way! No way did I want my taxes to increase, in already ridiculous State of Illinois- County of Edgar tax world. My answer for the first few months was HECK NO! And then I did something. I educated myself on the pros and cons. On the finances, and the interests. I looked at how it would affect me as someone who worked in the school, as a taxpayer in the district, and as a parent.

I can tell you the very moment that my opinion changed. I came to see my daughter who attends the middle school perform in a school play that was held at PCHS. As my parents and I walked into sit down in the auditorium, i turned and looked around. I have been in that room over a hundred times in my job at PCHS, but for the second time in my life, i was there as a parent. I watched people avoid, and then finally forced to sit in seats which the backs were broken off of, that there were no longer desks attached to, but the brackets still sticking out of, looking at carpet that was heavily stained and worn through in many spots. And then I realized it. Wow. We need help. We have the ability sitting before us to build something new, or later down the line, we will have to shell out the money into a 102 year old building to get it back up to standards and code. Which will cost more? Anyone that has restored and older home or car knows, there are points in time when you are investing more than it cost to buy new.

People are questioning the idea of what a new building will do to improve test scores and education on a whole. Education is taking off in leaps and bounds. Right now technology and group approach is where education is going. Innovative and creative. Exciting. Technological. We try our best here at PCHS, but you can only do so much with what you are given. People look back and say you only have 600 kids in that building at one time there were over a 1000. They could handle it, why can't you?It isn't about the numbers of students, it is about the quality of education we can offer. This school was not built a 100 years ago to house and run, computers, smart boards, wi-fi, laptops, computers, and machinery that we use know as everyday items in our educational process. The simple fact is, if PCHS wants to educate in today's world, we need the facilities to do so.

I hope that people open their eyes and see that this once in a lifetime chance brings to us. We have the ability to give back to our community. If the citizens of Paris could see it 102 years ago, I hope with all my heart the citizens today can as well. What could be better than that!

Whirlwind

2011-04-05T09:08:00.000-07:00

It's been quite a while since I have written. Alot of things have gone on in the art department. Although I am exhausted, I am so excited about the talent that we have in our little part of the world. We have spent the last two weeks working on the sets of Beauty and the Beast. If you have never been to a PCHS production, then you don't know what you are missing. Dan Lynch has the ability to bring these kids together to become something that a small town just doesn't get to experience. We have around 600 students in our school and there are over 140+ in the play, not to mention the students who paint the sets (us), students who build the sets, the orchestra pit, the lighting and stage crew, and the students who work on the programs, etc. It is indeed a site to watch happen. I believe that these sets were some of the more challenging to accomplish due to the detail and scale. I am so proud of my kids who worked on these and made them happen. I love seeing them take ownership in their work. It is a very proud moment and as usual I cried at the end of Sunday's finale performance watching it all come together. There is so much heart and emotion in it all!

In between work for the musical, we entered our work into one show this year. Normally we have three or four, but with our schedule, time didn't permit me to get it done. This year we have several amazing artists who shined in the County Wide Student Show. Millie Arp won overall 2-D for a painting, and we had one honrable mention for another painting by Emily Turner. In the 3-D Category, Millie Arp captured 1st place with a metal sculpture and Ashley Lee, a second place for a ceramic piece. These projects along with the rest of our fabulous work will be showcased in an upcoming blog.

I began going through my class numbers for next year. We have 600+ students in PCHS. At this point I have 237 students signed up for art next year. I cannot explain the feeling I get when I see my numbers go up and up. I started here 5 years ago, after coming from teaching elementary and high school at another school. Five years ago I began with 78 students in my program. Today 237. The jump in numbers of students who want to be a part of the arts is something that gives me goosebumps! I am so proud of the fine arts department as a whole for encouraging our students to dare and dream!

Today, the newspaper is coming into our classroom and they are going to highlight the Art Department in an upcoming issue. I am so proud of how far we have come and that our community is showing its support in the arts. What is dying in some areas of our country is growing and producing in our small community. Today I feel blessed!

What Are We Working On Now...

2011-02-24T10:35:00.000-08:00

So lots of things going on in the Artroom these days. Now that the snow days are over (crossing my fingers and toes) we are really rolling along. We have a show coming up next month and I am looking at a lot of great work to put in it.

Art I students are working on some stone mosaic and perspective drawing. I always put off perspective. Funny how we don't like to teach what we don't like. As for the stone mosaics, they are kind of interesting. Kids are running all over the place in thought on these, but I like it that way. My art exploratory students are working in oil pastel on a study of georgia o'keefe. Although they are not all fans of the flower, I have finally gotten them past the point of looking at it as a flower and simply studying the shapes, forms, and colors. They are simply amazing. I am really enjoying this exploratory class. They are only in here for a semester, but wow do they have some serious talent!

Photography and graphic design II has entered a fantasy world. And as I am typing, there are working away and I can't hear a simple conversation. They are so into what they are doing. That makes me very, very happy.

My Advanced Art girls are working hard on portfolios. They have to have it completed by the end of the school year and some of them have a long way to go. But the work is strong and that is what I want to see. Soon I am going to be spotlighting them one at a time.

Ceramics class is really doing a nice job. They have just finished hand building teapots and are working on dimensional story plates. I am really excited to see their completed pieces. They are the first group in a long time that is acutely aware of detail. YEAH!

Hand Arts class is just fun! They have finished some weaving of baskets (yes I know how 60's is that!) But they have done a great job. We are hitting another recycled project before moving onto a new project. These kids are so creative and so much fun!

Think before you react

2011-02-24T10:20:00.000-08:00

I came to a conclusion today, that perhaps I have spent the better part of my life preparing to react. Rather than thinking before I speak, I react. I think we all do it.

We always prepare ourselves to have a reaction or a comment ready before a question is asked. Sometimes it is because we believe so strongly in what we feel. Sometimes, we might feel argumentative, defensive about our beliefs. Whatever it is we spend too much time doing it.

Today I was one the receiving end of this and the feeling was different. For the first time in my life, I had nothing prepared. I had not been prepared for a battle of thoughts or words. And to be honest it knocked me off my seat.

So now I have to decide if I am ok with that feeling. I don't like to argue. I don't even like to disagree with anyone. But in the whole scheme of things, I am really really tired of my mind constantly on the move preparing for someone else's move. Maybe I need to sit back and see how things roll in my life rather than always having a back-up plan. I am not sure it wouldn't be a good thing with a lot less stress. Let's see how this goes.

O'Keefe

2011-02-15T11:47:00.001-08:00

I am trying to find ways to make history in art more fun and I have decided to throw random unique artists into our history. I like it when I can tell students things about certain artists and they look at you like...no way... that is the most fun part about teaching it.

