The Adventures of the Second Year Art Teacher

First Week of the Second Trimester

2008-11-23T21:01:00.000-08:00

Monday was the start of a new trimester. That means I get a whole new group of students for 12 weeks. I looked at my rosters and over 90% of my classes are male, and there is 25 to 30 students in my classes.
Let's just say that my head was spinning the first couple of days of the trimester. I am getting used to the dynamic, but it is different than having a class full of girls. I did threaten death upon them if they damaged my newly covered tables and soldering station. One of my classroom rules is no food and drink, but only water with a cap in the class. One of the students walks in the room with a tall cup of hot chocolate and when I got to that rule I walked over grabbed his cup and emptied it in the sink, and said I hope this is the only time I have to do this. Well it wasn't, I had to do 2 more times in different classes. So hopefully I was mean enough this week that I can lighten up.

I am doing it again!

2008-10-12T18:27:00.000-07:00

I have been staying after to long! Thursday are my long days, because I meet with the Art Club and if I can get it to pass the "Anime" Club. The school would like to have a verity of students to have a voice within the student government. A lot of the students that would or will join the "Anime" Club normally don't have a voice. I am willing to be club supervisor for these students, but I have to write a proposal for who ever to vote on it. That is on my list of things to do tomorrow at school.
I am excited for this week of school becasue we only have 2 1/2 days of school, and than it is UEA weekend!

Mount Tuk

2008-09-30T18:36:00.000-07:00

I had the privilege of accompanying the Outdoor Ed class on a field trip. Monday night, it was night for me because I was taking up 2 football players, we camped at Medicine Lake. Then early Tuesday morning we hiked up Mount Tuk.

I was suppose to leave at 5:30 pm from the high school, but I did not leave until 6:15 pm. The football practice went over so I had to wait. Not only did we gett a late start we have to stop at one of the student's homes to pick up his camping gear. I was thinking the whole time that I could of went to the store to buy some cheese and fruit.

I had never been to this part of the mountains and was asking the students if they know where Medicine Lake was. One of them pipes up and says he does. I was vaguely following the direction and asking a lot of questions. We ended up taking a 45 minute extra drive then needed. We did not get to camp until 8:30 pm! I was hungry and so were the boys. Lucky for me my dinner was already made.

As the night wears on the kids keep a talking and at 11 pm we told them it was time for bed. Then about 2 am some of the students wake up to the coyotes yippin'. They got a little scared and built a fire to warn off the coyotes. I thought it was quit funny.

Needless to say the hike was beautiful and worth the sleepless night.

Sunrise at the base of Tuk.

The morning sun on the peak across from Tuk.

The last part of the hike up the slippery shale to the 12700 feet peak.

One of the views from the peak.

The descent from the saddle.

It is finally done!

2008-09-28T10:03:00.000-07:00

Well I finally finished the Art Club's LA Trip Slide show. It is a little long, but the students had a great time. I see some of them around town and they still talk about it.

I hope you will enjoy.

Scrap that other blog.

2008-09-28T09:58:00.000-07:00

I have figured out how to change some stuff on my oringal blog so I don't have to open another. Here is what I posted.
I am learning that school starts way before August 21st, the first day of school for the students. After just walking in a week before school started last year, I wanted to be more prepared.
I started cleaning the day school let out. I organized, painted walls, ordered supplies, came up with different assignments, went to a SPYHOP workshop, and rearranged my classroom. That was in between the time of river guiding and a mountain bike tour.
Although I did have fun and spent a week in New York and Connecticut. I will be posting my week long adventure with my newly learned skills of film making.
My first trimester schedule is busy.
1st - sculpture
2nd -jewelry/craft
3rd - A/P Art, Studio Art, and Commercial Art
4th - Prep
5th - painting
This means I have 6 classes to prepare for and only 1 prep time.
My goal this trimester is to be out of the classroom by 3p.m. 4 days a week. I will only let myself have 1 late day a week. The rest is to better serve the community and me.

The second year has begun

2008-08-20T19:00:00.000-07:00

I have started a new blog called the "The Adventure of the Second Year Art Teacher". This will continue my chronicles of being an art teacher.

Spending more time out side of school.

