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WOW! There is so much that I have learned in this course. I am so thankful for every experience that I have had in this class. Everything that I have done has been so beneficial and I feel so much better prepared for student teaching and getting my first job. Although going to the alternative high school was very different from most experiences we are going to have teaching, I feel that it really gave me a better sense of what goes on in a teenagers mind and really opened my eyes to the many backgrounds that my future student's are coming from. I really formed some strong bonds with the students and it was a really amazing experience to watch them succeed.
I also really enjoyed and learned alot from visiting the two other secondary schools in Iowa City and the Maharishi school. It was really beneficail to see the many alternative settings that students can learn art in and the different approaches that teachers can take to teaching art. I saw many different discipline strategies, and approaches to lessons that I would like to incopperate into my future teahing. The Maharishi school was unlike anything that I have ever expereinced and it really expanded my horizon in terms of the ways people live. The students are so different from most average high school students and I will take many of their outlooks on teaching into my won classroom.
I also learned a lot from the texts selected for this class. There were many artists that I had not heard of in In the Making that I would really like to incoperate into future secondary lesson plans. Fires in the Bathroom and Adolescents at School were both really eye opening in terms of what to expect from your students and how approach some of the more personal problems they might be having. I REALLY like From Ordinary to Extraordinary because of all the lesson plan ideas. I already altered one of them from my unit in this class and I truley plan on using it. I think that book will be a great resource in the future. This class also provided with a lot of practice in wirtting thorough lesson plans and I have gotten really used to the format that is suggested for seconday students. The two movies we watched were REALLY interesting too. Although it was slightly intimidating, I thought the first year teachers movie really gave me a better idea of what to expect next year and in student teaching.
Thank you so much for all the opprotunities that have been presented to me in this class. I appreciate all of them. In the future I would really like to consider working in a alternative secondary placement and prehaps look into art theopy because of my expereince. I would also like to continue to look into relfective lessons that incopperate found or recycled materials that have a community aspect to them. I would also like tocontinue blogging with other art educators to get new lesson plans and bounce ideas off of each other.

Reflecting on your teaching Experience

At the alternative high school we have been working at this semester, I worked with a small group of boys on a mural. I let the boys choose the topic, scale, and medium they wanted to work with and then guided them in technique and execution of the work. The end result was a huge 9x5 foot canvas of a cartoon dinosaur, named Reptar, standing on the moon. The mural was really well done and accompanied by glow-in-the-dark stars and metallic sharpie.


Although I had a plan for making the mural and each day I gave the boys a goal for what was to be accomplished, it was not a very formal lesson. So I think this was what I would change. In the future I think I would incorporate more background information, and other mural resources to them. Maybe give them different books/slides of mural artists each week or talk about the different way murals could be Incorporated into the community. Although really good work was done and the final product turned out beautifully I feel like they developed their skill level as an artist but not in their knowledge of the history/world of art making.


In terms of the way I got the student's motivated, I think I would change that too. Although the students were invested because they had choose their own topic and felt very much that this was their mural I think in the future I would have them do more reflective writing about their work. That way I know what it going on in their head and what more I can do to motivate them to do their best. I am not sure that I pushed them enough in my daily goals and I this is one way that I could have done that. This way the students would have a deeper emotional connection to the piece too and perhaps had come up with more ideas about ways to change the mural.

Ex. 8 for In the Making

The photograph that is featured on page 188 in In the Making is the photo I have chosen to critique because I feel that it has the most emotion. Looking at it makes me think that Cooper was overwhelmed by the vastness of the water to which the explorers came across and he was in awe of the power that a body of water can have. The lack of horizon line and intense gradation of tone lead me to this conclusion. The way he has composed these elements makes it seem like the water goes on forever and although it is calm it does not seem approachable or welcoming. The fact that the photo is very clear in the front and foggy towards the back give it a large depth of field and sense of uncertainty.