Right now my beginning art classes are learning about Georgia O'Keefe focusing on proportion, scale, and oil pastels. This is the first time I have viewed them as paying close detail to their work and that in itself is exciting.

LOVE

2011-02-08T09:13:00.000-08:00

Four simple letters that make up one powerful word. Photo II students were assigned a single image that demonstrates the meaning of this word. Interesting interpretations.

Using Google Sketch-up

2011-02-08T06:50:00.000-08:00

Well the kids did it! The self taught art lesson. I still don't know much about the program but they did not do too bad. Here is a sampling of their works.

Hand Arts

2011-02-08T06:43:00.000-08:00

For the past couple weeks the kids have been focusing on ways of recycling used items into an art. This time we are recycling denim jeans and restructuring them into bags. They had to embelish their works once complete.

My favorite

2011-01-26T11:43:00.000-08:00

My students always ask me who my favorite artist is of all time. His name is Jack Vettriano. I enjoy his work because he makes me think. His work speaks to me. It is full of emotion and questions.

Failure

2011-01-25T11:54:00.000-08:00

I hate the feeling of failing. I suppose I am sensitive to the idea. I understand that we cannot be great or necessarily good at everything we do, but failing at something is the worst feeling there is. For me I feel like I have disappointed others as well as myself. And that is how someone will remember me. Something inside me drops and then I am almost scared to think about picking myself up and trying again for the simple feeling that I might fail again. I am 37 years old and I have this feeling.

Then I think what kids feel like. When you are little you will try anything. No fear of failure. You just do it! Something happens as we get older. We fear it. We fear the embarrassment, the disappointment, the feeling of realizing that we can't do something we thought we could.

I don't want my students to ever feel that way in my classes. I never want them to walk in here and think they can't before they even try. If they try I want them to understand that making the effort is more important than the success. Because they don't realize that their effort is their success. I don't care if what they create is the most amazing thing or the worst thing I have ever seen. I care that they tried and they did it! To me that is the success.

Winter Arts Festival

2011-01-24T11:01:00.000-08:00

http://www.parisbeacon.com/articles/2010/12/22/news/doc4d1235cd9086e628566261.txt

Wanted to put the link up from the Newspaper on Our Winter Arts Festival. The kids did a great job and the article has a virutal slideshow as well as article! So proud of them!!!

Water as a graphic element

2011-01-24T10:43:00.001-08:00

photo by Haleigh

photo by Lexie

water created in photoshop by Lexie

The first assignment in Photo II is to use and create water as an element in potography. The first assignment was to photograph water and use our programs to tweak it, so to speak. The second was to research online how to create/alter water in photoshop. This has been a technical struggle for the students, but I am enjoying the fact that they are truly making an effort to make it through the assignment successfully.

Hand Arts

2011-01-20T07:09:00.000-08:00

Our second project of the year....recycled denim bags. I am laughing because all I heard yesterday from the former students of Mrs. Propst's sewing courseswere, she would not like how you were doing this! I laughed and laughed as I told them , I know she would not, but we are focusing on what were are going to do with it once it is made! Thank you Mrs. Propst for teaching the right way! And thanks to my kids for learning the right way! And ironically as I am finishing this blog, she walks in the room ;)

2011-01-20T06:52:00.000-08:00

I swore that as soon as school started back in January, I would make it a point to begin putting in a blog every single day, even if it were a small one. So how's that going for me....ahhh not so great. But I am determined as ever to start up again. Between being sick and snow days, there really hasn't been enough time in the day. I find myself here, heading to my daughter's various school functions, home to make dinner and sadly in bed by 8:30. what a life I lead.

This new semester has proven to be a unique challenge for me. One I place on myself, but it is actually working out well. I decided to make spring a time for change in my curriculum. I decided to write my new lessons to follow the changes implemented by the state next year and follow that, so that I can tweak it now and be solid next year. So in a nutshell the kids are my guinea pigs. I laugh sometimes when I start a new project, especially in my semester art 1 class which is being taught as an art history class. I honestly look like I don't know what I am doing. They see it and I see it and there is absolutely nothing I can do about it. But it will get better and I will get better.

Right now we are finishing a project in Egyptian Art and beginning the study of Greek and Roman architecture. But how I have approached the class is a little different because rather than focusing on the facts, etc., we talk about the styles and the art a little and then create a project that reflects on the idea. This one, however, I am taking and running with as the kids are working in google sketchup. It is a drawing program, a free download from google. I told the kids upfront, " I KNOW NOTHING ABOUT IT!" and then I informed them, by the end, they would be teaching me. Yesterday was the first day and as I played with it, I could barely make a wall, as my students were already adding doors and windows to their creations. Wow. But that goes to show you that you cannot be afraid to fail as a teacher. You have to be willing to step out of your comfort areas sometimes and let it roll. I think that this will turn out ok.

Finals

2010-12-20T07:35:00.000-08:00

After completing the Photostory, my students were to complete one assignment in an allotted amount of time. They were to find their top images and create a single piece that displayed those images. A few are attached.

Photostory

2010-12-17T14:18:00.000-08:00

After attending the IETC convention in Springfield a few weeks ago, I decided to try, with my photo 1 students, the idea of creating a simple photostory. Photostory is a free download on the Internet and is slightly different than movie maker, but an easy program to use. In the past as a final project, I have taught them to create moviemaker slide shows of their work for the year. To be honest I was getting a little tired of the same ole idea. The idea of a photostory is that the student tells a story that is both memorable and reflective. I found that the kids really took off on this lesson. Stories were written within days and they were pretty excited about this adventure. It isn't really like writing a paper, but rather I encouraged them to write like they talk. I want to hear them in their stories. I wanted them to tell me a story that was engaging me and to keep the images simple and significant to the story. I encouraged the use of the thesaurus as a reference and using their peers as peer readers. Students added their own photos to the work. Some that they had taken in the class and some that were simply pictures from their past. I look forward to sharing these with you next week. I few have been turned in and will be having a few re-record as they are reading slightly fast or without expression. Easy fixes for a very cool project.

