Who’s that tired lady I thought was my teacher?

Lizard Queen presiding over her minions! (Definitely not the metaphor I want for my teaching and classroom experiences!) (Collage by Bronwyn)

The past few weeks have been intensely busy, and I’ve been feeling wiped out and drained.   It’s hard to believe that it’s only been three weeks since spring break!  It feels more like a lifetime! Instead of leaving school on cloud nine after a day of art with the kiddos, I’ve been leaving school grumping and dwelling on the challenging and difficult moments in my day.

Wondering if this could be me after a tough group of short people! (Drawing by Audrey)

I realized that my schedule has been busier than it was earlier in the year because I’ve been teaching some additional classes at the new art store in my town.  My kids have also had more extra curricular commitments which has made me have to chauffeur them around more, which in turn means dinner later, and any chores or school prep get finished later too. Although the school year will be over soon, I’ve still got a lot of deadlines, and school events looming. There doesn’t seem to be such a thing as winding down, it just goes full bore up to the last day!

I was beginning to think that perhaps I just don’t have my heart in teaching any more, because I was feeling annoyed  with a few students for blurting, or talking when they were supposed to be listening for instance.  (I try to keep my talking to a minimum so we can maximize studio time.  And kids have no restrictions on conversing and collaborating during studio time!) I don’t want to get to the point that I hate going to work!  When I reflected more seriously about my feelings I knew that in my heart, teaching is my calling, and spending time with children really brings me tremendous joy. I was simply tired!

Pooped out Teacher Frances backed into a corner by seemingly endless work and life responsibilities! (Sockpet by Phebe)

 

I don’t know if it’s the great weather we’ve been having, getting to bed earlier, or just realizing that I need to focus more on the positive, but I feel as if I’ve come out from under the dark cloud which was shadowing  me!

We’ve had an unusually gorgeous spring, and the kids are anxious to be outside.  And who can blame them?  Here in the Pacific Northwest great weather has been in short supply  for several years.

I came home last Friday and got my sons to come help me with some yard work outside. It was the best therapy ever! Saturday morning I got up and made a list of things I needed to do on the weekend, and I actually got most of them done! Sunday I was able to  spend some time on school work preparations, which included testing a photo sensitive dye on fabric. (Inko Dye…really interesting results….looking forward to more experiments with students!)

Samples of Inko dyed fabric from Sunday experiments. The animals were made with silly bands. The stars were created with plastic cut up from an old school folder.

I’ve had a great week at school so far, and I feel excited about the activities to come before school ends! And now that I’ve gotten some major tasks off of my to do list, it actually does feel if school is winding down!

Student challenges will always be there. However, having a good sense of humor, and empathy are essential! There are always alternative ways to approach problems, and there’s no sense banging one’s head against the wall, when one can tunnel under, leap over, or make a detour. Sometimes that’s changing and adapting curriculum, and sometimes it’s trying a new strategy for managing challenging behaviors.

So….enough sturm and dross, and on with artmaking! I just heard Pierce Brosnan’s interview on NPR, and I loved how he finished by saying, “It’s work. Nothing comes from nothing. It’s always about doing, and showing up, and trying to get better at the job.” That desire to stretch, try harder, and discover the “new” in what is potentially “old hat” is what keeps the flames burning and the energy flowing in any work whether it’s acting, teaching, or running a cash register at the local grocery store. And I’m so glad I haven’t thrown in the towel, because after all, life isn’t always a steady trajectory!

Color mixing exploration by Bronwyn

I just found out that today is Teacher Appreciation Day, and that my post about overcoming burn out couldn’t have been more ironically timed!  I’m here to say that I appreciate the opportunity I’ve had to be a teacher, and my students are incredible teachers that I learn from every day! My most heartfelt thanks to my  students for making my life immeasurably richer and for sharing your zest for the pleasures to be found in little things like watching an ant, to the big things like painting a bold stripe of red across a painting!

Gelli plate monoprint created by Izzy

Shout out to Teacher Tom

Wonderful sponge glue!

 

I belong to  an online professional learning community of choice based art educators called TAB (teaching for artistic behavior).  We share our successes and challenges. We share cool ways of doing things in the art studio like putting a sponge in a plastic tub with  glue to facilitate gluing and not buying a zillion bottles of glue with tops that always clog!  We share cool books, websites, and blogs.  About a year ago Teacher Tom Hobson’s blog was suggested as a great teaching inspiration in our group. I started reading his daily posts and really enjoyed them.  Tom Hobson is a coop preschool teacher and I used to teach coop preschool and prethree. He is an artist as well as a teacher and writer and I relate to the way he’s organized his classroom to support open ended learning experiences that include lots of process art activities and choice.

A month ago kids were arguing over who was going to paint which parts of the box. Thanks to Teacher Tom I was able to support students in solving this dilemma themselves.