Classroom Management

I think that the two major issues in classroom management in the art room that I have encountered are disorganization and noise level. In every art room (except for my practicum last semester) organization on the teachers part has in my opinion prevented the students from producing the best work they are capable of. In most rooms there is no real organizational system for materials so students are wasting time searching and making accommodations for missing things. Along with this tables are usually dirty and other materials are not properly taken care of and can not be used to their best potential. This results in classroom management issues because students are roaming around and possibly arguing over materials. I think that things can get out of hand when you do not have a regulated system, however, art teachers seem to have the most problems in this department. This also wastes time when it comes to arrivals and clean-ups. This is especially challenging because it has been proven by Weinstein that smooth transitions is one of the three key factors in classroom management.
The other issue with classroom management in art rooms that I have seen is the noise level. Because of the independent working nature of art I think that it lends itself more to loud volumes than other subjects. This is added to by noisy materials like drills, sanding, etc but also by the music that the teachers usually agree to play. I think that playing music can be a really good thing and can also be used as a management strategybut it is often times abused. Then when the noise level gets to loud it is hard for the teacher to be hear and direct attention.

Motivation

I think that the most unmotivated I have ever been to finish an assignment was in fourth grade (haha! I know) when we had to read a couple chapters (I don't remember how many pages) in the book The Sign of the Beaver. I HATED that book and I remember kneeling on the couch, facing backwards to look out the window it backed up to with the book in my hand. I remember being so made at my mom for making me read it and thinking I was being tortured. I don't think I have ever been so frustrated with school and teachers in my life. I still remember it and that was 12 years ago! I honestly don't think I finished it and if I didn't absorb a single word. The things that did keep me working was my parents pressure and the fear of failing and that was not very motivating. I didn't want to do the assignment because I taught the book was so boring. It was about a boy who lived in the wilderness and taught a Native American to read and he taught him about nature. I remember thinking that it was such a "boy book" and I could not relate. I have always been a really slow reader so getting myself to do it was already challenging and when I didn't like the subject either it was all over. I do not remember getting any punishment for not finishing the assignment so I either faked it or have erased the memory of getting in trouble from my mind.

I think the most important way to motivate your students to do work is to make sure that the work load is not overbearing, and that what they are doing is in some way relevant to them. No student likes to do busy work!!! There is one student in my field experience that has the worst work ethic I have EVER seen in a student. However, I did get him to be productive for a few weeks when he began working on a mural that he had come up with. I think that because he had the authority and got to do what was interesting to him he actually felt some desire to work. However, once the project was finished he went back to not working on anything. This student has taught me the importance of student autonomy.

Indentity within the Field Experience

Our field experience with this class is at an alternative high school, and having this be so different from my public suburban high school experience I had no idea what to expect before we started. I am happy to report though it has been a very pleasant surprise that has taught me so much about adolescent identity, behavior, and artistic ability. I think however that the identity development part is the most interesting because the kids at this school's identities have developed differently then most high schoolers because they have been put into situations that have made them adapt a identity quickly and many have been put into situations that have made up large parts of their identity for them.

There are so many students at my field experience who are experiencing the qualities that are described in chapter 11 of Adolescents at School. I especially see a lot of students experiencing what Nick Greenberg experienced when Sadowski says "now I'm one thing, now I'm something else, but I'm all of me simultaneously." The students at the school are very diverse in race so that makes up on layer of their personality, they have an academic layer, a rebellious layer, and many others that they turn on and off and in the end make up there whole. There is one student in my class there that particularly stands out. For the blogs purpose I will call him Mike and is 15 years old. His parents are divorced and he lives with his Dad who is comfortable enough to send Mike to college but also attended this alternative high school when he was a kid. Mike got into some legal trouble for violence when he was younger and this is why he attends this high school now. Mike does better academically then most students but also has a rebellious side that is encouraged by the other students at the school. Mike has a lot of potential but is being told that no one from this high school goes straight to a university so he feels that even though he knows what he wants to do (be an art teacher!!!!) he has to go to community college first. Mike also happens to be a VERY talented artist.

This last part is particularly important because that is what I have seen flourish since I have been working at this school. In the past trimester his work has really caught other students attention because he is working on a murals that are being displayed in the school. Parents, teachers, and students alike have told him what talent he has and how he should pursuit it. Being known as this mural artist gives another layer to his identity that was not there before and makes him even more complex. He can still identify with all the other layers but this adds another dimension of his identity and because of the praise hopefully makes every aspect of his identity more confident and self assured.