2 day self portrait assignment for photo

2010-12-03T06:56:00.000-08:00

We took a couple of days in class to learn about brushes and backgrounds in photoshop. Students were allowed to create self portraits. These are some of their "stories"

IETC

2010-11-19T07:22:00.001-08:00

This year I have been lucky enough to attend the 17th annual Illinois Educators Technology Conference in Springfield Illinois. First, I have to start by saying I Love Conferences! I really do. At this point some of you are thinking I am completely nuts. But it is what it is. I think every teacher needs to walk away from the classroom, submerge themselves in with all kinds of Educators and find themselves again. Find the passion, the enjoyment, and the desire to try new things. I like conferences for the simple fact that you come out of them feeling refreshed and excited about heading back to classroom with new ideas. I have found that I enjoy tech conferences sometimes more than I enjoy art conferences. Don't get me wrong I love those too, but there are times when you attend conferences with those that teach the same subject matter as you and you have to play the who's the better art teacher game. I hate that. Tooooo much competition. With a tech conference you have a splash of everyone and it is great to see what people do and the things that they know coming from so many areas. I have been in a lot of different classes in the past two days and I have to admit that I am looking forward to coming back to school and trying some new ideas. I am also thinking about putting in for a session of my own here next year. With the way that schools are changing and headed to project based instruction, I think I can find something to talk about. I'm actually considering a new blog on 365 days of art and technology projects. A blog a day. That would be a challenge! But if I was successful, wouldn't that be a great presentation! Just an idea!

Veterans Day

2010-11-10T08:36:00.000-08:00

To many students and teachers alike, veterans day is just another day off of school. To others and some you least expect it is so much more.

My husband is a Navy Veteran from Desert Storm. He served on the Naval Carrier USS America. My husband has such fond memories of his days in the military. He met some of his truest friends in his service. I asked him once if he was ever scared about being in a war. And he simply replied no. And that my friends, is the American Soldier. They have no fear in risking their lives to protect and serve their country. Not many people can say that. So on November 11th, I ask you to think about those people you may or may not know that have served or currently are serving our country and thank them in word or deed or thought. But please take a moment to thank them.

Altered/ Handmade Books

2010-11-04T09:13:00.000-07:00

My Art 1 Students started the task this week of creating handmade altered books. This is very hard for some of them to think of a book as a piece of art. It is a challenge to create a book that is inviting and interesting. We have been watching a lot of YouTube videos on bookmaking and creating the individual pages which are each a single piece of art. I am looking forward to how these books will turn out.

off day

2010-11-02T12:48:00.000-07:00

I haven't blogged in a few days. Not really sure why. But I have not been myself lately. I even cried yesterday...during class. I know, I know, "There is no CRYING in ART CLASS." But sometimes it just happens. My kids were sweet about it, but still. What a blubbering idiot. Oh well, so today I am just quiet. Can't think well. Again not sure why. Started my kids on some detailed projects today dealing with altered collage which makes them a little quiet too. I think I need to remember that we all have our days where we are on or we are off and then we have those days where we are scattered in between.Tomorrow I think I need to start thinking with my mind and not my heart. That should help. Until tomorrow...

100 things

2010-10-27T13:23:00.000-07:00

I know we aren't there yet, but eventually it will be the 100 days of school celebration, where all the elementary students in the world bring 100 things to school, put them in a big mish mash tub and celebrate by eating a mix of the oddest things. So I decided to give my high school students an early assignment of finding 100 things and photographing them. These were so much fun and some of them were so clever.

Mrs. Block

2010-10-27T12:32:00.000-07:00

Well according to the kids...she is AWESOME and CR-A-ZY. They are looking forward to one said race in the alley between the buildings next hour with Dalton Chambers. According to rumor he was talking smack about being faster than her so she is going to prove him wrong. Excellent, I may just head out there to watch. That sums up Mrs. Block. She is the chem teacher at PCHS and is always entertaining. She makes those kids work and learn by doing. I once got to judge the homemade boats her students made and raced at the YMCA pool. The boats had to race with two people in them. I particularly enjoyed watching a few of them sink into the depths of the pool. OK so that was rambling. But in the classroom she pushes her students to excel and are rewarded for it. They come out of her classes understanding far more than ever thought. Her teaching comes from the heart. She takes this ownership in her students and works so diligently to make them learn and understand what they are learning. Many times kids have this awesome ability for short term memorization just to get by, but in her classes it seems that she creates a learning environment that forces them to step away from that.
As a peer in education, she is always creating and organizing activities which get the teachers into the world of school spirit. I always enjoy her decked out on game days with her orange and black and her extremely tall chuck Taylors. So thanks Mrs. Block for making the kids at PCHS get it!

Mr. S Cox

2010-10-26T12:49:00.000-07:00

When I asked the kids why I should write about Mr. Cox, they said because he is a good teacher. When I asked why, they said I don't know, he just is. Well OK then. Sometimes there isn't always a lot of explanation for things, they are what they are. Mr. Cox came to PHS a few years ago after being in the banking business. He said he just decided one day that he wanted more and wanted to teach, so here he is. Mr. Cox is the Ag teacher at PHS as well as the FFA sponsor. I enjoyed watching him and his laid back style walk into teaching. Although enthusiastic, I find him quite calm with his students. He knows how to interact with his students and there is a unique style in his teaching. I enjoy talking to this man. He has a jolly temperament that makes you smile. He is game for about anything, is always ready to take on and challenge his students in Agriculture. I like the way that Mr. Cox has brought the real world into school world. He provides a variety of real speakers from the Ag fields into his classroom. More of us should do this. I think it is important to get the kids thinking about their future fields outside of this school. Mr. Cox is one of those teachers who promotes his classes and his belief in agriculture and getting students active at the state and national levels in FFA. I think this is a wonderful thing. Having these kinds of experience such as life stock judging attending the national FFA convention give our students a unique education, one that just doesn't come from their nose in a book! Thanks, Mr. Cox for your hard work keeping our Ag and FFA programs strong!

Mrs. Stallings

2010-10-26T10:46:00.000-07:00

Well the first thing the kids said is she can dougie. Now me being who I am said...what??? They then explained that she is a quite a dancer and can dougie dance with the best of them. I think this is something that I will have to experience for myself.

Mrs. Stallings is a science teacher as well as the assistant volleyball coach at PCHS. She is a newer teacher to the school but has slid right into place. She is always smiles and full of happy with the kids. She expects great things and does a great job getting through to them. I see her going out of her way to work with the kids so that they all succeed in her classes. She relates and teaches with the idea that they will get it!

As a teaching peer I really enjoy Mrs. Stallings. She has so much enthusiasm and is full of smiles. She is more than willing to do or try anything and is an encouragement to all she is around. She is active as a teacher and extra curricular coach. I like that she is always ready to give anything a shot and I am so glad that she found her way to Paris High School.

Mr. Lynch

2010-10-25T17:54:00.000-07:00

So I met a teacher one of my first years at PHS when I heard the words,"we need to get together and talk sometime soon." and from that moment on Mr. Lynch and I shared a special relationship. You see among his "real" position a social studies teacher, he is also THE drama guy. As the art teacher Mr. Lynch introduced me to the world of musical sets. For three years now, Mr. Lynch and I have a great working relationship with the high school musical. He has this amazing enthusiasm love of music and theater . What he shares with our school is truly a gift. Over 50% of our school participates in the spring musical whether through the play itself, building or painting the sets, or the pit. It is amazing. Mr. Lynch has drama down to a science with a wonderful group of parents and hardworking kids.The performances are great and what an education and experience for these students. I am in awe of how he handles this on top of the teaching as these productions are months and months of preparation. So thank you Mr. Lynch for your hard work and dedication in giving our students a unique and amazing opportunity in the arts!

