Sometimes It Takes A While To Get It Right

I've taught elementary art for seventeen consecutive years.  Seventeen, and there are still so many times when I don't get it right.  But sometimes, the universe smiles down and everything just 'clicks' together.  (I think sometimes I can even here the CLICK as it all comes together in students' heads).
My third graders go on an art history journey every year starting with the Lascaux caves.  We're up to Stonehenge now, and all along our journey we take notes in our sketchbooks using graphic organizers.  Here's what my white board looked like after third grade yesterday:

That circle with dotted lines running all through it is pizza.
You know, to drive the point of radial symmetry home.

It was such a good time.  We learned history, math, and made some scientific predictions.  It works better for students if I write what they need to write on my white board while I do a Smart Notebook presentation on the Smart board.  After 17 years, I think that I've almost got the correct/engaging amount going on in some of my Smart Notebook lessons (you can get the Stonehenge one I used yesterday here, scroll down until you see Stonehenge).
It was THE BEST with all three of my third grade classes this year--magical and wonderful and why we all became art teachers in the first place.  And I'll know the universe is REALLY SMILING on me when one of those magical lessons coincides with an administration observation.
Art teach on, friends, you're making differences in lives every day.

Spiders, Bourgeois and Technology, OH MY!

Ohhhh myyyyy, you know those ideas you get in the middle of the night? The ones that you can't wait to come to school and try out? And just MAYBE you (me) drank a bit too much coffee and tried too much too soon without thinking about it first????  The second half of this second grade lesson is one of those "ideas."
It started out so very well.  I was going through lessons I'd picked up at some conferences years ago and found one of Mary Franco's (the genius behind the Klee + Math lesson) about the French sculptor Louis Bourgeois.  The Kemper Museum has one of her spiders out front, and that's not too far away from our general geographic area, so it was so very perfect.  
Here's the disclaimer: I am NOT the best at reading and then following directions.  Much to my husband's dismay/annoyance, I'm VERY GOOD at reading directions, thinking 'okay, got it' and then winging it when I get distracted by butterflies or chocolate or something shiny (you don't want me to anchor any swing sets as my older children can attest to).  So, I'd LOOKED at her lesson plan, and made a Smart Notebook file that the students loved (you can get that file here, look for the Louise Bourgeois one), got 9" x 9" paper cut with a 3" x 9" scrap for making the spider and thought 'ummm, what now?'  Her lesson plan called for students making webs (spiders, it does make sense) but I gave the students a choice of circles or ovals to trace (five times) with pencil.  We then used oil pastel to add patterns and black watercolor for the negative space:

Next we used Prang glitter watercolors for our shapes (SHINY!!!!):

After our Smart Notebook file on Bourgeois and spiders, students drew spiders on the 3" x 9" paper with pencils, black and silver Sharpies and cut them out.  Cutting them out actually took LOTS of concentration and more than one art time.  They were attached popping out (which was hard).  

Now here's where it got really hard:  I decided to have students bring their chromebooks and record themselves on Vocaroo, make a QR code and upload it to Schoology (which works a lot like Google Classroom).  O. M. G., what a nightmare it was for that first class!  There was too much background noise, I wasn't 100% certain/couldn't remember how to get it to Schoology (our paintings were so shiny, I couldn't help but be distracted!)  Then I had to go and make a document with their QR code and add their name to match it to their artwork . . . I may have lost my mind for a bit, but many of them are done:

(Note that I didn't say all--some got frustrated and we ran out of time, I didn't even attempt the technology piece at my second school where they come from recess and I'm only there 90 minutes every three days. . . ) But about 70-80% of students in each class (at my home school) got a QR code on their artwork.  
They're hanging up in the hall with a sign that explains them, but I don't think ONE PERSON has scanned the QR codes, so was it worth all that work?  

Then I listen to this sweet little voice who really, truly 'got' the lesson and I have to say yes it was. (although spiders don't lay 2 million eggs at once.)

The Most Bitter Pill

This post is not about art, or even (really) about teaching.  If that's what you came here looking for today, I'm sorry, and I promise I'll get right back to what this blog is supposed to be about on the next post.  
Today I'm writing about something that so very hard.  If you're a teacher, and you love working with kids every single day, seeing them mistreated is rough.  Seeing their needs not being met (any of them--physical, emotional, educational) is hard.  But all of that while you yourself are struggling with infertility or infant loss is like a real kick in the face.  Even though I have two adorable and wonderful little people at my house, I still miss and mourn those that aren't here.  I hate that visiting the cemetery is part of my kids 'normal'.  And by golly I hate seeing parents take their own kids for granted.  I can logically understand that I'm only seeing a tiny little snapshot of their lives, but don't they know how lucky they are?  When they've got the number of kids I feel I'm 'supposed to' have, why aren't they thrilled?  Why do they have to yell and scream? Why do kids come to school with dirty clothes and unbrushed hair when all I want it to have more little clothes to wash and hair to comb at my house?
So if you teach classes some times with a lump in your throat or have to blink away tears, I get it, and I'm so very sorry that we're in this club.  I wish I could tell you that it'll get better, but I don't know that.  I only know that you're not alone, I'm not alone, and we're all here to make our corner of the world a little better. Even when it feels so very unfair.  Chins up and on to another day of art teaching.