I believe however that the best things I’ve picked up from reading his blog posts have to do with how I handle problem situations between children and how I handle cleaning up the classroom.  Today was the perfect example of this.  I had set out a building toy called Straws and Connectors.  Several boys were making light sabers and pretending to be Jedi. One boy almost whacked another’s face.  I said, “Isaiah, I am really enjoying watching you and your friends’ imaginative play, but I’m worried that Daniel almost got hit. I’m wondering what we can do about this problem?”  Isaiah then showed me how he could use slow motion with his light saber and stay a safer distance away from Daniel.  Several other kids chimed in with possible solutions too and then began playing in those newer safer ways.  A few minutes later one of the boys began whining.  ”I’m all by myself, I don’t have a team.” In the past I probably would have immediately jumped in and asked who would include this boy. On their own, several boys immediately offered to include him. Me observing, but allowing them to solve their problems really does work! (Of course I intervene if anything is truly unsafe!)

Play is an essential part of creative expression and leads to more formal artistic activities.

Later I announced it was five minutes until it would be time to clean up the art studio. All of the jedi swordsmen put down their light sabers and went to the tables where they could draw, collage, paint, etc…They became very productive artists.  First of all….in the past I would have discouraged  play which was not strictly building, especially play with sword fighting. Now of course I know how much imaginative play is such an important food source for artistic output. After four minutes I asked everyone to sign their names to their art and/or add a finishing touch to their pieces. When the five minutes was up I asked everyone to put down their markers, paintbrushes, etc…. and help clean up the classroom.  In the past that would have meant me doing 70% of the clean up and a few helpful kids doing the rest while most of the kids milled around and talked to their friends as if they were being helpful,  but did not clean up at all. Today other than handing out some wet paper towels for wiping down tables I did none of the clean up though I did offer some suggestions in terms of what needed to be taken care of.  It took the kids 20 minutes to clean up.  At first it was just those helpful kids. Then more and more joined in.  I did have three hold outs.  Two helped during the last minute of the time we cleaned and one who never did clean up anything. In fact they just kept on creating despite the fact that all of the materials were being removed from the tables and kids were wiping down tables, chairs, and some spilled water on the floor. When we got to removing the last marker from the table, the last boy working had a meltdown because his friends had removed all of the materials except for his drawing. I matter of factly restated that studio time was over and it was time to stop. He continued to pout, but no one paid him any attention.  Everyone lined up (except for him) to go have a snack and went to wash their hands. He sat on the floor and missed snack time. But that was his choice.  It wasn’t a punishment.  It was a consequence of not being willing to make a transition. Perhaps next time he’ll help clean up, and even have a snack. It will be interesting to see.

Do I spy any clean up helpers?

The kids really enjoyed helping! They loved washing the tables and chairs.  They enjoyed putting the drawers of markers, colored pencils, and scissors back in my rolling cart. They washed all of the brushes and dumped out the dirty paint water without being asked. They put all of the play dough in the plastic tubs and they put all of the playdough tools away too.  Sadly…we didn’t get to have our gallery walk and sharing time because it took them 20 minutes.  But maybe next time more will start helping sooner and we will get done more quickly.  Or maybe I’ll just have to give the five minute warning 10 minutes sooner.

I was happier too! I didn’t feel as if I was having to do the majority of the clean up.  I was excited to see the kids actually enjoying cleaning up. The regular classroom teacher came in and wanted to help with the clean up.  I told her not to, because it’s the students’ responsibility.  She said, “Yeah!  I like that! I don’t mind not cleaning up their mess!”

And this new thinking about responsibility is also helping me out at home with my two teenaged sons and for that I’m definitely eternally grateful!

Everything’s turning up daisies! (Yes….I know these are actually black eyed Susans!)

Thank you Teacher Tom!

Here are some links to the blog posts that really have transformed my teaching and parenting  :

http://teachertomsblog.blogspot.com/2013/03/learning-responsibility.html

http://teachertomsblog.blogspot.com/2013/04/i-wonder.html

http://teachertomsblog.blogspot.com/2011/07/thats-hard-thing-to-do-and-he-did-it.html

 

A lot of bang for my buck!

This past November I bought myself a die press because my students and I love textured paper and the die press enables us to make our own. The machine was on sale at a significantly reduced price on Black Friday, and though I generally try to avoid shopping then, I did make a special trip to the scrapbooking store to buy one. I also bought a package of two of the plastic sleeves that are needed to make textured paper.

The die press sat in my bedroom until January when I finally brought it to school to test it out.  After we tried the machine out for the first time I bought 4 more because it was such a hit, and I figured having six to choose from would give a nice variety. At about $12.00 for two, I figured I will gradually collect more over time.