Ms. Seaton

2010-10-21T15:28:00.000-07:00

Mrs. Seaton is one of the computer teachers here at the high school as well as the senior sponsor, mentor chair, and the yearbook sponsor. I honestly don't know how she does it all. I saw her in the office today talking about yet another activity she is heading up and I am so amazed at all she does. The thing about her is, I never really hear her complain about anything. She is on board for anything that is thrown at her. As teachers, we are constantly asked to help or become involved in things. Many of us have our limits, but I have never seen this woman say no. She is truly wonderful in this way. I respect her immensely for it.

Ms. Seaton has amazing school spirit, with tiger ears and all, when the event allows. She is always there to cheer on her students whether academically or extracurricular. Today as I watched her participate in the Teacher Football Shuffle, I could tell that she genuinely loves what she does. The idea of waking up and coming to school and working with these students everyday is not a job, but something deep down inside, is just part of who she is. Thanks, Mrs. Seaton for sharing your support and enthusiasm with our students.

Mrs. Wilson

2010-10-21T12:14:00.000-07:00

Mrs. Wilson is the Biology and Anatomy teacher here at PCHS. I could not teach what she does for anything. I am so not into anything that has to do with dissection. Heck I am the one in tears when I hit a butterfly. So to me, Mrs. Wilson is amazing. I simply don't know how she does it and she does it well. She has this excitement with the students engaging them in all her classes. The students are given these creative ways to use their knowledge such as having their very own crime scene. How cool is that?! Mrs. Wilson is always smiling and I enjoy her rapoire with her students. They are not afraid to ask her for help and she is always there to give it to them, no matter before or after school or anywhere in between. I know this because I park next to her and her being here so early is the only way I seem to find my parking space in the morning. She has a smile from the time she walks in the building to the time she leaves. Could be her amazing pig decor in her room, to her genuine love of her job. I don't know, but I am glad she is here and smiling everyday!

Mr. V

2010-10-21T10:02:00.000-07:00

Well to be honest I went to the kids for this one. I heard from the students that I need to blog about Mr. V. His official retirement was last year from the halls of PCHS, but like many teachers, he has come back to teach a few hours every day this school year. When I asked the kids why I should blog about him, they simply said, "because we need him to come back next year... every students needs to experience him." And with that I went digging. I have found a lot of things out from the students that I think I already knew, but it was great to hear it from their mouths. Mr. V has been one of those teachers that is the foundation of Paris High School. He has been here "forever." Now with that said, most of the time when a teacher has been in a school that long, the kids grow tired of that person, but in this case that is far from true. The kids think he is amazing. So when asking the students why they have this awe of him as a teacher, I found some interesting facts. Some things that are great for any teacher to know. Mr. V treats his students like young adults. His gives them the responsibilities and guided direction that they would receive at the college level. The kids like the fact that he treats his classroom as a college classroom, with lecture and thoughts. That he is simply cool in that way. So that when he is lecturing he is not talking at them but to them. Something we all need to remember, as we sometimes forget. They like his laid back, almost cool teacher style. My ideas of Mr.V are seeing him at the gas station across the street every morning in his shirt and tie getting his coffee. Always carrying his briefcase and never looking like he is in a hurry. I admire that in him as I seem to be a hot mess most of the time. To sum him up he is comfortable in his "educational" shoes, something that as educators we all hope to achieve. Something I hope to achieve. Thank you Mr. V for your dedication to the education of our students.

Surrealism

2010-10-21T08:46:00.000-07:00

Finding a way to teach your students about Surrealism is sometimes hard. They simply don't get it sometimes. You can talk to them about the weird, you can talk to them about dreams, you can talk and talk and talk, and even show them, but they still don't get it. SO I have found a way that makes them think and work and even get excited. We talk about Alice and Wonderland. One of the creepiest movies ever in my opinion. But when we talk about scale, and proportion, and attention to detail to convey meaning, they suddenly get it. So today is Alice and Wonderland day in class, where the Disney version goes on the screen, there paper is in front of them and they watch and draw taking from the movie and making use of the ideas it gives. This has always been pretty successful and I will show you the finished projects soon.

Mrs. Terrell

2010-10-21T08:13:00.001-07:00

Mrs. Terrell is one of the physical education teachers at the school. She is one of those people that is so quiet that you may sometimes miss her in a crowd. She loves her job and she truly cares about her students. So many people look at the PE, Art, Ind. Arts, etc teachers as the "oh yeah, I forgot about them" teachers. But let me tell you, each one of us takes our love for our jobs and are genuine care of our students to heart. And she is one of these teachers. She knows every student in the high school as she sees them everyday. And she works with these kids to make sure they understand their importance in school. She has taken the job of teacher physical education to level of making it a course with activity, writing, and reading which has created a complete and holistic course for her students. She pushes her students toward a positive emotional outlet through physical health and activity. Mrs. Terrell is also one of those peers that you love to have supporting your causes. I see the way that she is willing to help fellow teachers whether big or small with no hesitation. We are very lucky to have a teacher like that at PCHS.

Mr. Doughan

2010-10-21T08:02:00.000-07:00

Oh, Mr. Doughan, there are countless adjectives to describe this man. One for me, Charisma. I enjoy talking to this man who is quite clever on the whole. He is quick witted and entertaining, yet is amazingly professional with his students. His joking ways combined with his sincere push for advanced learning makes him the teacher that he is. And his students leave this high school prepared for the advanced writing in college. In the past few years, I have watched Mr. Doughan pull his English department together and making them a strong asset in the school.

I didn't really know Mr. Doughan as a person all that well until last year when the poor man had to make the trek to the "other" building to work with online classes. It was there that the true Gary Doughan made it through to me. He has a strong sense of jealousy when it comes to microwaves and coffee makers, but other than that he is a pretty good guy. I had some struggles health wise last year and Mr.Doughan was always there to watch my class when I needed it. That is a great thing to have someone like him, there when you need them. On a personal level, I have enjoyed watching Mr. Doughan change since his children have been born. Although his love of teaching is there and will always be, I can see his desire to be with his family. His face shines when he talks about his wife and children and I think that is awesome.

Mr. Doughan = awesome

Mrs. Propst

2010-10-20T12:28:00.000-07:00

So when I first started at this school, I was the only new teacher that year. That meant, no crazy welcome from everyone, you kinda found your place and fit in. I was OK with that, really. But one woman came up to me just smiling and introduced herself and let me know that if I needed anything, she was there.

