Day 14

Today's lesson was painting trees. I let them vote on whether they wanted to paint trees or mountains. While the majority ruled trees, a lot of them actually took advantage of using both mediums in the painting like putting mountains in the background of their trees. I taught them to not draw a tree the way they would think to, not just two lines and a fluffy cloud like shape on the top (looking like broccoli as they said). I showed them how to make branches and make the leaves around the branches and how by doing that one simple change it makes the tree 100% more realistic than a cartoon tree. They all listened to what I said about that and it was amazing. They are so good about taking in everything I say in the lessons. I was so impressed with the progress they have all made as painters since the first project of the field of red flowers. I think there are three things that helped them progress 1) Practice, 2) being more comfortable as artists and with me and 3) they were all so excited to try their best and show me how they have gotten better. It is interesting how some of them take a very realistic approach and others take a more abstract view to the subjects. I think the biggest struggle with this lesson was they had to make brown for the tree trunk, I did not give them brown so they had to make their own. They all figured it out and I was glad that I did not give them brown because the colors they made were beautiful! I love their minds and here are some pictures of them working on their trees.

Day 13 (5/20/15)

Today I started to work on my final slideshow. I downloaded all of my pictures and edited them and started putting them into a slide show. Tomorrow and Friday I am going to make some video clips and ask the kids to tell me a little about their experience of having me as an art teacher to put into the final movie. As the days are winding down I am getting sad, yet I am really excited to see what life will be like outside of this "Proctor Bubble". I am thankful for the 3rd Grade Class and can't wait for them to do their last project and have a little art portfolio for themselves.

Day 12

Today was the big field trip! But before I get to that I want to just tell you all about a little thing that happened when I got to the school yesterday. I walked into the classroom and was greeted by the usual hellos and smiles, and one of the little girls in the class, Eliza came up to me and handed me a piece of paper. I was unsure as to what it was but once I started reading it made me want to cry. At the top it says "Molly you are the best artist Ever!!!" and it was a drawing of me standing in front of the class with a paint pallet and a bunch of little details like paintings hanging on the wall and my box that I bring with me every time. I thought it was so cute how she took time out of her own day to draw this for me! You know, it really is the smaller things in life that make us so happy. 

But now on to the field trip! It was so so so much fun. The kids were all a little nervous I think, stepping out of their comfort zone and going to an unknown place, however the excitement and thrill of going to "Molly's Art Studio." I am really happy that Mr. Hubbard and I were coordinated enough to get the approval for them to come to campus because I think it was really fun for them. The Proctor Students in D Block art class were so amazing and I would like to make a special shout out (if they are reading which they probably aren't) to them because they were awesome. Giving encouraging and thoughtful remarks to their paid 3rd graders and asking them about their lives. The highlight of the day was definitely the Michael Jackson Moon Walk competition. Jeremiah was talking about how he knew everything about Michael Jackson, and in order for him to do it Mike Weintraub told him that Liza Orne would be happy to do it alongside of him. This was just an example of how the Proctor students really embraced having my little friends in their space. Here are some more pictures of the students at during our field trip.

Me helping Luke and Jason with mixing colors.

Dylan using the Paper towel technique that I taught him the first week.

Daisy and Grace

Day 11

Today I spent my time getting ready and preparing for tomorrow, when the third grade class will be taking a field trip over to Slocomb tomorrow afternoon. I will be bringing them to Kate Austin's D Block art class, that was the class I was previously in before Senior Project. The plan is to allow the third graders to meet some of the Proctor Students and have them help out with them finishing their seascapes. I hope that the Proctor kids will be as open and excited about these guys as I am. It is a really open and fun class I think that they will welcome my students with open arms. I was thinking that for my next project with the 3rd graders I will either have them paint a mountain range or a tree... if anyone has any suggestions of what they think would be a good idea for their next project I would love to hear any ideas!! Keep in mind that they have already done a field of red flowers and an ocean scene. I am trying to not think of this being my last couple times with the kids, so let's just continue this streak of denial and then I will be sad at the end! 