2008-04-27T10:31:00.000-07:00

Lately I have been getting my work done quickly, so that I can go out exploring. It has been harder to stay inside, because of the Spring Blossoms and perfect temperature. Everyday a teacher has a count down of how many school days are left. The teachers want to get out just as bad as the students do. Right now I am supplementing it by exploring the area after school.

Demoing at the Distric Art Show

2008-04-27T09:10:00.000-07:00

I got to select students to go over to the MARC (Moab Arts and Recreation Center) to work on art pieces while the elementary students walked through. I even brought a painting to work on. I was not going to sit around and let the students have fun. The students were so good with the elementary walking through and talking with them. Here are some pictures of the students at work.

LA was good enough for me to want to do it again.

2008-04-13T20:03:00.000-07:00

Some peoples parents! Can you believe 2 days before leaving to go to LA for art that I had 4 students cancel. The students wanted to go and where committed, but at the last minute their parents pulled them from the trip. Don't they know that this is costing the school money and taking opportunities away from their child and others since they decided to pull them out at the last minute. To me this teaches the students that you can pull out at anytime even when you said you were committed.
This was the only part of the trip that was frustrating. I was even thinking before the trip started that I am not going to do this again. As the trip progressed and to see the students reactions to the art work. It was worth the frustration of the students, parents, and fund raising to do it again. Next time I think I will start the fund raising earlier and have another adult involved.
In a couple of weeks I will have a video posted of the trip. So look forward to that.

LA a go for some, but not all.

2008-03-31T20:04:00.000-07:00

I am getting ready to go to LA with 8 of my art club students. So far 2 of the students have come to me and said they might not be able to go. Well we leave on Wednesday of this week. It would of been nice to find this out a week or two ago. The parents are going to come and talk to me tomorrow. I will be posting pictures and another small video of the trip.

Moab Spring Break 2008

2008-03-26T23:45:00.001-07:00

video

Springbreak has come and gone!

2008-03-23T19:14:00.000-07:00

My parents and dogs came for the first part of my Spring break. We went hiking and jeeping. Jeeping is a term, I believe was created in Moab, is where modified off road vehicles crawl up rocks that not every vehicle can get up. We also went on one of my favorite hikes to Corona Arch. After my parents left my friends and went snowshoeing in the La Sal Mountains. I did take some time for myself and had some lazy days.

A New Trimester

2008-03-09T17:39:00.000-07:00

This week was a start of the third and last trimester of this school year. Gradually as the year has gone on my classes have gotten easier for me. Maybe it's because I know the contain better. I have done a lot of trail and error with my students with jewelry, but they are learning too. My class sizes have decrease this trimester also. I wish they would of spread the students out a little better through the course of the year. Although it is nice to have smaller classes, especially being the last trimester of the school year. I have notice that since I am not coaching basketball that I am more involved with my teaching. We will see how it goes.

They will find you!

2008-03-02T20:31:00.000-08:00

Being a single female teacher doesn't always mean that I have a lot of free time. As soon as basketball was over I got asked to be the female chaperon for the debate team. I checked with my roommate to see if anyone was coming to visit. She said, "No, and I am leaving that weekend." I told the debate I would go and then I get phone calls asking if I would be in town. Go figure, as soon as I make plans people want to come and visit.
I have never been to a debate tournament. The first day was boring, because I didn't know how things worked or when they started or where to go. Each student has a code in which they go by. So I had no idea who was what code. Some of the students where not competing and wanted to go to the mall. I took them to the mall and they asked me what time they wanted to meet. That took me by surprised, because I thought I would just wander around with them. Then I remembered that I am a teacher. Boy did that make me feel old! I just wander around the mall by myself and bought some goods that you can't get in Moab.
The second day I ended up judging a couple of rounds. Time defiantly went faster when I was judging. It was good to see an academic competitiveness among students. Debaters bring a good quality into a classroom and the work environment.
Coaching basketball I saw how team unity can build up a team. I also saw that team unity in debate. Even though they were competing on an individual basis, they supported each other by going to each others rounds and giving critiques. No wonder why so many "State" Debate banners hang in the gym. They know what unity and preparation mean.

Basketball is finally over!

2008-02-22T09:01:00.000-08:00

It was enjoyable and yet time consuming to coach girls basketball. Now that it is over I feel I have a profound freedom. This week has been busy yet relaxing. I am going to attend an art conference in St. George and in fact just getting ready to leave for it. I am teaching a class on wire jewelry, and have never sat down to create anything of the sort. I had some students make some jewelry to show the teachers, and I figure it was good enough. We'll see how it goes today.