Let me tell you, in the past 5 years, she has been there and then some. Mrs. Propst is an educator that her students will always remember. She is a teacher who makes that extra effort. She is the teacher that talks and opens up to her students and shows her heart and her passion and her genuine love of what she teaches to her students. Mrs. Propst has created programs within her Family and Consumer Science courses that make students learn through hands on experience. Her students in turn become accountable and sincere in their quest to become educated. The thing I admire most about this woman is her need to succeed as a teacher. She takes such great ownership in her style of educating. This need for change in education is a little frustrating to her. Teachers like her, understand that technology does not reach everyone in education. Some styles of teaching are timeless. Her style is one of those. I hope that she sees the impact that she makes as educator and she keeps teaching from the heart.

Ogle, Ogle, and Ogle

2010-10-20T05:57:00.000-07:00

So the name Ogle here at PCHS is pretty similar to the name Smith in all parts of the world. Common as they come. Now the same as most Smiths, these Ogles are not always related, just the same last name.

Mr. Ogle, the Automotive teacher, is one that everyone should know. I enjoy watching the kids in Mr. Ogle's class and talking to them. Mr. Ogle teaches a class, that I don't care who you are, should take it. He teaches those things that as time has gone by, fewer and fewer people are starting to care about. Why learn how to do it yourself, when you can take it somewhere and have it fixed. Really?? I was thinking about education last night and how our students values have changed since our parents were in school. Things that they once valued, our kids today don't really care about. One of those things is taking pride in learning how to take care of things and learning how to fix them. I used to follow my dad around all summer long. I am pretty sure he would have like one afternoon break at Weaver's Cafe with guys alone instead of a seven year old following behind, but he never complained. My dad took time and taught me things about cars, about electrical, about all those things kids don't care about anymore. And thanks to him, I have those skills I can fall back on. Mr. Ogle is a lot like that. He wants his students to learn skills and traits that they can fall back on as they get older. I appreciate that in him and I wish that more people really understood the importance of his courses.

Ms. Ogle. What can I say, this lady cracks me up. She has a laugh that simply makes you laugh. Ms. Ogle is considered a special education teacher that instructs in the classroom below and to the left of me. I like the fact that she is truly interested in pushing her students to achieve and has high expectations for them. There are a lot things that we as a staff don't know about this lady. One of the things that I admire is her knowledge and understanding of her students. She knows backgrounds and hardships. She is the teacher that you see making breakfast for her students when she knows that they haven't eaten. She is the teacher that will slip kids lunch money if they simply don't have it that day. She is one of THOSE teachers.

Mr. Ogle (the young one). Now the second Mr. Ogle is a little newer to our group of teachers. I admire this man. He came into teaching a little later after proudly serving in our military. He is this bald man who is simply funny. And yes I asked him if I could call him a bald man, and he said sure. Mr Ogle has an enthusiasm that spreads like wild fire around his students. He is an English teacher here at the high school and has involved his kids by teaching them English using a tool that they love... technology. His kids write through blogging and they chat by class online. They are simply cool, and if Mr. Ogle was here, he would chime in, "hello...like their teacher." Perhaps Mr. Ogle's best personality trait (in my opinion, of course) is his ability for lively banter. Thank you for that Mr. Ogle. We need that in our school!

Mr Tripp

2010-10-19T13:12:00.000-07:00

So band has always been a pretty big deal in Paris Illinois. Recently we were lucky enough to obtain a new director of bands whose passion and love of his field is evident in everything he does. Mr Tripp loves his job and each day that I hear kids talking about their music classes is a good day. I always enjoy watching Mr. Tripp conduct. He has this enthusiasm and excitement that moves his listeners. The kids are starting to learn an appreciation for all forms of music and that is worth everything...so thank Mr. Tripp for bringing a love of music to our kids.

Ok, so I have to do it. There is one more thing that makes Mr. Tripp fabulous and that is his hair. Mr. Tripp has the best hair and that is a true compliment from the art teacher who changes her hair color every other month. He has this great conductor hair that the more he gets into conducting, the crazier it gets. It makes him seem as if he is this mad professor of the music! It is as fabulous as he is! Love it Mr. Tripp!

Mrs. Keys Classroom

2010-10-19T12:28:00.000-07:00

After blogging about a certain special education teacher last week, I honestly felt good. I kinda keep to myself over here and like most teachers I get wrapped up in my own classroom and don't take the time to share my appreciation and admiration of others that I work with, so today I decided that I am going to start blogging about my counterparts in education and share my thoughts about them every week.

In my vocational building at the school, I get to see education in a non traditional format. We have ag and auto as well as industrial arts,horticulture, and SVE. But hidden among the lot of us is a special classroom that gets talked about little, but does wonders. I am talking about Mrs. Keys and her classroom. Mrs. Keys and her clan of classroom aides are those wonderful people who work with our students with severe disabilities. Each one of their students is special to them and they take such great pride in working and helping them learn basic life skills. I admire this group of women and the heart that that they pour into their jobs. It takes a special person to do what they do, and not only do they do their job, but they do it well...just ask their kids!

The Cell Phone

2010-10-19T06:03:00.000-07:00

So I love my IPhone. And when I say I love my phone, I can tell you that it is my best friend. It is whom I wake up and check on in the morning and is that last person I say goodnight. It has it all. So imagine my dismay yesterday as I dropped my best friend into his favorite place in the car (the first cup holder) not thinking a thing about it, and as i got ready to get him out, I looked in absolute shock that he was sitting in a cup holder full of water. Apparently, my other best friend the Polar Pop decided to spout a leak from his holder, holder 2, into holder 1. I am not sure if it was jealously thing between the two of them or what had happened in this great relationship. Needless to say iPhone is sitting in a large bag of rice at home alone for 5 days. He was tough enough to register on my computer last night and let me download my 756 pictures from him and give me all my favorite music he carries. Now is the waiting game. 5 days. I am sure he misses me as much as I miss him. I only hope he can pull through...not sure what I will do without him.

Good Morning Monday

2010-10-18T05:38:00.000-07:00

Well, I have come to school early today, 7:15 to be precise, and yes to some of you fabulous teachers out there that is not early, but let me say for me it is WAY EARLY! And I feel pretty good. I am looking forward to the day and to the kids. There are days I would rather be at home doing the 3 loads of laundry I am behind or dusting which needs done, but today I just want to be with the kids! That is an awesome feeling!