Weekly Review

I could not be happier this week. I am really happy that the lessons that I have been teaching my art students are starting to stick with them. One of the boys in my class said that he often thought about art when I that really touched me. I am so happy that I could have the smallest impact on these kids whether it be them thinking more about art, giving them an outlet at the end of the day to express themselves after a hard day of work, or just being the person they can tell their hilariously adorable stories. I really think I have a bond with this class now which is why I am glad that I decided to pick one class and stick with them opposed to going and working with different classes every time. I think that 3rd Grade is such a great age, they are old enough to understand what I am saying and have their own thought process and ideas, however they are young enough to still think of me as an adult. I know I probably sound like a broken record, but I really love this class and I am so sad that senior project is 2/3 over... I really will miss these little guys.

Day 10

Today was a very relaxing and nice day. I wasn't aware of how much time I old spend stressing and working so hard to be prepared for the classroom, I thought I would have a great amount of time to spend in Slocomb working on my own art portfolio, however I found today being the first day that I could really focus on it and not feel unprepared for my next lesson. The third grade class is really catching on and becoming artists of their own with is allowing me to spend time being an artist myself. So today was relaxing in the sense of that I was not worried about my class and I could focus a little on my own art. While this was nice I wish I could have been there at the school because even though it can be stressful, being with them is the highlight of my day and weeks. When people hear that I am working at the Elementary school they ask me if I want to be a teacher.. while being a teacher is not my calling I think that I am very interested in working with kids in the future. I am going to school and majoring in Social Work and Psychology and that has so many opportunities to help kids. I am thankful to this senior project for opening my eyes and helping me figure out a little bit more about my potential future. Next week I am back at it with the kids on Monday and I couldn't be more excited!

(btw I am not sure why this did not post on Friday, I must have accidentally hit save instead of publish! sorry for the delay!)

Day 9

Colton working hard and dividing the canvas.

Today I realized how little time we really have left... the thought of leaving Proctor and this community really makes me sad so to keep my mind off of that, I spent the day with my favorite kids ever. I went to Mr. Hubbard's class and was greeted with a warm welcome and excitement from the students asking what they were going to be painting today. When I told them they were painting the beach a buzz of excitement ran through the classroom. The fact that I gave these guys this big task just shows how much faith I have in them. A seascape is really hard for a new artist to do but they adapted so well to the field of red flowers, I knew they could do it. I told them how they should have a sky, water and land. The colors they use are up to them, that there are some tropical waters that are greenish blue, and there are deep blue waters so it was up to them and what they imagined when they thought of the beach. Today's main job was to put a base coat down so they could add details tomorrow. It was awesome because all of the kids had a different style of how they were going to start. I recommended that they start in the sky and work down to the sand so that the brown did not dirty their waters (literally). When I finally was finished with the lesson, I was so excited to see what they were going to do. As I walked around they started mixing colors and working with their pallets. That is one of the biggest things that I taught them.. and they remembered! That you should mix your own colors instead of using them straight from the tube. I walked over to one of the boys working and he had divided his canvas into 3 sections and was putting the brown into the canvas, I was a little taken back because he decided not to take my advice of starting in the sky but I realized that as an art teacher, I needed to let him take his own path and I was actually more impressed with how he used the pencil to make an outline because that is what worked best for his brain. I told him that I liked the color he decided to make the sand and he replied with "well, thanks but I just followed your directions by mixing the brown, yellow and white together to make this color." That really impressed me because even though he followed his own ideas for starting with the ground, I still got through to him somehow.

Jason killin' it!

Look at Delaney's waves!

Damion working really lightly and making some waves. 

I think it is so interesting to see how some of the students like really dark colors on one had and on the other hand some of them are so gentle and light with the brush and their colors. Both end up looking really good but I think that the students that use the lighter colors are generally more excited about how it looks which is interesting. Maybe on Monday when I go back and help them finish these paintings I will remind them that using dark colors is always dangerous and it is always better to use light colors and then get darker. I have told them this but it is a hard concept to grasp that all artists can be guilty of doing this many times in their artistic careers. I will not be going back to AEMS tomorrow because it is S.H.A.R.E. Day which is a day in which it is not a normal school day and they participate in different activities, so I think I will take this opportunity to work on my own artwork because I am already prepared for next week's sessions and I have really been missing the studio!

