When
I first signed up for C&I 200 I was a little nervous. It was the most
consecutive time I had spent in a classroom since I was little. Two weeks later
I would not change it for anything. Being able to observe a regular day from
start to end showed me how schools worked again, this time from a teacher’s
perspective. I gained an understanding of art education, my confidence grew, I
learned how a to run a classroom and set professional goals.
My
observation experience was a more non-traditional than others. Getting to
travel to four different elementary schools and help teacher art lessons I
witnessed an array of ages and classroom settings. Before meeting Janet Potts I
never knew traveling teaching was an option. It seems so strange that one
person teaches 82 different classes. During my time with Janet I was able to
assess how art in elementary schools works and I was extremely disappointed.
Each class gets professional art once every six or seven weeks. It is pathetic.
Music, PE and library are considered weekly or bi-weekly ‘specials’ that while
art gets pushed aside. I was luck enough to sit in on a Paxson parent/faculty
meeting about the art program. What I understood was art is not a ‘special’
because if a teacher is asked which of the fine arts could you teach in your
room, music or art, most responded with art. It seems easier; more of a ‘fluff’
subject than music does, when there is really so much in art. There are
generations that do not practice visual arts because they never learned how.
The situation is not completely negative. My time following the roaming artist
I met plenty of teachers who are pushing to have more art in their classes.
There is an effort being made and it made me optimistic for the coming generations.
Working in many different classes helped me
(partially) get over my fear of chaos. Kids need to have space to explore,
socialize about ideas and have fun. The room cannot always be quite and I now
understand that. It was hard for me to be ok with how much noise there is in a
class. Students might not even be talking that loud, but there are so many of
them. I found that more boisterous teachers usually had louder, more chaotic
classrooms while soft-spoken teacher had calm rooms. Both can work in their own
way. The chaotic classes taught me that all things will settle out. When a
project was reaching its height –noise, mess and creativity – the kids would
start to settle. Some would finish, clean up and go quietly read or write. It
was amazing. Some kindergartens were wired one minute and silent the next.
Theses experiences taught me that chaos will eventually lead to order. I worked
with a teacher who spoke barley above a whisper. Her class was calmer, more
attentive and didn’t wonder aimlessly. The room wasn’t dead quite either.
Students politely chatted and shared tools without a second thought. They knew
the routine and what to do. If someone finished early they cleaned up and
started reading or one of their other designated activities. It was a beautiful
example of management and I plan on taking it into my own class.
Before I had worked with children I was
milquetoast, a pushover, even a little nervous of children in large groups. I
didn’t want to be known as the bad guy whom disciplines; I wanted to be the fun
teacher. After this session I feel I can successfully be both. Working with
children all day dissolved my fears. It comes easy to help mediate a classroom.
It really came to me in a kindergarten. The kids were fighting over a reading
chair and I intervened. It didn’t interrupt any other students but the two I
was talking to got my point and quite. This realization felt great and was a
big step in my growth as an educator.
If anyone asked my opinion on this class as a
winter session I would recommend it in a heartbeat. By being in the classroom
from start to finish you really see the dynamics of a class. The one thing that
was least helpful for me was traveling to different schools. I gained a
different knowledge than the other TAs; I was able to observe 34 different
classrooms. The different management techniques and advice I learned helped me
grow. I now have a better understanding of the politics of education and how
income and parent support – or lack thereof – affect a school. On the other hand,
it would have been nice to stay with the same class for two weeks. I didn’t get
to know the same students or how their daily schedules run. The one thing I
really regret not learning about was the school curriculum and what is taught.
This is where I feel the least confident. I wasn’t able to learn about the
programs going on in schools or the materials, textbooks and other learning
devices used. It would have been nice to spend even half a day in the same
class.
While running about different schools I was thought
hard and tried to decide my three main professional goals. Many came to mind
but a few stuck out. The first being to spend more time in a regular classroom
and the second to understand and gain an opinion on the tools used to teach. I
feel the two run together; the more classroom experience and witnessing how a
tool or program works the better I can understand and critique it. I still feel
very ignorant regarding learning tools and text because of my lack of
experience with them. I now have a plethora of pocket art lessons but to teach
a content lesson I wouldn’t know where to start. As I spend time in classrooms
I need to start making a portfolio of the lessons I see and how I can make them
my own. Janet taught me something very useful for planning lessons. She is able
to teach any medium to any age level. Over the years she has come up with
projects for every level. She recommend that I start brainstorming with one
medium and create a lesson or two that every age could complete. It could be as
simple as making snakes and forms to using three textures and detailing tools
on a life-like bust. I need to get over the mindset that every lesson needs to
be complex. Learning wont happen instantly, it is a gradual process that builds
on each previous lesson.
My third goal is to become educated and involved in
the school politics. Again I feel ignorant on this topic. During my two weeks I
heard teachers praising or ranting about different issues currently happening
in schools. I need to have an opinion and be educated so I can help get better
programs or funding for future students and myself.
Taking this class has reassured me that I am headed
in the right direction. I feel lighter than air when I leave school and know
that I helped a child; I made a difference in someone’s life. Previous routes I
travel never felt as satisfying because they were self-gratifying. I know the
hours can be long and the money is not great but knowing that I am making a
difference in a child’s life is more rewarding than I ever imagined. I There is
a lot I still need to learn but I am excited for it. Every day will be an
adventure and joy.