Curriculum Maps

2010-10-15T07:18:00.000-07:00

I used to hate the idea of laying out curriculum maps. Heck, half the time I never know what I am going to do the next day in class. We kinda roll day to day in art and need to be ready for adaptation on time, materials, etc. so therefore this teacher didn't really believe in them or like them. I always thought they should be for teachers who have a textbook or something that was solid to base their classroom on. But none the less, this year as a school we were asked to create them and turn them in. Now for me, it wasn't hard, it just took time. I know what I teach each year but seeing it on paper started to make sense as I was writing my map. The other thing I had to come to terms with, in my own little world, is that even though it is on paper, it does not set it in stone. I can change it, move it around, and do what I need to do. But it sure is nice to grab a piece of paper and check out what is next on the list. Perhaps I should begin to map out my life this way. It might just get easier. Just a little rambling note from the art teacher today!

The Difference Between Good and Great

2010-10-14T05:44:00.000-07:00

I work with all kinds of people in a school. There are some really good teachers and then there are those really great teachers. Now the really great teachers are kinda sneaky. They are those teachers that never say anything about how good they are, but instead they are the ones you see that are sometimes frustrated, sometimes ask lots of questions, and sometimes never say anything at all. So the question is, how do you know they are great? Well, you start by asking the kids and watch them respond and that gives a hint, but other times you find them by simply seeing them in action. Last night I had the privilege of watching one of those great teachers. I took part in a student meeting with a special education case worker/teacher. What she brought to the floor with that parent and that child was something I had not really witnessed in too many of those meetings. Most of the time you go in, shuffle through paperwork, say a few things, and you are done. Last night in 30 minutes, I saw a teacher, this teacher, make a child feel incredibly important, special, and also accountable for their achievement in school. As I watched this teacher I could see that she takes a lot of pride and has a vested interest in the success of this student and every one that walks in the door to her room. That is so significant, because she is a woman who constantly doubts and questions herself as an educator in the system today. I think she should know that she has no reason to, because in those 30 minutes I saw a powerful teacher who makes a difference with her students. I saw a great teacher.

Regional Institute Day..in conclusion

2010-10-12T08:22:00.000-07:00

Well, Institute was fun! I enjoy those days where you spend time with your peers and they are excited about what they are doing. I think we had one of those days! We talked a little and explored a lot! That is the key to art!

Recycled Art

2010-10-07T10:40:00.000-07:00

As I was preparing to teach at this year's Regional Teacher Institute, I was doing a lot of research online and found so much out there on Recycled Art. A little light bulb went off at that point and I realized how amazing this would be for my high school students. They have spent the last two days researching, brainstorming, creating lists, planning on materials, and all kinds of great things for one project. This one is making them think and I am so ok with that! I have found that even my mentor students, who are not in the class themselves, have volunteered time from their lunch period to collect plastic bottles for a project. A project that originally was one I was going to do, but now they have decided they would like to work on it during homeroom. Works for me. The one huge thing that is coming from this project is challenge. I have not given the students one project, with a lap full of materials, told them what I expect, and they begin. Instead I have opened a new door to them. They have ownership and expectations of their own for this one, and I look forward to seeing the results. I will make sure to post them here!

Former Students

2010-10-05T06:06:00.001-07:00

Kelsey Wright- sculpture assignment at SIU

My girl Meghan Koester and her Photography

I have to thank Facebook for keeping me in touch with my former students! I love reading each time one of them is working on an art project for school or sometimes simply creating art for themselves. Great Stuff!

Education: Who is at fault?

2010-10-04T12:35:00.000-07:00

Wow. I gotta tell you, I am really tired of hearing and watching everyone point fingers as to who is at fault in the world of education. Honestly it is time for us all to step up and take a little responsibility regarding the issues and conditions of today's education. We gotta start at the top and work our way down. Until the government values our countries educational system and realizes that every single public school in the country is in complete need of funding, we aren't going to get very far. Making schools that are under funded and in dire straits jump through hoops so they "might" have a chance at some funding is like shooting a horse with one bad leg in the other other and asking it to run. Not a good motivator in my eyes. We instead need to find value in our children's future and simply fund it. And thank you to the creators of Facebook for stepping up and realizing that!

Our schools are simply tired. The education and information that is pouring into our schools is coming at such enormous rate of speed that they simply can't keep up. Without the funding, schools of all shapes and sizes simply cannot provide their students the materials, the technology and everything in between to stay competitive with those that have the access. This is not an excuse, this is simply a basic fact. Educators and administrators on the whole, truly want our students to succeed. The majority of us love our jobs and we went in to education with the idea of change on our minds. Making a difference and a positive one at that. These things which we used to provide our students are support, an appreciation for our communities, the idea and value in becoming a productive citizen, and an education that will benefit them in what they choose to do in their future as an adult. I never went into education thinking "oh boy I can't wait to teach to a test." We seem to be spending an awful lot of time teaching to a test instead of teaching our students. And look where it has got us. Maybe it is time to re-evaluate the idea of testing. To me some testing is good and provides us with valuable information, but we seem to be shoving testing down the throats of our students starting at such an early age that by the time they reach high school, they could care less about the test. Maybe we should start teaching again. Having the ablility to teach relevance and importance and making our students feel successful in their knowledge and abilities. Teachers and administrators are chomping at the bit for this to happen. Honestly I can't name one teacher that is jumping up and down, yelling "pick me, pick me, to teach to the test," but I bet I can find a thousand, that would shout "pick me, pick me to make a difference and let me teach to the student."

Our kids are sadly losing their support at home. The parents aren't home like they used to be, instead they are working multiple jobs to pay bills and stay out of the debt that is rising around them. The nuclear family is gone and today there are parents, step parents, fosters , and grandparents raising these students. They work all day and all night. Quite honestly checking homework, providing quality family time, and creating a learning environment is disappearing and what is appearing are our children becoming home cooks, daycare providers for their siblings, and picking up jobs after school to help support their struggling families. The importance is shifting for kids from school to survival at home. Everyone needs to be aware of this. It wasn't planned and it isn't right, but our children's lives are shifting because of our economic and social expectations and on top of that we still want them to value education like the good old days. Let me tell you, in their eyes making eight bucks an hour at a fast food gig is way more important than writing any paper. And who's fault is it that they think this way? All of ours.

Until we stop pointing fingers, we will never fix what is breaking in our educational system. We need to look at solutions together, admit we are all guilty, and look for positive change. As a teacher, I know what I do each and everyday can make a difference. I know as a parent what I do each and everyday can make a difference. I am ready to make a difference...are you?

Basic Elements in Photography

2010-10-01T11:19:00.000-07:00

Students completed their first major assignment in photography. They looked at the Rule of Thirds, Focus, Contrast, etc. Although this Josh Turner song isn't quite what should go with this, this teacher LOVES Josh Turner, so here he is singing along as my very TALENTED new photographers (who still have so much to learn) are showcased!

