I would say that student teaching has definitely confirmed that fact that I want to be a teacher. I thoroughly enjoyed it. It really made clear to me what kind of teacher I would like to be, as well.  I now know for sure that the most important part of being a teacher, of me, is my relationships with my students. Which, I always knew was important, but I didn’t truly understand HOW important the relationship really are. A bonus to this is that when you have good relationships with students, it makes coming to work so much easier. A nice little fun fact that I also learned, I have an awesome teaching voice. Shocking to me, and many others.

Student teaching differed from my expectations in many ways. One, being that I did not really take into fact the impact my cooperating teachers would have on the experience. It is a pretty large impact. But, it was through my cooperating teachers I learned a lot about classroom management and discipline. Also, I know they warn you about the fatigue and all, but man, I was not ready for that. At the end of many days I would feel like a zombie. And between schoolwork, writing lesson plans, and applying for jobs, there were many days were I felt like there was no time to just relax. 

At the end of the day, I am so happy with my student teaching experience. It had its ups and downs, but I learned so much about my own teaching style. It is so different using the techniques we have been discussing for semesters than actually using them in the classroom. Sitting in education class, you always have this image of what teacher you will be, but it is nice to know what type of teacher I actually am. I am very happy with my experience, and sad it will be over. I will miss my students :( 

Dream Job…

I would say that my dream job does not really have an age group, for example elementary or secondary, because I enjoy working with all ages. I think that they both have positives and negatives. But, I do think it is important to get a job in a school/ a community that is supportive of the arts. So really, for me, any school that is supportive of the art community. Clearly, working at a school with a large budget would be nice, but I do not believe it is necessary. And, if I do not get a job in a school that is supportive of the arts, hopefully I could help turn that around :)

I believe a successful teacher is primarily a matter of…

Being a friendly support system, for students. Of course there are other factors to take into account, like organization and time management, but I feel that being a positive support system for students is what is most important. Students need to know that they have a trusted adult in their school life, and I hope that I can be that for a lot of my students. 

In what ways do you foresee a necessity for support in your first year of teaching? From where and how do you expect this support to come? i.e. district, school, fellow teachers…

I believe that the area I will need support in the most my first year of teaching is lesson planning. I also believe I will need support in classroom management, but I feel I have a better hold on that than lesson planning. I am worried I will not be able to create interesting enough lessons that hold the students interest/ fit into the curriculum. I am also afraid that some of the lessons I would want to teach will not be supported by administration.

I feel that a support system in necessary for beginning teachers. It is always good to be thinking about what you can improve upon, and hearing ideas about improvement from fellow peers would be great. 

I feel that fellow art teacher, whether in the same school or in the district, will be my biggest support for this worry of mine. I also believe that other fellow teachers, regardless of subject, will be a strong support system for my classroom management worries. Perhaps one teacher is having success with a student I am having problems with, getting tips and idea from that teacher would be nice.

How is problem solving/critical thinking taught through art?  What are some different strategies you have used to promote problem solving/critical thinking?

I believe that problem solving and critical thinking are taught through art in a variety of different ways. But, I think the one thing that remains an important factor for an art educator, and that is that you plan lessons that allow critical thinking/ problem solving to take place, during every lesson.

Problem solving happens probably a lot more than people realize in art. Some examples of problem solving are: when planning out projects, when you realize you aren’t happy with your final product and trying to figure out what you can do to fix it, teaching yourself new techniques/ mediums, etc.  As an art educator, I feel that it is important to show student that there are always a variety of different ways to approach a project. And it is the planning process that will allow you to foresee problems, and more than likely there are multiple ways to fix these problems. Rather than start over. That is the great thing about art; there is never a right answer.

Critical thinking also takes place quite often in art. Again, the planning process allows for this to happen and trying to solve problems. But, I think as an art educator it is important to plan for projects that allow for students to critical think about the creativity of their project. Leaving project open ended and leaving room for the student’s individual creative process will allow this. 

What do you see the role of professional development being in your career?

I believe that professional development is a great way to make sure that, as a teacher, you have refresh new ideas when it comes to teaching. And, you don’t fall into a slump. We have all heard the stories about the teacher who has been teaching for 20 years and does the same thing every. single. year. Pretty much a teaching zombie. Professional development is a great way to keep thinking about ways you can constantly be improving your teaching and making things new and exciting. Professional development is also a great way to make connections with colleges and see what other teachers in your area are doing. 

How have you used technology to enhance your teaching- how do you want to in the future, what technology is necessary?

I would say that the technology that is necessary in the classroom is a computer and an overhead projector. I feel that these are necessary because it makes it easier to show students examples of work, and ideas. These are also the only technological items I have used in the classroom. I feel that it would also be nice to have computers available for the students, along with software for editing for photos and videos. This way students could work on projects such as: stop motion, photography, and video. Of course, this would also require that the students to have cameras. Of course there would not need to be one of each student.  Just a few, and the students could share. 

Art Advocacy

I feel that is it very easy/ necessary for the roles of art advocate/ art educator to overlap. If they didn’t, there probably wont be art education.