I personally can relate to the artistic side of Mike because I was much more talented in art than other academic subject areas which made me different than most of my friends. However, I can not relate to him in reguards to his rebellious side. He is such a nice person it is even harder for me to believe that it exsits but the evidence is there. It is hard for me to keep him focused and working during the period because I can not understand this rebellious side that is keeping him from working. I also can not relate to his school related problems that keep his mind distracted. However, I know that he has amazing potential that should not be clouded by this other side of him and I need to learn to understand so I can channel this into his goals.

ITM Ex.7- pg.10 3c

The following is my chart from the excerize. I decided to put the categories in order of what is the most important to least important in terms of building my identity.

1. familty-- sister: Ellen is my best friend and one of the strongest people I know. She inspires me to be myself and ignore the pressures in life that might try to change that. She makes me laugh and I love her so much.

2. gender-- female: I am proud of being a woman and I try to embrace my feminine qualities. All my role models (except my dad) have been female and that is what makes this important.

3. sexual orientation-- straight: I strongly believe love is love and I am open to all orientations but mine defines my identity because my boy friend plays a huge role in my life and like my sister he inspires me to be who I am. This keeps me going and makes me who I am

4. preferred leisure activity--art!: My artistic self makes me confident, creative, challenged, and happy and I am lucky enough for it to be my career too!

5. state of health--healthy: In the last few years I have realized how lucky I am to be so healthy and know that this does not limit what I love to do.

6. Education--UI and LT: Through out all my schooling I have been given an amazing about of information that challenges me and brings out my organizational, and dedicated side. It has taught me to be disciplined and driven.

7. Economic status--Middle class: Being middle class has allowed to purse my goals and allowed me to go to Iowa to study art education. It has taught me that I have to work for what I want however we were never hurting financially while I was learning this lesson.

8. Neighborhood-- Suburban: I loved growing up in the suburbs of Chicago. I grew up naive but I had a great childhood with no fear of my surroundings. It had great school systems and I made great friendships there.

9. Nationhood--American: Being American has given me freedom, pride, and opportunity. Many people may disagree but I am proud to be an American and include this in the make up of my identity.

10. Race-white: I am still learning how this has effected my identity but I am aware that being white has given me a certain privilege.

11. religious affliation--UCC congrationalist: This has given me the moral foundings that shape my identity.

12. political belief--moderate/liberal: I have to admit I am not as involved in politics as I should be but I am VERY liberal on social issues and this shapes my relationships with people.

Advocating for the arts

When advocating for the arts in your school, I think that the most effective argument is that it makes for a well-rounded student who is good at problem solving. Although art is not tested in the standardized tests, problem solving is something that will help the students achieve better test scores. Although I HATE having to compare a students academic success to how they score on those tests, that is how most school districts view the importance of certain subject areas over others. The risk with advocating for the arts in this way is that the school might only see art as it relates to other subjects, and miss the art for art sake argument of things. I think this can be VERY dangerous because it continues to heighten the stresses put on math, science, and reading and refuses to recognize that there are other types of intelligences that are equally important. At the elementary level I think it is important to advocate for the arts because they need more play in their day to encourage creativity, produce a well rounded student, and to avoided providing stress for students at such a young age.
I think that you could involve your students in the advocating by having them do service learning projects and other instalments around the school. This makes the art-minded people feel included in the school community and shows the administration that there is talent and importance in the subject area. It also show what it can do to your community, and people in need. Which are both very positive aspects of art that could encourage a school to keep the arts in their school. You can "go-with-the-flow" in the respect that when a administration gives you a limit you need to take it creatively but also keep within the parameters. This way you do not get in trouble but are continuing to show that art is important.