The plastic texture sleeves are not very large, only about 3 1/2 inches X 5 inches, so we began by using small pieces of paper. Then one of my students folded a whole piece of paper in quarters and we discovered that an entire piece of paper could be textured at once!

The next discovery one of my students made was that if you color lightly on the textured paper the colored pencil or marker will only cover the raised bits thus making it possible to further play around with the texture or emphasize it even more. And then another student realized the plastic texture sleeves could be used without the die press as a textured rubbing plate.

Students of all ages have absolutely adored making their own textured papers and as the operation is simple even very young children can do it easily. About two weeks ago during a printmaking demo we discovered that we could put thin styrofoam sheets into the press and make textured  impressions on that. Then I wondered if I might actually be able to use the die press like a printing press. With the right combination of cardboard height we were also able to use it like a press.

Yesterday I had some self adhesive craft foam which we were using in creating our collograph plates. We got the idea to try that and see if it would also take an impression. It did and the results were great!  We also tried cardboard but sadly it didn’t take an impression at all.

So….I don’t know if you’ll really save all that much on purchasing pre-textured papers from art suppliers when you consider the initial purchase price and the price of plastic texture sleeves. I do know you can use this product in a lot more ways than I had first thought, and maybe we’ll discover more! But it’s sturdy, easy to operate, kid friendly, and most importantly fun! (And I’m not being paid by the manufacturer to tell this to you!)

Young Girl with the Blue Marker

Reblogged from Outside The lines:

A moment Vermeer might have loved.

I just never tire of watching artists engrossed in their work!

Spicing up the Art Studio!

I’ve had some happy moments lately in the art studio with my students.  I have basic supplies available each  week for  drawing,  collage, and 3-d explorations. But I also try to bring in some novel things to keep interest and enthusiasm up. Since coming back from holiday vacation I’ve had sand dough, painting with spaghetti and gadgets, paper marbling, blocks with ramps and marbles, texture materials with colored glue, and this past week glitter glue and heart stickers. The kids have responded really positively to these additions to our standard choices.

Paper marbling is both calming and exciting. While lightly touching the surface of the water with the paint brush, children ooh and aah as they watch the colors move and interact. They are calm and focused. Then when they are ready to print  there is an element of  suspense when they first lift the paper to see how it looks.  Everyone is always pleased and thrilled with the results. I have facilitated paper marbling with children as young as two on up through adults.  Everyone loves it! The best comment I heard was, “Mrs. R you should call this bubblegum art!” The colors look very primary when you place them in the water but look pastel when you pull the print, which reminded the little girl of bubblegum pink.

Colored glue used by this artist like paint.

Glue is essential in the art classroom, but who knew that colored glue would be so exciting? I made colored glue by adding some acrylic paint to my white glue.  The colored glue was fun to drizzle and create designs with as well as working very nicely to attach layers of collage materials. Several students really enjoyed mixing the glue colors, and one student discovered she could use it like finger paint.

I had a group of  morning kindergarteners that used the colored glue and the texture materials ( cotton balls, textured papers, yarn pom poms, sand paper, bits of felt and yarn, tissue paper) to create homes for stuffed animals.  These homes had couches, beds, side tables, and even a tv with a remote! It was so much fun hearing them describe the various features they had created and seeing their attention to detail.

This house for a tiny stuffed animal has a hot tub (cupcake wrapper), a bed with black pom pom pillow, night stand, couch with tiny purple remote, a TV, a sculpture, and more!

Over the last year I have had quite a few groups that have enjoyed using blocks, ramps (cove molding), and marbles to create marble runs. When I failed to bring the ramps and marbles one week, several students requested them. This past week several boys got the idea to turn the materials into a billiard like game using the ramps as cue sticks and the blocks as corner pockets.  And to top it all off when they shared their game at the end of class they even passed out collage scraps as tickets. It was a novel idea that no one had come up with before. It was an idea that could arise because play is supported in the classroom.  Play is vital because it is how we innovate, come up with new ideas, and push boundaries.  I was so proud of those boys!

I’ve realized that I get a lot of mileage out of a material across the various classes I teach. When I received my Japanese marbling inks that I had ordered specifically for one group I was able to use the leftovers with several other groups. The great thing was that I had all the supplies like my portable drying rack, trays, water jug, and tiny plastic caps for the ink easily accessible.  Now that we’re done with marbling I’ve stashed those things for the time being.

One of the classes I’m teaching in the homeschool program now is called Cooking Up Some Art.  I’ve discovered a plethora of great art recipes on Pinterest. This past week we cooked up a batch of chocolate playdough. It looked and smelled just like fudge.  (With the salt content though I’m sure it didn’t taste like it!) On Friday morning I whipped up a huge batch for my preschool art class and they really enjoyed the scent and making birthday cakes and horses. As my next kindergarten choice studio classes are on Valentines I’m going to bring the playdough for them to enjoy!