There are more benefites to teaching than teaching.

2008-01-27T19:17:00.000-08:00

There are great advantages of working at a high school. You know besides "shaping the lives of the youth for tomorrow" as Zo would say as I was leaving for work.
For one the unlimited sick days, they don't specify sick of what. I'll have some sick of the inside days and the cure will be a couple of days of sunshine and fresh air.
The other part is learning new things to teach to the students. As you well know I am learning how to make jewelry. It has been a new creativity high for me. When I first started at Grand County High I didn't think that jewelry was fine art. First of all it has to look good or no one will wear it. Another part is marking milestones and celebrating life. It takes patients to create something polished, and it teaches you to roll with the punches when something goes wrong that can turn out better than designed. To me it is much like the process of printmaking. Once you know the basics the possibilities are endless.

Schools back in and I'm a mess!

2008-01-09T16:39:00.000-08:00

School started Monday and I woke up with a slight sore throat. It is now Wednesday and I have no voice. My roommate is giving me the silent treatment.
While my voice was slowly fading away. On Monday I was practicing with the JV team and one of the coaches threw the ball and as I caught the ball it jammed my finger.
Today I was going to call in sick, but the Principal was coming in to do an observation, there was faculty meeting, community council, and picture for girls basketball. By 5th period I couldn't give my PowerPoint presentation. At community council I was yelling at them a proposal to get funding to go to the LA Art museums that was only heard in a whisper.
Hopefully they will take petty on me and give me the funding.
I am just hoping that by Friday I will have my voice back to coach the JV game. Time will only tell.

It's offically winter break!

2007-12-24T14:00:00.000-08:00

Between classes the teachers in my hall would come out and talk about how we couldn't wait until winter break. Most the time I think teachers anticipate breaks more than students do. Nothing to exciting has happened since the scorching of the floor. Which is a good thing for me . Although I was helping a student at the soldering station and moved the mesh plate with my finger and thumb, and not realizing that someone had just used it. Now I have a faint square pattern branding on my left thumb.
This break I thought about going to work with my mom, but now I don't have to. I am going to do artwork and go hiking. I will post my creations at the end of the break.

Not quit KABOOM but almost!

2007-12-05T19:22:00.000-08:00

My first period class walks right in the classroom sits down and starts working without me saying anything. It was another one of those morings the students got right to work. Towards the end of the class one of the my sweet quite students was soldering his top plate unto his bottom plate of his double plated ring with a stone. As he was soldering the nozzle popped off the torch. He paniced and dropped the torch on the ground. Luckily he dropped it away from the tank. I yelled clear and the students moved away and I managed to turn the torch off. Now I have 2 scortch marks and holes on my floor. I figured out that one of the students was playing with the torch and unscrewed the nozzle and the pressure from the tank blew it off. Now I go and check the torches before each class period. None of the students got hurt, but I got a scratch on my arm.

A Colorful Observation

2007-11-29T16:35:00.000-08:00

My Principal has been really good on coming in and doing observations. Today during 5th hour he made his surprise visit. I was out in the hall monitoring and handing my students bell work. When I walked in the room he was wondering around the class. I asked him if had sat on a stool in the back. He answered yes. I then told him that he sat on the stool with oil paint on it and the paint was on the back side of his pants! He just played it cool and proceeded on with his task.
I stopped by his office and told him how to remove the oil paint. He said he should no better than to sit on a stool with paint on it in a art room.

Students can do the most amazing things!