In the Making Ex 6

The work discribed in the book by William Kentridge is definitely politically charged which would allude to an extrenal source of inspiration, like the book claims. However I think that his work seemed more internally motivated due to the emotional impact the apartheid had on him and the way this affects his work. Although the emotion stemed from an external source I think the actual inspiration for the work was internal. This in turn made me question if there was such a thing as work truely inspired/motivated by an external source. I think that the process of making art is too emotional, time consuming, and personal for the the motivated to only come from your surroundings.
To answer the question from the book I do not think that his work is propagandistic because his work is not being displayed to the public in a way that makes them want to take immediate political action. It seems that the point of the work is more to make people aware of the way the apartheid has effected the people of South Africa. I think that for the same reasons you cannot really consider the work revolutionary either. I think that it is therapeutic for him and the viewer. For him the process fo making the art is the therapeutic part, it says in the reading that the working and reworking of the drawings to make the anamation has this effect on him. Than for the audience it is probably theraputic to see these major topics addressed and perhaps make the viewer feel less alone.

I plan on using collaborative art making with every grade, every year I teach. I think that creating a piece of art together in a group gives students such a sense of pride and school spirit along with developing their communication and copperative skills. Since being in the art education program I have learned so many amazing projects to do as a school that hold each student accountable for part of it and also allows them to show their place in the school community. I especially loved the totem pole idea from chapter 5 of From Ordinary to Extraordinary.
There are so many places you could fit service learning into the curriculum because pretty much any meduim could be turned into a collaborative project that in turn can be manipulated to fit what ever aspect of community service you are trying to acheive. It would be important to view the service learning project as simply an extention of any other project you would do in the art room. Students would still be learning about the materials and art making processes but instead of it being for personal use they are giving back to the community and in turn learning also what it means to be a citizen.
When I was in elementary school each year the 6th grade class did a legacy project which was a group installment to be placed in the school for rememberance. I was "graduating" from grade school in 2000 so for our legacy project why teach cut out a huge wood "2000." Then we each painted a small portriat of ourselves in the inside of the numbers. Although I enjoyed the project and was really proud when it went up in the hallway, I was disappointed because my teacher had tried to "fix" some of my small mistakes and ended up painting my portriat for me. The installment is still hanging in the school along with the various other legacy projects and I think the kids really enjoy looking at what other students have done and how dated somethings are now.

I found the chapter on disability in Adolescents at School REALLY interesting. I have had many experiences with people with disabilities through school, church, and other extracurricular/volunteer activities. I think the most memorable relationship I have had with a personal with a disability was in elementary school. There was a girl named Katie in my grade and she had Down’s syndrome. The school formed a group called Peer Helpers that were a group of kids that learned about the disability and were taught how to best interact with Katie and build a positive relationship. The group also planned activities and formed study groups to help her with her homework and other class work. Through this experience I grow to develop a huge respect for people with disabilities and at a young age learned to see past people’s disabilities and get to know them as a person. This benefited me greatly when in high school I when my homeroom was place in one of the special education classroom. Many of my peers where overwhelmed but I found it easy to form friendships with many of the students in special education.
This experience will completely change the way I present and treat students with disabilities in the sense that I will be sure to teach all my students to not define any of their peers by their disability. I think that it is important to make sure that your students are getting this kind of education at the elementary level so that they can carry out these ideas for their whole life and are prepared when they meet a person with a disability for the first time. In art I think a good way to incorporate these ideas into a lesson would be through introducing an artist with a disability into a project and capitalize on the amazing and unique qualities of their work. This way, students learn to focus on the positives and see their disabilities not as limits but as part of their personality and art work.
A good artist to introduce would be Chuck Close because he does really amazing work despite his physical disabilities. He is also the perfect artist to present because is still currently working and can easily be incorporated into a painting or self portrait lesson.

The reading from In the Making really did make me contemplate on what the source of my inspiration usually is. This is not something I had analyzed before because these ideas just come to me and I fly into action right away without stopping to consider what had moved me in the first place. Out of the list presented on page six of the manual under personal sources of inspiration the ones that spoke most to me where: imagination, memory, spirit, bliss, joy, travel, encouragement, comfort, and beauty. The nature of my work is usually very personal and trying to express something about the way I see things or what I have experienced. I feel that art is about opening people’s minds to new ways of thinking of things and therefore these categories usually speak most to where my ideas are coming from.
Out of the list of things that activate my inspiration they are usually systematic, passionate, and predetermined. When I am working on a personal piece of my own work I like to work solo but in terms of teaching I really love collaborative projects. I like to invest lots of time into my pieces and usually do not do things spontaneously. I like to fully think out my work before I do it and feel that I have invested the most time and effort I could in the final piece. One my favorite aspects of making art is the feeling of accomplishment at the end and this is something I would also like my students to experience.