Regional Institute Day

2010-10-01T07:12:00.000-07:00

I am preparing to present at the Regional Teacher Institute next Friday and I had no hesitation what I wanted to do. This will be the 4th time I have presented at the Institute and I love it because each time it is something different. My first presentation was back when I taught at another school and I co-presented on school improvement. My second time was on Blogger itself and my third was a co-presenter on a Fine Arts Forum. This year is something new yet again. This year I am presenting to elementary educators on adding art into their traditional classroom. I am so excited about this! I have taught for 14 years, and the first 10 years I was a pre-k through 6 grade art teacher and I loved it! There is something special about creating with young children. They get those little heads down on that table, tongue sticking out and they are officially in art zone. Don't bother them, just let them go. And they create these masterpieces that are perfect in each and every way. There is something about art and children. Art brings out something inside them, something we don't always reach just through reading and writing. I have never been able to give up working with these little ones. I still teach summer art at the Art Museum here in town and my art club always holds a winter arts festival at Wenz Elementary ever year where my high school students teach the elementary kids. I want my high school kids to see the sparkle and they do. What I do may be different from the traditional high school art teacher, is that I approach my high school students the same way I did my elementary students. I want to see that same focus in my older kids that I did my younger and sometimes that means thinking outside the box a little. My research for this new presentation has been so fun. There are things that I had "forgotten" and had that great "aha" moment again. This is going to be so much fun!

Noted

2010-09-30T08:29:00.000-07:00

So, the other night, I was checking my email and a comment came up from blogger to be reviewed and published. It said that our blog was select as a Top 20 art blog for educators. The first thing that popped into my head was, "WOW, someone reads my blog" and the second was, "I have to call my Mom!" And so I did. I checked out the published site and there are some great links to some really interesting art educators on there. Thinks for looking at us and thanks for compiling such an informative list!

http://www.onlinedegrees.org/top-20-art-blogs-for-educators

Watercolor

2010-09-30T07:44:00.000-07:00

After we finished out main watercolor assignment this week, we had some fun exploring with the medium. We went as a class and took a short walk to the nearest neighborhood and collected leaves. We came back to the classroom and students painted a soft watercolor background and explored with the leaves. They tried their hand at printing, stamping, and painting around them. There were also a few arguments on the leaf types, which was funny hearing who remembered what from Middle School. (At least they remembered ;) Some of the results were stunning. It was a nice ending to a very tedious watercolor project.

Drawing Class and Art I

2010-09-03T06:41:00.000-07:00

Shading example from http://www.donnayoung.org/

The assignment for Art 1 for those who are absent comes from

http://www.princetonal.com/groups/iad/lessons/high/Marianne-Values.htm

Students are learning about shading. Students in art I are completing the above assignment dealing with shading and shattered values. The drawing class has jumped right into shading the human portrait. They are really taking off this year on understanding the depth that shading can create!

Photo I

2010-09-03T06:33:00.000-07:00

This week our first photography assignment for Photo I was dealing with motion. How does one show motion or movement in an image without blurring or losing the quality of the image while also showing the actual movement itself? Tough Stuff, but they didn't do too bad.

Stress

2010-09-01T13:02:00.001-07:00

Isn't it funny how you can get stressed in the amount of 0 to 60. Like there is some trigger and once it is flipped watch out. I have been great all day. Doing some cleaning, taking care of somethings that have long needed my attention in the classroom. And then comes water spilling, crazy random questions that on any other day might make me laugh, and suddenly i breathe in what feels like a fresh breath of stress. Where did it come from? Then I realize that I am not only worrying about work, but suddenly I am worrying about my parents, my kids, my house, and the list grows. Suddenly I found it hard to focus on anything except sitting down and venting to the blog. So here I am and interestingly enough, I am taking deeper breaths and relaxing a bit. Perhaps the day will get better.

Welcome Back

2010-08-17T13:41:00.000-07:00

So this year I am going to try and engage my students in different ways. Today is our first day in class and I thought it would be fun to take a little basics test. Ok not really a test, more like a fun how much do you know! So...have fun!

http://www.proprofs.com/quiz-school/story.php?title=so-what-do-you-know_1

Honeybee Festival

2010-05-20T06:24:00.000-07:00

We were asked to work on the Honeybee Festival License plate design for this year. Morgan Willoughby, a senior in Advanced Art, was selected as this year's design winner. I am so proud of her!

8 projects in 8 days

2010-05-20T06:20:00.000-07:00

My art one students have had a bit of a challenge this past week. For eight days straight they are being assigned a prompt a day to complete an art project. There are things that are easy to them and then there are some that have presented quite a challenge. These assignments are preparing them for their final examination which is a hands on assignment in which they are given a prompt to complete a final project. This has been good for them to learn time management. We will see how this works and if the students are getting out of it as much as I think they are.

Donations

2010-04-19T10:41:00.000-07:00

So lately we have been getting the kindest donations to our art program. We have a wonder anonymous donor who helps support the photo program, who recently helped to take students on a field trip for interior design. Without them, my students would not get to experiment in the fields of photography, graphic and interior design. They have been wonderful to us.

Today I was given a donation of ceramic molds for the kiln. I am so excited. We have never been able to use those in the classroom so I think this will be a great experience for the kids in next year's ceramics classes. It is the big and small of people thinking about and giving of their time and money to our program that has helped it grow and thrive into a wonderful learning environment!

Edgar County Student Show

2010-03-24T10:47:00.000-07:00

I am so very proud of my kids right now....ok always, but especially right now! We have been so busy putting together this year's musical sets that we neglected several of our shows. So we threw together some work for the Edgar County Show and I am proud to say that the kids did great! Sarah Lueken received Judge's Choice, Best of Show in 2-D. Millie Arp received Judge's choice, Best of Show in 3-D, Emily Wacaser and Lauren Aquirre also placed in 2-D and 3-D catergories! Congratulations to Shiloh Junior and Senior High for receiving the overall school award this year! They had some great artwork!

Self Portrait and Collage

2010-03-19T10:57:00.000-07:00

In Photo 2, students created unique self portraits to reflect who they are...

Word Art

2010-03-19T10:51:00.000-07:00

Photography images from using traditional objects and creating photographic letters.

