The summer is over; it has flown by and we are back to school...already I know! The art room is back in full swing already- tables are messy, the cabinets are stocked with art journals waiting to be filled with doodles, ideas and thoughtful responses and pieces are in progress in every open nook and cranny. I just wanted to take a few minutes to share some thoughts with you about how the first few weeks have gone.
Art Journals for ART 7 and 8 were met with moans and groans and "Writing?! In Art??" but they are growing on the kids, just like those early morning alarms- slowly but surely :)
Classroom routines and expectations are well rehearsed and memorized so that all will run smoothly. My 8th graders are pros- already knowing where everything is located (even though some of them are amazingly surprised that there is a sense of organization this year, even with labels!.....and even more surprised that I am sticking to it three weeks in still :) Although, I will admit that I need help to find things now that I put them away in the right places.
All the usual hustle and bustle of the school year is in full swing and I know that I feel like I am going a mile a minute with my head spinning. I can only imagine how my kids are feeling! While a new school year is always something I look forward to; a sense of routine, newness and a new group of kids, it is overwhelming no matter how much I prepare. My kids must be feeling that and more- anxiety, sleep deprivation, excitement, overwhelming accumulation of new knowledge.....the list goes on and on. In the midst of this organized chaos, I got a glimpse of what is truly, really important. Actually, important does not give my thought justice- essential and crucial is more like it.
As I watched my year and a half year old daughter the other night I was hit with a thought that, I am ashamed to admit it, escapes me from time to time in the hustle and bustle of everyday teaching. As I watched Harper color her paper with every colored marker within her reach and squeal as she made a new line and put caps on and take them off too many times to count, I remembered that above all else my job is to give my kids a means to try new things, explore new materials and to grow as people. It is my job to get them to that point of excitement about something new they are doing. It is true that technique, rubrics and material usage are important and we can get caught up in those specifics, but in the grand scheme of things the life lessons- such as persistence, courage and flexibility, and the relationships I build with my students are far more important than any individual academic lesson. To watch my kids try new things, enjoy new experiences and learn about themselves is the BEST part of my job! It is the reason I became a teacher and it is THE most important thing I can do for my kids- it just took a very colorful one-year old to remind me :)
Art Journals for ART 7 and 8 were met with moans and groans and "Writing?! In Art??" but they are growing on the kids, just like those early morning alarms- slowly but surely :)
Classroom routines and expectations are well rehearsed and memorized so that all will run smoothly. My 8th graders are pros- already knowing where everything is located (even though some of them are amazingly surprised that there is a sense of organization this year, even with labels!.....and even more surprised that I am sticking to it three weeks in still :) Although, I will admit that I need help to find things now that I put them away in the right places.
All the usual hustle and bustle of the school year is in full swing and I know that I feel like I am going a mile a minute with my head spinning. I can only imagine how my kids are feeling! While a new school year is always something I look forward to; a sense of routine, newness and a new group of kids, it is overwhelming no matter how much I prepare. My kids must be feeling that and more- anxiety, sleep deprivation, excitement, overwhelming accumulation of new knowledge.....the list goes on and on. In the midst of this organized chaos, I got a glimpse of what is truly, really important. Actually, important does not give my thought justice- essential and crucial is more like it.
As I watched my year and a half year old daughter the other night I was hit with a thought that, I am ashamed to admit it, escapes me from time to time in the hustle and bustle of everyday teaching. As I watched Harper color her paper with every colored marker within her reach and squeal as she made a new line and put caps on and take them off too many times to count, I remembered that above all else my job is to give my kids a means to try new things, explore new materials and to grow as people. It is my job to get them to that point of excitement about something new they are doing. It is true that technique, rubrics and material usage are important and we can get caught up in those specifics, but in the grand scheme of things the life lessons- such as persistence, courage and flexibility, and the relationships I build with my students are far more important than any individual academic lesson. To watch my kids try new things, enjoy new experiences and learn about themselves is the BEST part of my job! It is the reason I became a teacher and it is THE most important thing I can do for my kids- it just took a very colorful one-year old to remind me :)