I think that the easiest way to help students learn for cultural icons instead of just copying them is to make sure, as the teacher, that the objective of the lesson does not focus on creating art like the artist or icon but using them as a support and source of inspiration. For example when I was shadowing an art teacher in high school, instead of having her junior high students copy the work or style of the impressionists she showed their work and then turned it into a photography project where students were supposed to capture light outdoors like Monet, Renoir, and others had framed their subject matter in the changing light of the day. That way, students cannot copy the work but are forced to use it as an inspiration. I think most students resort to copying when they are lost for inspiration and the teacher has not presented them with a creative challenge.

If these images are considered inappropriate but the student wants to include them I think that I would in most cases let them use it but let them know they cannot display it (thanks for the idea Rachel) and also make sure that the school and parents know that it is being made and for what intention the icon/symbol is being used. However, I think I will always challenge my students to think outside the box and be limited to the images/icons/symbols they are used to but to have them make their own that even more significant.

I found the readings in In the Making about crafting an artistic self really interesting because it is something that so far in my art career I have not been asked to explain. I have written many times about individual pieces and written artist statements but in terms of crafting one artistic self I feel like it is a work in progress. Although there are many reoccurring themes in my work I am still learning new methods and materials that I feel make this more of an experimental time in my artistic career. The past four years here at the University of Iowa have also been very emotional and full of extremes. I have been learning new things about myself and reevaluating my beliefs and other things that have made up my life because of all the new things that I have been exposed to. When you add in these two factors I think that my artistic self at this point of my life is more about discovery and experimentation then centering my art on a specific set of ideals and mediums.
Nan Goldin has changed her artistic self over the many phases of her life. Although her purpose and medium have stayed the same her themes and images have changed dramatically to mirror the newest chapter of her life. She went from capturing the night life of the raging ‘80s to the spiritual awakening and emotions that are brought on by sobriety and traumatic loss. I see these evolutions happening in my own creation of my artistic self. I cannot say that I believe I have one now but I am in the process of creating one by evaluating what art means to me and what medium speaks best to my personality and beliefs. I still need to unearth the impact I want my work to have on an audience and who I want that audience to be. At this point in my life though I would want nothing else because I do not feel lost or uninspired but excited to explore and learn new things.
Thus far I have found that my best work has played with the idea of observing and enjoying the details in life. I have always felt that life is not fully lived unless you spend every day relishing in the small details of your day to day routines. Whether this be a new pair of socks, an unexpected compliment, your favorite coffee house, or a long laugh with a roommate. I have began experimenting with these ideas in my work by depicting the important things in my life, and also taking things that people usually do not notice and making them notice. Some of these pieces include a painting of the beach at my lake house at sun down, photographs of small corners and places in Iowa City, and sketches of the people that mean most to me. I like to keep a running list in my sketchbook of things that make me happy. It seems ridiculous but it can pick me out of any bad mood and provides as inspiration for art work. Another image I have been working with is the peacock. It really has no meaning to me other than I love their colors and think they are incredibly beautiful. However I have made a piece centered on a peacock in every medium I have worked with so far and they litter my sketchbook. In a way I guess it has come to represent myself but I am still not entirely sure why.
In terms of materials I tend to work best in the 2-D; coming into college I had an obsession with photography but since being introduced to oil painting my favorite medium has changed. Although I like oils most I still am very streaky and have found myself in love with certain mediums for semesters at a time. I think that this will continue until I have satisfied my curiosity with several mediums and work with one exclusively for more time.