An Outlet

2010-03-10T07:45:00.000-08:00

As an art teacher I have a love and have an appreciation of the arts. I love teaching my students the skills and opening their ideas to all types of art. Countless times I am asked what type of art do I do in my spare time. Sometimes I smile, with a two year old, who has time. And then I got to thinking why don't I? Why don't I take time for me and do what I love! So my 11 year old and I created a craft room at home. I have gotten back in to scrap booking and collage. I have even been sewing a bit. My love in art is the designing. I love the plan and seeing the dream come to life. So when a very good friend of mine asked me to start working a business together, I could not resist. We are Occasions. We plan, design, and create the decor for events such as weddings, proms, graduation parties, and special events. What an amazing way to use my talents. I hope when my students leave this classroom, that they find a way to use their talents to be happy and feel successful. I do not care if they remember Van Gogh painted Starry Night (although that would be nice), what I truly care about is that somewhere, they have found out that they possess a talent that will follow them through life.

The Eyes Have It

2010-03-03T11:28:00.001-08:00

Portraiture

2010-02-17T11:49:00.001-08:00

This semesters portraiture was to capture people the way you want others to see them. Some of the following are the results.

Playsets

2010-02-17T11:41:00.000-08:00

Well it is that time again. The time where my head starts hurting everyday, I start worrying that we won't finish on time, the time where I get really, really cranking....yep you guessed it is Musical Sets Time. We will finish, I will breathe and they will be great! This year's musical is Once Upon a Mattress. We are going pretty whimsical with it. But there is so much work to be done this year. The sets are huge and a lot to do, but I think they will turn out great, as long as I remember to breathe!

Some of the newest landscapes from Photo II

2010-01-29T10:23:00.000-08:00

Rio Long
Selena Hall

Micayla Abernathy

Shannon Uberfluess

Ashton Lewis

Maureen Sullivan

Katrisha Sexton

Madison Hovis

Jess Smith

Kayla Simpson

Morgan Willoughby

Zach Millis

Sam Auton

Rose Paoletti

Kelly Utterback

Kyra Eveland

And more to come.

Art or Vandalism

2010-01-13T13:05:00.000-08:00

So this week, the discussion in Art Exploratory has been the idea of when does graffiti or tagging become art?

Some of the most beautiful art I have ever seen has been on the trains that travel the tracks of my home town in between St. Louis and Chicago. Vibrant color, beautiful imagery, art that makes you think. But the question is, is it art or vandalism?

My students decided the following criteria. Art can tell stories, lets us use our imaginations, gives us ideas, and makes us think. Graffiti which does this, is quite beautiful and is art. If tagging or graffiti is used to hurt or destroy, or is used to identify gangs or groups in a negative light, then it seems to no longer be any form of art.

My students studied the work of artists like Keith Haring and modern graffiti artists for inspiration. After looking at this style of art they used www.graffiticreator.net to make their own words or phrases, to become comfortable with the line and shape and color used in this form of art. We then sat down and started designing work. They are able to create their piece on paper, but are also allowed to bring in actual materials such as furniture to create their design. I am anxious to see what they produce.

Teaching- is it soon to become a lost art?

2010-01-12T06:40:00.000-08:00

So sometimes, I wake up thinking, "wow, I don't want to go to work today!" And other days, I wake up in this mood that is hard to explain but I know my day is going to be a good one. I am having one of those days. Those good days, where your mind is full of questions, you are slightly feisty, and you are ready to take on a lot of attitudes (at least high school attitudes).

I woke up to my radio alarm clock playing the sweet sounds of talk radio in my ear this morning. OK, so it is the only station that will come in somehow, but never the less. The topic was national budget and stimulus package for education. It was talking about how the government has so many millions of dollars to give to state education, but in order for a state to be eligible, they must conform and hit so many requirements before they are even considered. Some of the requirements, I thought "well, OK" and others I thought "are you kidding? "

It is amazing when people can sit in an office somewhere far away, who have never taught, who have never stepped in to a school in 10 or more years, can decided what you as a teacher should be able to do in order get money to help fund your school. One of the things that is being discussed and considered a requirement is to provide pay increase according to student performance. Now some people out there that read this, may say it makes sense. To me, I am gonna have to laugh.

Have you ever heard the phrase " you can lead a horse to water but you can't make them drink" There are teachers in my school, in my area, in my state, in my country, that are phenomenal teachers. They give everything they have and then some. They teach to excite, to educate, to promote a love of learning. Kids will either grasp it or they won't. We can push and pull, and even stand on our heads to grab their attention, but sometimes there are magnets that simply pull them away and there is nothing anyone can do to change that. Kids come from homes that we can not imagine, they deal with issues most adults could not fathom. Some are dealing with abuse, neglect, or are even homeless. Some are taking care of parents, siblings, are even their own families. Some of them simply have what they consider more important things to deal with than school. Hard for us to realize unless we have led their life for a day or a week or a month. I am so proud of these kids for coming to school each day and making it through because they understand that an education and a diploma are needed to succeed in life.

Our country gives everyone of its young people the chance to educate and grow as a person. We do not discriminate or test only the brightest. We test everyone, to see where we are, to see how to grow as a society and adapt as necessary. We look at these other countries and think we need to beat them, but how do we know we aren't? We test everyone, they do not. We teach and educate everyone, they do not. We give everyone a chance to become something, they do not.

So with knowing that, someone, somewhere, trying to raise our test scores to compete with these other countries, has decided that we should pay teachers based on test scores of their students. The better tests scores, in their heads, equal better teachers. Wow. And I am not making this stuff up. So here are teachers who get their bachelors and masters degrees knowing that they probably won't make $50,000 a year in their lifetime, due to their chosen profession, now being told that they might make less. OK so who in their right mind would ever become a teacher? Who in their right mind if this existed would stay in education? How are they going to determine how people get paid who teach in areas that aren't tested?

Doesn't make sense. Charter and private schools whose students come from homes that can afford to pay tuition, to have their child in classrooms with 10:1 student to teacher ratio, where funding comes from private donors test scores are going to be compared to those of the public school students, with over crowding, lack of funding, deteriorating buildings, and a ratio of one teacher to 30 kids. How can we even compare them. And how can we compare those teachers, who may all be making the same diligent effort, but are not rewarded for it because the government says so. If they could come and sit in classrooms and watch these teachers, then perhaps there minds would change.

Is there a chance that a teacher who instructs English and has taught for 3 years will make more than a teacher who has taught a fine arts, physical education, special education, industrial arts, family and consumer sciences courses for 30 years. Doesn't make sense either. How are they going to give teachers whose subject areas are not tested the equal chance of pay increase?

All of these questions and such opinion. Although I have only taught a mere 13 years, I watched my dad for the better part of 37 years work and love his job as a 6th grade teacher. I love seeing the people I work with everyday doing what they love to do. I love what I do. My fear is that these good people who are amazing teachers giving their all, will be told their all is not enough. And we will loose them, as well as new teachers who realize that becoming an educator maybe a no win situation and we will find our nation in a shortage of fine educators all because we think tests are the answers to everything. Something to think on today, isn't it?