2007-11-28T19:50:00.000-08:00

It was the last of the day and half way through the class peroid. I'm in my jewelry 2 class helping the students with their designs and getting supplies for their double plated ring with a stone project. As the students are huddled around my desk a student walks up and asks what he needs to do with his broken saw blade? (These are jewelers saw so they needle like in thickness and long with tooth.) I told him just to throw it away and get another saw. Not more than 5 minutes later he comes up to me with part of the saw blade sticking out the the top part of his wrist. I thought he was playing a joke on me with his broken saw blade. The blade was actually stuck. I put a glove on and gently tugged on it and it didn't move. The other students were saying get some pilers and pull it out! I said no and took him down to the office to calm him down and stabilize his wrist. The secrataries called his mother and we had another teacher ,who's a trained pharamedic, look at it. I'm still baffled on how he got it stuck in his wrist!
On the flip side the girls basketball team had a game last night. We only have 16 players for both JV and Varsity. So all the players get good playing time. Last nights game we only ended up with 14 players, because 2 of the players decided to go get slurpies during school and got caught.
The JV team played with 7 and 3 of them have never played school ball! It was intense game with double over time. 2 of the top players fouled out at the last and we lost by 1 point. The score was 53 to 52. These girls amaze everytime they play a game. Granted we have only played 2, but non the less the still amaze. Varsity came back from a 10 points behind and got within 2, with the final score being 52 to 50.
What an intense 3 days!

Taking on another adventure!

2007-11-25T18:33:00.000-08:00

2 1/2 days into the 2nd trimester and I'm not as stressed out as I was the 1st. I feel more confident and comfortable in what I am doing now. Every day is a new adventure and I feel I can take it on. So I took on another adventure coaching the Girls JV Basketball Team!
At first I was just suppose to help out with practice, but I ended up being the JV Coach. To my surprise we won our first game. In practice there are only 6 girls to go over plays. They really never get a chance to practice those plays against other players.
The first game for me I had a hard time adjusting being the coach. I was used to just watching and not figureing out how to improve the game and keep the girls motivated. Thank goodness for the other coaches and their experience.

Student projects and accomplishments

2007-11-25T18:11:00.001-08:00

My sculpture class enjoyed making the masks out of all the assignments.

The sculpture and painting class project are on display in the library.

4 of my students made it into the SUU High School Fine Arts Show!

My internet went out and the school blocked blogs!

2007-11-25T17:55:00.000-08:00

November 14, 2007
I have been wanting to blog for the last week, but many things have come my way. I was going to stay after school to blog, but our district tech people have blocked all access to blogs. Then my cable internet has not been working!
It is the end of the trimester and so many ups and downs come along with that. I have seen many students progress from the start of the class. Not only in their art work, but their attitude towards art and life. I’ve seen more respect towards myself and towards their peers.
I’ve made it a point to meet with each of my students to talk about their grade, what was their favorite project, and discuss what could be done in the future. A lot of the students were asking when it was their turn and their faces brightened up when they walked in my office.

How I became an art teacher

2007-11-04T14:19:00.000-08:00

What a crazy ride on how I got to my first year of teaching full time at a high school! And I am telling you about when the first trimeseter is coming to an end.
It indiscreetly started in an airport in Cincinnati, I received a phone call while waiting for my collecting flight to Las Vegas. The man on the other end of the phone asked if I wanted to be a mountain bike in Moab. I said of course and how did you get my number! From than on my life started to unfold towards the city of extreme recreation. Instead of a summer filled with mountain biking it ended up being full of river rafting on the Colorado.
While I was waiting for the summer season of rafting and biking to begin I signed up to be a subsitute teacher for my friend, so she could train to be a river guide. That got my foot in the door to be a potential teacher in Grand County. Through out the spring and summer I had been searching for art position else where in the state so that I would a fall job. It turns out that the middle school position opened for part time and I went for it. After a month of waiting and the prinicpal being on vacation I got that position.
I drove home and got all of my art supplies and got my classroom set up over the summer. The fact is I liked going into the school over the summer because it had air conditioning and I lived in a place with no elecrtcity or running water. So to cool off and relax I would head to my classroom and organize. Two weeks before school started I had my classroom set up and was typing out lesson plans and had my trimester planned out. I thought I was set!
Here comes the crazy part of the ride. The teacher who had the high school art position decided to leave a week and half before school started! I was called in to interview for the position a week before school started and after the interview I was going on my company river trip. I found out that I got the job right before I left.
I graduated with an art composite degree and had dabbled in most of the art forms. This job had one art form that I did not study, and the was jewelry making. No not bead work, but silversmithing. I didn't have the slightest idea of what to do. The teacher that was leaving gave me her notes on a yellow legal pad and an hour demo before she left town. That was my training THREE days before school started. In my interview I told the principal if I got the job that I wanted a teacher aid that had taken jewerly before so that they could teach my how to teach jewelry.