Day 8 

Today I spent the morning with my third grade class. It was an unconventional time for me to be there opposed to me going in the afternoon and teaching them an art lesson. Instead I spent the morning helping them with science and math. One of my favorite things that Mr. Hubbard said to a struggling student was, "don't trust your classmates, trust your brain because you are so smart". I think that was a really powerful thing that he said to her. She was unsure of her answer and answered what the class was saying although they were wrong and in the midst of her confusion he took the moment to give her some simple words of encouragement. I think that is one of the most important parts of being an elementary teacher, or any teacher for that matter, patience and forgiveness. He could have yelled at her for not paying attention and made her stay in for recess instead he gave her some positive feedback which completely changed her personality for the rest of class. After he said that she was beyond attentive and helpful, contributing to the class. I am infatuated with these kids and I love spending time with them and helping them. I am so happy that I chose this project and I can't wait to give them another opportunities to show their beautiful imaginations through expression of art. 

Day 7

Today was another day of preparation and getting ready for my lessons. I talked with Mr. Hubbard about going in tomorrow as an additional day for work and to help him out. I am excited about being there and having them see me as someone other than the girl who comes and teaches them art and it will be fun. I have decided that for my next art lesson I am going to ask them to paint "A day at the beach" I will bring in my own examples of paintings I have done of the beach, and show them all different kinds of water that they can paint. I will need to bring in a lot of brown and blue paint but that will be exciting. I think that after this lesson I will give them an option of either doing one of my exercises again or if they want to do a free paint using all of the lessons I have taught them. I think that would be so interesting to see which ones really took from  my directions and the ones who didn't really change from the first painting. 

Day 6

Today was yet another day of planning and preparing. I found myself being a little bored because these days do not even compare to the days I spend with the kids. I talked to Mr. Hubbard about going and volunteering in the classroom without teaching art, to both give back to him for allowing me to spend time in his class, and to spend time with my favorite kiddos. I researched some more art teaching techniques and lessons I could do with them and I am excited for my next session. Not much to write about today, however as the week progresses and I spend more time in the classroom I will have more to report!

Weekly Reflection

I cannot believe that this week is already over. My expectations for this project have been exceeded. I was nervous at the beginning of the week whether the class would like me or not and I am so happy that they were open and willing to learn and accept what I was saying. Next week I talked to Mr. Hubbard about going to the class and helping out and having my art lesson at the end of the week but going and helping other days and times just to help him and spend time with my favorite third grade class! The thing that I was not expecting was for the students to want smaller brushes, however now that I reflect back on learning to paint it is harder to use a bigger brush because you are forced to be more relaxed and use every angle of the brush where as with a smaller brush it is more focused and confined. So, next week I am going to bring all small brushes and hopefully that will be good for them and we will gradually move to bigger ones. I cannot wait for next week and am excited to see what amazing art these kids will create in the next coming weeks of my project.

Day 5

Today was a great day. I got there a little early and I was able to help the third grade students with their spelling and writing assignments. I helped my friend Jeremiah write a story about a haunted house and he was so excited to share his ideas and thoughts with me it made my day! After a writing session, we transitioned into their art pieces. They continued to paint their field of red flowers. I was so excited when one of the little boys said "Molly! I have a great idea, I brought in some rubber bands that are glow in the dark and I wanted to put them on the canvas to make it look like stars." Although he didn't end up putting the elastics on the painting because it did not go along with the overall theme of the exercise, I was so happy that my lesson had the affect on him that he thought of it and remembered to bring the elastics to school. I was really happy that I could have that effect on him and that even more importantly he was thinking about art in his free time. I am so happy that this is my project and I can't wait for next week to do another piece with them and Mr. Hubbard and I talked about me going in for more hours and just helping out in the class. Here are some pictures of the kids and their final masterpieces!