As an art educator I find that I am always trying to prove to others that art is an important subject, and that the students are indeed learning something. Because without the proof, and the state of the current economy, there would be few art teachers. As sad as that statement makes me, it is true. And, that is why it is important to ALSO be advocating for art education. Every single day. It could be something as simple as displaying what the students have been working on with an explanation, to having a district wide art show, displaying all types of work. It is important to show people, whether it be individuals or the whole community, that students are gaining knowledge from art class.

With that, it is also important to communicate to parents and to get them involved. Because if you have the parents on your side, believing in what your are teaching, it will be hard to get hid of you. Not only that, but this will allow you to build better relationships with your students.

            

What is the role/ importance of assessment in art education? What methods of assessments have you used?

Because a lot of projects given in the art classroom have loose guidelines it is important to have a form of assessment to show that the students are learning. For example, I am currently doing a project with my first grade students called “Mona Lisa Smile”. The students are to draw themselves, with Mona Lisa, in a place that would make her smile again. The objective of this project was to teach students about Leonardo da Vinci, the importance of background information, and how to color in the whole page. But, because every student has their own skill set, and a different drawing, it is difficult to say whether or not they are succeeding in the project. So, for my assessment, in the beginning of each class I question the students about Leonardo da Vinci and the requirements of the project. At the beginning of the project, maybe two students knew the name Leonardo da Vinci, but now about 90% remember his name, and his occupations. With students so young it is hard to have a written assessment, so I believe that oral assessment is better. As for the drawing assessment (meaning if they have a background telling me where they are and have colored in their whole page) it is as simple as yes or no if they have fulfilled these requirements. But, it is important to remind the students of these requirements, so they do not forget. For older students, I believe it is possible to give them quizzes on vocabulary words that they were taught, and important things you want them to remember. If the term does not have a solid definition, you could always have them draw it. 

Misson Statement

My goal as an educator is: to help a child’s creativity flourish, while providing them with a positive outlet. To expose student’s to a variety of media, showing them that there is more to art than drawing photo realistically. 

The impact that subject knowledge has on teaching.  What are some resources you can turn to for support in lesson planning ideas? People, places, websites…

As an art teacher you need to know how to do it all. Paint, draw, sculpt, throw, screen printing, etc. The list is never ending. It is nearly impossible to be a master of all of these things. But, fortunate for us these are countless resources out there to help us teach ourselves.

When trying to teach myself how to us new materials my go to websites are, Google and YouTube. While they are both every opened ended websites, it is great to have such an array of information to us to teach yourself. For me, being able to watch someone do the new process, I am trying to learn, on YouTube is great.

When looking for lesson plan ideas my number one website is Pinterest. If you have not used this website before, I suggest you try it right now. It has so many great links to teaching blogs and other helpful hints; it is truly a gift from god. I have already used some on the lesson plan ideas from this website in my student teaching classroom. Another great side for lesson plan ideas is: http://www.princetonol.com/groups/iad/lessons/lessons.html. Countless of great, detailed, lesson plans. Dick Blick also has lesson plans on their site, they aren’t really original, but they are good to use as a starting base. Especially if you a teaching a media that is new to you.

And, of course, word of mouth. I always make sure to carry a pen and paper with me because you never no when someone will tell you about a great lesson plan, or when an idea will hit you. 

What class rules are essential to a positive teaching/learning experience?  How do plan to create a positive learning environment when you have your own classroom?

I feel that the number one rule that needs to be in place for a positive learning experience, for all, is respect. It is a broad rule, but I feel as if it covers just about everything. Respect for fellow classmates, the teacher, the classroom, supplies, etc. As of right now, with some of the older students, I am struggling to gain respect. I feel as if they do not see me as a teacher because they know I am only a temporary fixture in the room. Which sometimes can make it hard to teach. But, I feel that if you demand respect from your students they will give it to you. I know that sounds harass, but without respect for the teacher the classroom would just be chaos.

I guess with this I need to definition what respect means in my classroom. In my ideal world, respect means that students listen when directions are being given. They do what they are told/ asked of. Use materials properly. Do not tease/ bully fellow classmates. And finally, use appropriate language in my classroom.

An example of myself struggling for respect in the classroom happened early on during my student teaching experience. It was the second week, and I was left alone with a room full of 35, 6^th graders during a testing time. The class clown decided it was his time shine. He kept muddling noises every time I walked by and it was hard not to laugh because some of the things he was saying were hilarious. But, I knew I needed to step up. I gave him plenty of chances to stop, but of course he didn’t. So, I kicked him out of the classroom after one last warning. This was my first time being “the mean teacher”. I knew I had to demand respect from him or else he would just walk all over me for the rest of my time there. It turns out that it worked. Not only did he later apologize to me for being disrespectful, I feel as if the rest of the class started to respect me because they were tired of this one student taking out their whole entire class period. Ever since this class period has been easy (or should I say easier) to teach. 