Solution--Signs, More SIGNS

Parent teacher conferences were last week, and I don't know about you, but I didn't have lots.  I did, however, have LOTS of time to work in my room.  One of my goals for this year was to improve the signage for our spring art show.  I've blogged about the art show many many many times.  Something I probably haven't described accurately is the shear SIZE of a building that can comfortably house 1100+ students.  We have six of each grade level, K-6, plus special education rooms, two gyms, two libraries. . .it's the size of a high school.  And my room is located near the third-sixth grade classes, so very far away from k-second.  So I spent some of my not-conferencing-hours on signs:

I've got some ideas for how to get said signs noticed once the big night comes, but [thankfully] it's still nearly five months away!
With Leader In Me, I'm also toying with the idea of some sort of student guides to let primary parents know that there's fun going on in "the south."  I'll be sure and let you know how it goes (five-ish months from now, I'm sure you'll be waiting with baited breath).
Until then, eyes on the prize, people! Fun & fantastic student art making! Let's get to it!

I Love This/I Hate This

I made a new poster for my classroom:

I'd been thinking about "Art Is" since Chicago and NAEA.  There was a presentation I went to (maybe it was a museum educator from Ohio?!) and I wrote some notes (and I thought I took pictures), neither of which I can find now.  We were given time during the session to think about what art is, and there was a hashtag. . . I really did think about it, but my hashtag skills are #nonexistent. 
My poster says: 
Art is 
All the ideas 
Rolling around in your head NOT JUST 
Technical skill (how well you draw/paint).  

I used some art images that I had that someone had given me to dress it up a bit.  I do love it, but I hate it's dual purpose:

We had active shooter training for the second time/year in a row last week and covering that little skinny window was a subject covered.  I didn't have any posters that were long enough, so I made this one.  I hate that we live in a world were things like "active shooter" and "elementary school" can go together. 
Keep your chins up, friends, we're doing good and teaching f.i.n.e. 

Tired Of This Crazy Election?

Geez-oh-pete, I'm exhausted of this election.  I. can't. even. NO MORE!  Honestly, I tried to watch the latest debate and my stomach started hurting.  I will, however, lead fifth grade through a self-portrait-as-the-president lesson with glee.

It's a pretty straight-forward self portrait drawing, color with oil pastels, and make sure there's something patriotic in the background (this is the second half of our Monarchy vs. Democracy lesson), and then we added some writing about ourselves as presidents incorporating a little math (figuring out what year it will be when they're 35 or 40 or 66, however old they want to be when they're president).  

I only have one class right now that has finished, and they did a wonderful & amazing job:

Here's an arrow I added above the kings and queens in the main hallway to get more traffic to our presidents:

And here's the first bit of completed work that's hanging in the hallway:

It's refreshing to remember that wanting to be president can be a good, kind and wholesome venture in this bizarre election year.
Enjoy your days with kids, and be happy that you don't have to be in politics if you don't want to!

I Never Want To Lose This

I've thought a lot about the pace of my life lately: as a wife, mother and as an art teacher.  As busy working people, we've got non-stop stuff going on, and it's so easy to forget to stop and be in the moment. I'm grateful for my own little people who help me remember what a wonderful world we live in.  They were out in our backyard picking green tomatoes for one of my co-workers (because I was worried about a freeze that didn't actually happen)

And they found this guy:

Which led to a great discussion about gardening (if you don't know about tomato hornworms and these beneficial wasps, you can learn more here) and the wonders of nature and life cycles.
Cassie Stephens blogged about saying no recently, and it's something I've been thinking so much about.  What are my real goals?  What am I here to do?  I teach 7-8 classes a day.  All different levels, and I'm rushed and hurried and BUSY, but I'm here for STUDENTS.  This is the only time they have first grade art or fifth grade art or adaptive art.  This is it, there's no do-over, and I want it to be amazing and wonderful and fascinating for them (and for me, but that's a different post).
So I never want to lose that feeling of wonder and curiosity.  I want to be excited for students who share good news and make new discoveries.  If that means I don't help paint the staff bathroom or organize activities for a festival, that's perfectly okay.  I need more time to regroup and rejuvenate, and so do you.  Take that time and enjoy that time and remember your real priorities.
Art teacher on, friends, and remember that you are AWESOME.