Day 4

Day 4 was the best day so far!! I woke up nervous about my first day actually working with the students. I was unsure if I would get what I wanted to say across, and with my history of public speaking even an elementary school class and a few teachers made my palms a little sweaty. I spent the morning going over my lesson plan and thinking of different things I could show them how to paint and what they should expect to see coming from their paint brush. at 12:30 I made my way over to the classroom, they were working on spelling and syllables. I was so impressed with how quick they all were my nerves were instantly gone, and I had realized that I picked a good class to work with. After a lesson about descriptive words and independent reading it was my time to shine. I decided that today I was going to have them all paint a field of red flowers. This way I could see the kinds of skills I would be dealing with. Before I gave them their supplies I showed them the difference between specific and suggestive painting. I showed them the "Mona Lisa" by the famous Leonardo DaVinci and then I showed them a painting of a woman painted by Pablo Picasso.

Mona Lisa

Picasso

 They thought the contrast was really funny and I liked how that was a good ice breaker. I then showed them some of my own art to give them an example of how everyone does not have to be the same. I also told them about how all of the impressionist painters were  not famous while they were actually working, later on in their life (and some after death) became famous so who knows, one of them could be the next Cezanne. After my little lesson I handed out the canvas and got the paint ready. I let them know that you can always add more paint but you can never take it away. I also told them how you never want to be pushing paint around because that never ends well, lastly I told them to always know when to stop... that is one of the hardest parts of being an artist because most of us are perfectionists, however if you work past the point of no return your pieces will suffer and they will not be as good as they would have been if you had just listened to that little voice in your head. Those are some great rules and guidelines I learned while studying on Euro... although they sound easy it is harder than it sounds and many artists suffer from it. I really liked how I could see the contrast of their precious minds and I really like how they were so open to me teaching them and I can't wait to go back tomorrow! Here are some pictures of some of the students working on their fields of red flowers....

Day 3

Today was a very productive day, I woke up early and went to Slocomb to get working on my supplies that I will be bringing over to the school. I cut the 20 pieces of canvas that I am bringing over and counted out 17 paint brushes and pallets. Next was to find the paint that I would supply the students with. I had to have enough and also enough for a 3rd grader's paintbrush opposed to my own. Finally I had all of my supplies together.

 I had an epiphany of what I was going to do with the students. I decided that I will write on the board a sentence that I want them to paint, then they will all have the same thing but I will be able to see their skill set and what I will be working with for the next 3 weeks. I am really excited to be with this group of kids and now that I have all of my supplies most of my worries are now gone. 

Day 2

Today was my second day of senior project and I would say I got quite a lot done. I worked in the morning on my own art sketches and figured out that my first days with the students will be Thursday and Friday from 1:00-2:30 pm. This gave me a lot of motivation to figure out what my first lesson would be with the students. I met with Kate and discussed some ice breakers to teach my little third graders and what my lesson would pertain and how I should prepare for it. My goal for tomorrow is to get all of my supplies that I will need for Thursday and Friday. I am a little nervous because I am unsure if the students will respond well to the art and if they will listen to me. I am interested to see how it all turns out. Until next time...

Day 1

Day 1 of my senior project was spent planning and preparing. I started my day at 8:30 and I started to plan some of the things I will be talking to the third grade class about. The goal is to enforce art across the curriculum and teach the students how to express themselves as artists and get that seed in their head for them to carry through their education. Thinking in an artistic way is something that isn’t taught but is guided. I met with my mentor Kate Austin today and made a plan with her for my daily schedule and the supplies I will likely need to bring over to the school. I emailed Mr. Hubbard the 3rd Grade Teacher I will be working with and figured out some logistics of the days and times I will be going over to the school. The students are writing "choice pieces" and my job is going to be teaching them how to expand their thoughts and give them the supplies and encouragement for them to become their own artists. Since I was not at the school, the time I did not spend planning I spent working on my own art. I sketched some of more beautiful pictures of our resources around the school, such as the river and the pond. I am excited to continue this project and can't wait to start working with the kids!