Each week I’ve got exciting things to look forward to. I’ve got a variety of classes and wonderful students.  I feel so fortunate to have the opportunity to engage my students hands and hearts. In this age of assessment and a media that is so negative about education, I feel lucky to be bucking the system!

Not happy about ads on my blog!!!!!!!

I was at a friend’s house showing her my blog, and had a rather disturbing surprise. On the bottom of my blog posts were advertisements. I did not place the advertisements there. When I look at my blog on my home computer the adds don’t show up. I’m assuming this is one of those things in the terms of use agreement, that is very much in the fine print. I apologize for the ads!!!!!

Dive into the Scraps and Make Dreams

60′s bee fabric finally put to use!

I wanted to sew, as my sewing machine has been idle for several months.  As a quilter I have a stash of fabrics and fabric scraps acquired over the years.  I still have  the first piece of fabric I bought in 1968 or 1969.  It’s bright neon yellow with hot pink bees.  I loved it, but could never figure out what to do with it.  Recently it made it’s debut from the bottom of my fabric stash and was used at a TASK party (Oliver Herring inspired interactive art event) I facilitated to decorate a hat and a sculpture, but that’s another story!

I had an idea that I wanted to applique curvy organic shapes to a patchwork background. I got out my scrap box and started searching though it for fabrics that appealed to me.

I found about a dozen and started sewing them together in strips and then cut them into a variety of  amoeba like shapes.  I set them aside and delved into my fabric stash for background fabrics for the patchwork portion.  I ended up choosing to use beige and brown hues.  Two of the fabrics had been a birthday gift from a quilting friend about 15 years earlier. It’s amazing how you can love a fabric so much that you don’t use it.  (And if you’re wondering its the golden fabric with the black and white spotted chickens.)

Well…I’ve come to the realization that hanging onto things is counterproductive. So I took the plunge and cut up the fabrics into a variety of squares and rectangles and started piecing them together. After I had completed my background I placed the amoeba shapes on it, and they just didn’t suit the background.  

In searching through the scrap box I had stumbled upon a dark green tree shape that had originally been cut out for a quilt I made last year, but didn’t end up using.  It looked wonderful on my patchwork background.  So I got out some more green fabrics and started cutting more trees.  And then I cut a house from one of the strips I hadn’t used for an amoeba, because that gave me an already combined house and roof.  Suddenly my play with the fabrics had a focus and I ended up staying up late because I was inspired and didn’t want to quit.  I always let things rest and come back to them with a fresh eye.  I don’t think my composition is quite finished.  When I looked at it, I thought about the song “Our House” by Crosby, Stills, and Nash and thought perhaps two cats in the yard might be fun.  I also have some dark green mesh from a bag of wood scraps I ordered for my sculpture students that I may want to add.  I’ve already got some ideas for the surface embellishment too.  Possibly some embroidery, and definitely some machine quilted details to enhance the fabric ones. ( And  I’m going to have to figure out a border for the quilt. So…as the quilt progresses I’ll post some more photos of the next stages.)

So of course I now wondered what to do with  my amoeba shapes.  I decided to try them  on a plain blue background, and they looked much better.  So now I’m thinking of either creating a solid color background, a more subdued monochromatic background, or even a rainbow of solid colored fabrics as background.  It will be fun playing around with my amoebas!

I also got an additional idea of cutting up one of my free form patch work pieces and sewing those in a pinwheel design with un- patched triangular pieces.  Another idea that occurred to me is creating a quilt with holes cut out of it so you could see things behind and beyond it.  And this is the year I hope to see these ideas to fruition, and not let the grass grow under my feet and think, “Ah…I’ll do it sometime, when I have time.” Because I’ve learned those some days never arrive unless you purposely plan them.

When you look at something that’s finished you don’t see the journey.  You see the result.  Perhaps you love it, or perhaps you think it’s junk. All that we create is a process, and that process is generally far more important and interesting than the end product.  The process can result in  problems.  The problems can take you to an unexpected solution, or generate several new problems which beckon you down additional explorations. Sometimes they bring you to a standstill, a brick wall.  So either you figure out a new way to scale the wall, you take a detour, or in some cases you may decide to move on without a solution. But you are enriched by the experiences regardless.  The important thing is to dive in fearlessly.  Dive in to the scraps and make dreams.  Stop worshipping  the ideal (in my case a special piece of fabric), tear it up, reform it, resurrect it, make it your own. Even if it’s ugly it will speak your truth and have it’s own special beauty.  And believe me….without mistakes we don’t have impetus to improve or challenge ourselves.  If we don’t push our boundaries, try new things, experiment and explore we keep churning out the same stuff. And that goes for life as well as art! (This is not a recommendation to live so close to the edge you fall off !)