This weeks topic is really tough to answer. Although, I feel strongly about LGBT rights I had never given thought to what would happen if a student came out to me. I had always planned on making my classroom a very safe place for students who identify as LGBT but had never stopped to question what I would do when this actually happened. But after some tought I think the first thing I would do is thank the student for trusting me and tell them in the most sincere manner possible that what they tell me will stay confidential and I am here only to help. From here I would try to get the student in contact with some other students who identify as LGBT in the school or community so that they have a good support system. I think it is also important to remind the child to be themsleves and to help the student discover their personal identity if they are stuggling.

One website I was reading on the subject had a good reminder: the student is the same person they were before they came out. I think this is SUPER important! I think that many people, whether they are aware of it or not, will begin treating a child differently based on personal judgement if they find out the student is not heterosexual. This could make the student self-concious, alienated, and distrusting of you as a confidant.

If the student had not come out to their family or friends yet, I think the first thing I would do is make sure they the student has a solid support system so they feel confident and safe when telling the people that are important to them. This could be a support group, the GSA at the school, etc. Although that student has trusted you enough to come out to you I think that there are other places that the student might get better support than from only you. Although you can help the student a lot within the school walls that will not be enough.

I found two really interesting artists that could be used in the art room to address LGBT issues. The first one is an artist name Claude Cahun who is a is a photograpgher who shots stagged portriats that challenge gender stereotypes. She is also a lesbian herself and could easily be incoperated into a portriat lesson with high school or junior high students. Her work is stunning. The other artsist that would be interesting to incopperate into the art room is Jeffery Jones who is a transgender cartoonist who has written comics in National Lampoon and Heavy Metal addressing LGBT issues.

The reading on Gillian Wearing was really interesting and made me question what it meant to have your secrets recorded on video the way they were in Confess. As a viewer it awakens questions of stereotypes and honesty but what relevance does it hold for the person who confessed? Their ideas are being shared with the world honestly. Is this freeing or disconcerting to them in this society? Did these people regret saying things to the camera to be permanently stored?

I love the idea of art as a storehouse for collective memories! It is obvious that this idea began in the beginning of time when people began using images to mark places they have been before language. They knew that by using artistic depiction their ideas would remain forever for people to see and learn from. These ideas were then exemplified in portraits in paint and sculpture and all the while the artist had in mind how people would interpret this in the future. You can see this in works like Colossal Head of Constantine the Great where his image has been altered so that people remember him as looking godly verse realistic. I am not sure when artists started depicting the neglected subjects, people like the Wright Brothers from the Medieval period began painting people in the lower ranks of society. Through out history I am sure that there have been people who have looked to depict these people and places but may not have made to full recognition.

Once photography was invented more true to life depictions of the neglected subjects were produced and this changed the idea of art as a storehouse in my opinion because now people knew they were seeing the truth and those neglected would never be forgotten. I think this was most evident in Diane Arbus’s work which brought the neglected parts of society to people’s attention in the most direct way possible. These people will never be forgotten because they will remain in photographs forever to challenge people’s ideas of stereotypes.

Ok so I have been posting my responses to In the Making in the wrong spot so here are my #1 and #2 excercizes from the last couple weeks. They has pictures but for whatever reason my blog won't let me put them up.

Skip Schukmann Assignment:

The artist Jane Ingram Allen embodies many of the same ideas in her environmental art that Skip does. She uses handmade paper, found natural materials and native seeds to make decomposable artwork across the U.S. and Asia. She is inspired by the natural environment much like Skip, but prefers to conduct her work collaboratively with people in the neighborhood and other artists.
One of her most well-known works is called “Disappearing Boundaries” from 1996. With the help of some fellow artists and volunteers she constructed a fence using fallen branches and homemade paper that was intended to dissolve with the natural occurrence of rain. Within the fence they had put flower seeds and had also plowed the strip of land beneath the fence. When the fence dissolved the seeds would begin to grow in the cultivated soil and fallen branches would provide natural mulch for the flowers to grow. The idea was for the flowers to eventually become part of the entire landscape and provide nourishment for the birds, animals, and other plants.
Jane Ingram Allen thrives on the idea of impermanence like Skip Schukmann; she feels like the natural process that occur to the land are an important and expressive part of her work. This is evident when she says, “nothing could ever be considered a 'permanent' work of art” or she explains, “the natural processes and human and animal interaction as a positive contribution to the artwork ... and to the environment."

