I feel like I’ve been saying this a lot over the last couple weeks talking about my field placement, but I can’t stress enough how much I appreciate being placed with Dr. Gennie. Things in life always happen for a reason and maybe working with Dr. Gennie was a necessary part my education. Not every teacher has it easy, but I feel like Dr. G has it pretty rough. I fully aware of the diversity among the Columbia Public School District, and I feel it was beneficial to see just how different schools can be ten blocks apart.
Throughout my time with Dr. Gennie I was continually impressed with her efforts to have juicy lesson plans; lessons that enriched the students learning experience and tied in with their other subjects. Even though the work produced might have been simple there was meaning behind it. At Benton someone had asked that all the students make bowties to wear for the Christmas celebrations coming up next week. Instead of cutting out 200 some odd paper bowties and having each class color them, Dr. G used whatever design motif the kids were working on at the time. For students doing units on weaving the bowties have construction paper woven into the sides, the students doing mosaics their bowties have hundreds of tiny colored paper squares glued on then, and a dozen other varieties. Each class produced different bowties relating to their other activities.
I find it overwhelming the amount of time and effort Dr. G puts into planning for six different grades levels and two schools. Her years and level of experience makes seem so easy for her to juggle the constant change or at least that is what I have observed. Even so she said several times over the last two months that she feels worn out. Last semester she said all she ever did was yell at the kids because of the issues at Benton. With the addition of a student teacher and my service hours Dr. Gennie was smiling again and for the first time in months she laughed about something in class. No matter how fabulous a teacher you are her schedule takes a toll.
One issue I have is really more with the school district, but even then I don’t think anything can be done to fix it. Throughout the city schools have added trailers to provide more space for the growing population of Columbia. The trailers are not a good solution. The teachers who work in them are cut off from the rest of the school. In the case of an art room, the trailers are just not equipped to hand clean up. You can’t always have kids running back into the main building to use a bathroom. Dr. G luges water out to them in gallon judges, but there are still plenty of complications which prevent a quick and efficient clean up. As I said to start there is no simple solution because the district could never afford to do away with the trailers but Dr. G teachers in a trailer at both schools and has to limit what she teaches at times because of it. Even if just some sort of plumbing could be done in the art trailers maybe it would provide a better learning experience of the students and teachers.
Overall I wish I could have spent more time with Dr. G. I have a better appreciation for the effort and work put into an art teacher's day.
Viewing and Responding
Probably every other student in our class said the same but the VTS was amazing. I have taken 7 or 8 art history classes at MU and not one was as awesome as Mary’s VTS. I have had one or two very good classes where I came away from it with a great appreciation and understanding of the art covered, but most were nothing more than Name, Date, and Artistic Classification, images memorized for the test and forgotten the next day. I need to know more about contemporary artist so that when it is my turn to plan and execute a lesson I will be able to incorporate art current and past.
Developing Art Curriculum
For my education this area needs the largest amount of growth. I come from an artistic background so I have lots of experience with a variety of art mediums. What I don’t have is any experience developing a curriculum. I found the reading materials for the class most helpful. If I am to be successful as an art teacher I need to build my own library of resources and good books are key. Almost every class this semester has left me feeling overwhelmed. The visit to Rockbridge high school was no different. To have the opportunity to be a part of the MU Art Ed program is crucial for the teachers of tomorrow. Meeting some of the people responsible (Kathy Unrath to mention) is irreplaceable. My own art education from high school pales in comparison to the work being done at Rockbridge. The prospect of helping the next generation have a better experience that I did is part of why I’ve been pursuing a teaching degree for 8 years.
Teaching Art
The tiger artist experience was so much fun. I really enjoyed working all my classmates and professionals who helped. It was really good to work with kids again. I’ve been away from children for several years. My job puts me in contact with the public when they are most often drunk and stupid, and it is emotionally draining. Working with kids is rejuvenating. It was also helpful to hear feedback on my interactions with the students. The last thing I ever imagined was that my vocabulary was beyond what the students might have understood. In the past teachers like Joe Johnson made me feel stupid when I didn’t understand a word or phrase he used. He was not trying to so do he’s just a very educated man. The last thing I was to do is make anyone feel that way.
Peer Unit Review & Unit Self Evaluation
I think Lisa said it first but I have never worked so hard on a paper as I did for my unit plan. It might be that I had more invested with the Unit plan. I am passionate about teaching so I want to do the best work I can, and it’s not that I have never worked on a long paper before. I don’t have the emotional connection to English Lit that I do with Art. Now the Tiger Artist Lesson planning felt easy in comparison. My team worked really well together and before I realized it we were done. The kids all seemed to understand and like the class so I think it was a success.
I really like have 17 separate Units that I can refer back to in the future. I hope I get to someday teach them all.
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