How do you approach planning and teaching to diverse learners? What accommodations have you made for diverse learners?

When I first read this prompt I was a bit confused. What/ who is a diverse learner? So, what do I do to help settle my confusion? Google the definition of diverse, of course. And, this is what came up “adjective

1. of a different kind, form, character, etc.; unlike: a wide range of diverse opinions.

2. of various kinds or forms; multiform.”

(Of course I already knew what diverse meant, I just needed some inspiration after my long day) So, really, this is a whole range of students that will be in my classroom.

The wonderful thing about art is that the majority of the time there is never a wrong answer. And, I think that this statement alone opens up the door to diverse learning. There is no formula that you can give all of your students to get them to have the same end product. You have to help each individual student as you go, which also allows you to build relationships with each individual student. So, really, I my mind every student that enters the door of my classroom is a diverse learner. And, you have to get to know every single student to understand how they learn best, and accommodate to their individual needs. Because, really, everyone learns differently.

Promoting Student Success

Think back to influential classes you have taken.  How were expectations set to promote student success?   

A lot of the art courses I have taken through out the years I was self-driven in. I wanted to succeed because I wanted to get better. But, I understand that this will be rare occasion when I am the teacher. So, thinking back to other classes, and what expectations were set to promote student success is hard. Because, I really only cared about art. There are two classes I have taken where I can think of examples of promoting student success. And, this is probably because they were both scarring for me.

Both of these experiences took place in middle school. And, they were both ways of rewarding students for their hard work, in front of the entire class. The first example of promoting student success is from third grade when everyone would get a star next to their name for completing one of the times tables, orally, in front of the teacher. Needless to say, I had about three stars while everyone else had about ten. It was horrible. The second example if from 8^th grade, when students would receive a certificate for getting an “A” on a history test. Again, this certificate was given in a public setting, in front of the entire class. For the students that never received a certificate, it was embarrassing. I think I received one.

So, what I learned from all of these experiences is that if you want students to succeed you need to find a way to make the material important to them. And, finding a way to do this without a physical reward. Because, that often makes students who have never received that reward feel horrible about themselves. And, lets face it; it is the students who aren’t feeling so great about a subject that need the most encouragement.

Introduce your student teaching setting.  How do you view the expectations and classroom community established in your current placement?

I am currently placed at an elementary school. My cooperating teacher sees about 450 students a week, because he sees every class once a week for 50 minutes. So far I am very pleased with my placement, and I already feel I have learned so much. Including a way to promote student success.

In my current placement the is a definite set of guidelines that the students must follow in order to succeed. And to encourage these behaviors there is a star system set up. I know, I know, I was just talking (typing?) about how I am scarred for life because of a star system, but this star system is different. Instead of it being for individual students it is for the whole class. And, I truly think there is something to it. Every class starts out with four stars at the beginning of the class period. Each class can earn up to ten stars. There are set guideline for ways the stars can be earned. One, if the students walk in quietly and sit in their proper stops they receive a star. Two, if they are quite and raise their hand during question and answer time. Three, if have five minutes of silence at the beginning of work time. Four, if they work hard. Five, if the clean up. And finally, six, if they line up properly. The four stars that are in place are there to be taken away if things going poorly during the class period. If any class gets ten stars by the end of the period they receive the “trophy win”. Which means, there homeroom class gets the art trophy of the whole week.

The First Step of the Final Chapter

What do you find most daunting about finishing student teaching and graduating from college?

What I find most daunting about finishing student teaching/ graduating is trying to find employment, as I am sure it is for most people. But, I do believe that as an art education major (I know this is isn’t the proper term for my degree/ certification, it is just easier to say this) my fear of unemployment may be greater than the average college graduate. Every single time I tell someone I want to be an art teacher they tell me “Good luck with that”, or give me a fearful face. Yes, I am well aware that art teaching position aren’t plentiful right now, but a little it of hope would be nice.

What was the pivotal event that made you decide to become a teacher and enter your teacher preparation program? Employers almost always ask a question similar to this.

The pivotal moment in my life that made me decide to become an art teacher was when my “mentor” sat me down to talk about my future. He was the head of the art department at my high school, and someone who had made a positive impact on my life. He told me that he believed I would make an excellent art teacher, and when he told me that it was like a light bulb went off in my head. I had always known that I wanted a career that involved children, and art just simply makes me happy. So why not combined the two and be happy for the rest of my life? Well, my career life.

In what ways will you wardrobe change during student teaching and as a teaching professional?

I think the best way to describe how my wardrobe will change during student teaching and as a teaching professional is that my wardrobe will become more conservative. When I go out shopping for teaching clothes I always try to find tops that go up to my collarbone, and are longer at the bottom. As for pants, I try to find nicer dark wash jeans that do not have any holes. I am allowed to wear jeans at my placement, so I am lucky I do not have to worry about dress pants (because of my height) I have also decided that I will only wear my teaching pants while teaching so I do not ruin them some other way. Also, I bought an apron to wear over my clothes while in the classroom to prevent getting art materials on them.