In The Making Assignment 2:

The following are works of art that exemplify a viewer-artist relationship. Although there are many pieces that could fill these descriptions I found these to be some of the more fitting ones:
- A static, harmless art object: Marcel Duchamp’s Bicycle Wheel would be a good example of a relationship where the view is engaged because they are questioning what makes art, art but the piece is still unmoving and unchanging.
- An active, harmless object: Although he is seen in the pop culture as a movie producer, Tim Burton’s Nightmare Before Christmas would be a perfect example of an active harmless object. The puppets he has created are moving and ever changing by the second to make them appear to be walking but they are harmless to the viewer. The viewer only has to sit back and enjoy, to participate in the relationship.
- An active, dangerous art object: Arnaldo Morales’s Kanika No.08 is active in the regard that it spins and is not static and would definitely inflict harm if used the way “intend” as a piece of seduction.

Ok, so now this is Week 4's response to Adolescents at School chapters 2 and 4:

The question that was posed with these chapters made me realize how fortunate I am. I had to think a long time to remember a time that I had been discriminated against. It makes me realize I blessed I am to have been raised in an environment where I have been equally presented opprotunities. However, the first memory that came to mind was when I tried to play on the basketball team in 5th grade. It was an intermural sport so everyone who wanted to play was put on a team. I was VERY short for my age so my couch only put me in for about 3 minutes the whole season. Although I was not very good when he did finally put me in, it was a real let down not to ever be given the chance just because I was short.

The other question asked was to discribe a time you discriminated against someone else. The memory I have for this one I will never forget. It was in my math class in high school and there was this girl that sat infront of me that was tall and blonde and was always really dressed up. I did not know who she was but had already informed the opinon that she was not going to be good at math, so when the time came around to start working on our homework I told the girl I would help her (even though she didn't ask) and it turns out she was brilliant and ended up helping me complete the assignment because I didn't understand it. I had completely formed my opinon of her from blond stereotypes and I felt awful about it. I was totally given a taste of my own medicine when she ended up give me help but I will still never make the same mistake. I felt so bad about it!

Both of these memories will help me in my future classroom because I now know what it feels like to be on both ends. I would never wish those feelings on anyone else and will forever keep them in the forfront of my memory. It will also remind me that there are stereotypes to be combated in other areas than race and gender. As teachers we need to always be on our gaurd and treat everyone fairly. By letting go of all prejudices and treating everyone with the same respect all students will know you care and a more harmonious school setting can be achieved.

Hello!

So I find this weeks discussion topic REALLY interesting and I want to know other people's opinon on the topic of finding a balance between realistic technical sketching and self-expression. This is something I think a lot about and really struggle with when I make lesson plans. I know from personal experience as a student that I would get really frusterated when I had an idea in my head of a good sketch but did not have the techniqual skills to execute it in a way that gave the idea any justice. So I have always wondered the best way to balance these to subjects.

I have never liked the traditional techniqual drawing assignments. I have always found them boring and impersonal but I understand their importance. I think in my classes I will definitly assign things like value sketches and skill lives but with things that are important to them. For example, in the book Ordinary to Extraordinary they show a lesson about making a small still life of objects that are meaningful to them. I feel like students would find more pride in bringing home this types of working and finding them relfective.

I also think it's important to build on the student's skills. I would think that it would be very benefical to the students to begin the semester in more skill-based lessons like the still lives and then move towards something more expressive as the year goes on. Another way you could balance skill and expression would be to have skill-based sketchbook assignments for homework and then work on more expressive works in class. With this however, you would have to still designate classroom time for instruction on the techniqcal skills. Because the truth is that although the skill-based stuff is boring it is VERY important to improvement and getting to the point where you can express yourself accurately.

John Singer Sargent is my personal favorite sketch artist. There is so much depth and emotion is his sketches. I love his use of tone and the line quality is really expressive. This one is my absolute favortie:

Hello!
There is no way to put into words how much my identity has changed since I was in high school. The same moral qualities in me have remained the same since childhood but the ways in which I express them have changed drastically. I have matured so much since coming to college and being independent. I think the most noticable difference is my drive and determination. Although I did ok in high school I did not feel the same passion I do now that I am deep into the study of what I love. I know that I have placed myself in the right major and am willing to work to my best ability to become the teacher I can be. This has affected my identity in the sense that I no longer see my self as just a student of many different subjects but a preteacher and an experienced artist.
My identity has also changed because of the relationships I have built here at UI. I have made many deep and meaningful relationships with girls that share my moral standing and standards but are diverse in the interests and backgrounds. These relationships have made me more confident in who I am. In high school your identity shifts and many self-concious ideas show through in your identity. That is no longer the case. My friends have taught me to be confident in who I am due to their unwavering friendship. They have also taught me many things about there interests and showed me many new things I would have never known before.
It is envitable that a shift in identity as major as the one from high school to college will effect your art work. I think the most noticable change is my techniqual skill and how that allows me to better express myself becuase I am more comfortable with the medium and depicting the images and ideas I need to to show my identity through my work.

I think that being a practicing artist would help me in the classroom because it will keep me in the same creative mindset as my students. I also think it will help me appreciate the creative and unique projects that will be produced by the students. I reallt agreed with Vieth when he said said that your students will respect you more too. As artists we gain confidence, self awareness, and pleasure from making art which effects your everyday mood which in turn will affect your teaching in a positive way. I also think it is important to make art as art educators because it will continue to inspire you which will put a fire in you to pass this insipration on to your students.
I also think that it is important for the teacher to have a small collection of their work displayed in their classroom to gain a new reapect from their student. It will also show your students your interests in life and your media and subject preferences. The teacher that I did my practicum with had a small gallarey of his work up in his classroom and the students often admired it and would ask him why he choose to do things certain ways. It would also be an interesting way to introduce yourself in the beginning of the year.
I know that I will continue to work on oil painting, watercolor illustrations, and cartooning while I al teaching because those are the things that I find to present the most challenges and are continual sources of theropy and reward. I have also always wanted to work on illustrating a children's book with my sister, so I would love to continue to work on that.
Vieth uses many of the same reasons to support the idea of teacher as artist. He also strongly suggests working on the same project as your students so that they can see you in the creative process and in both the artist and mentor role. I like this idea but at the same time wonder if it would limit the creativity of the students because they would be looking to produce a piece that would get a good grade, and might copy your work for hints on how to acheive that. To help students balance skill and personal expression I think it is a good idea to give demos and practice assignments to learn the technical skills and then follow with the reflective projects. Students will not be able to express themselves fully if the techniqual skill level is not at a desired level.

When looking back on my high school experience, I think that the most important thing I learned was how often I changed my feelings and personal identity. I think that this vast amount of personal exploration is one of the most wonderful parts of high school and I strongly feel that self expression during this time of life is really important. However, this also makes a student very vulnerable and in extra need of guidence and love. I felt that in high school many teachers did not take the time to show their compassion or recognize the personal changes that were happening in my life, and although my parents were always very supportive I think that it would have really helped to have my teachers show interest in my personal endeavors.
I was a very different high school student in the fact that I stayed with one close knit group of friends the whole time I was there and honestly, had a very strong relationship with my family. I was a hard working student although I never did as well as my friends or students. Dancing was my passion and kept me going through the day and I know that is the case with many athletes in high school. This is another reason why I think it is important for teachings to show interest in student's lives and school spirit.
I think the things I fear the most is classroom management because without it you can't grow with your students. I think the things I am most excited for is see what the students are capable of producing and what they can teach me.

Hello!
I'm Stephanie from the Chicago suburbs and I will be graduating from the art education program in the Spring of 2010. I want to be an art teacher because I feel that art is an amazing form of self expression that can help guide a student in finding their personal identity. I think there is a lack of this kind of development in today's curriculum but I feel that it is very important. I can not wait to have my own classroom and see what my future students have to teach me.