Monday, February 14, 2011

Week 3 continued.. ..



These are some projects my students have been working on. We displayed them in the front office of the school.

Week 3 continued..



IB Juniors just finished working on Zentangles

Sunday, February 13, 2011

Week 3

A few weeks ago I did a presentation in my level 1 classes on paper mache masks. So they have been working on masks, adding on exaggerated features and painting them. Wednesday we are going to wrap things up with a group critique. This will be their first time experiencing critique so I’m interested to see the participation. I think they are going to do well. So far a few students have finished their masks already and they look great!

The seniors just started a new project to go into the school’s planetarium. T is really cool and I think they will be really excited to see their artwork projected in the planetarium. It is a little challenging the method they have to follow for their drawings, but I’m sure they’ll turn out great. I can’t wait to see it all done.

Also this week I attended with my mentor teacher a meeting with the art teachers in the district. Only about five others showed up. They talked about things like finances, upcoming events, and projects they were doing. It was really nice to meet the other teachers and hear about what they do in their schools. Afterward we went downtown to eat at Gecko’s..it was really good.

Friday night my host and I went to the boys varsity basketball game. It was fun to see Al Dunson announcing the game. And it was an intense game. The Riverview boys are now district champs! Also this weekend I experienced a little bit of Bradenton, FL. My hosts, Al, and myself went out to Lakewood Ranch for dinner. Lakewood Ranch looked a lot like the Easton area of Columbus, OH except bigger and with palm trees. It was like a little town of stores and restaurants. Afterward we went downtown to the Gator Club. We’ve been trying to find places with a younger crowd, but I think we’ve come to the conclusion that we’re not going to find that in Sarasota haha. It was nice though, they had a live band playing and then you could go upstairs to where there was sitting areas and a dance floor.

Thursday, February 3, 2011

Week 2

-So this evening (2/3) I attended Mr. Riverview at Riverview High School. It was awesome! So much fun! I really enjoyed it. At my high school we had Mr. Irresistible and at AU we have Mr. University, however neither is as elaborate a production as tonight was. The The boys that performed tonight were so creative and funny; they put on a great show.

-Each day of teaching things get better and better. I've doing little vignettes of lessons and I am beginning to take over several classes. Something I found interesting was the way that I've built a rapport with my students. When I first came into the art room at Riverview HS, I didn't get up in front of the class and do a typical introduction telling the students a little about myself like I've done in my field experiences. Instead, on the first day my mentor teacher began classes how she normally would going over what they would be doing that day. In the process she pointed out that I was the intern from Ohio and I'd be around for a few weeks. Therefore, I had to take it upon myself to go around and get to know the students. This was actually a little challenging compared to what I am used to. Most of my classes are apart of the IB (International Baccalaureate) program, therefore they are really focused on their art and work diligently. This made it a little difficult to stick up a conversation to get to know them. However, now that I've been teaching more and have started taking over, they have really opened up a lot more. Now they easily come to me with questions and looking for help or suggestions. This process was kind of reversed from the norm, but it has worked out well.

-So far I am really enjoying my experience at Riverview. My experience has basically my dream job. I have great students who enjoy and love art and always want to do something new. They engage in everything I do. The art room is great. It's so big, which is awesome for and art room. Students have plenty of room to work without being in each others way. Lastly, my mentor is wonderful. She is so enthusiastic about everything from the student's work to helping me with my career. I'm already so sad that I only have four more weeks :( I would love to stay in Sarasota!

-The other day I ventured out to St. Armands. Here it is like a little town of shops. It was very upscale and cute boutiques. They also have many nice restaurants. They have one restaurant that I've to try; the only other one is in Spain! So I will definitely make it a point to stop there. Also in St. Armands is Lido Beach. I stopped here this week and sat on the beach enjoying the viewing and reading a book. It was so warm, sunny, and beautiful. I completely forgot that back home it is freezing and snowy :)

Sunday, January 30, 2011

Week 1

The first week of school went great. My students are wonderful. Riverview High School is really big consisting of about 2,800 students. It has 7 buildings on their campus and it is really pretty. Their courtyard is really big with a lot of palm trees, along with the rest of Sarasota. It is so beautiful here and the weather is great, I have almost forgotten what snow is. :)

As for my students, I mainly have IB students, which is International Baccalaureate. IB sets up a program for students to take their education beyond the general learning system. Their program is more challenging and rigorous to their learning. My IB students are very focused on their artwork and constantly work diligently creating an advanced body of work.

I also have AP, Pre-IB, and senior students. Both AP and Pre-IB students have been very good for me. I have enjoyed working and getting to know them this week. I would have to say my seniors have probably been the most challenging. Considering their last year is coming to an end soon, keeping them on task is an everyday chore. At the end of the day though, they have something to show me.

I really enjoy working with my mentor teacher. I feel that share the same teacher styles. While being a little more laid back, she always has control of her students and easily keeps them working. She also has a great rapport with the students. Someone is always visiting her and excited to show her their work. Something she does that I have really taken a liking to is the upkeep of sketchbooks. Although I kept a sketchbook throughout high school, it was not nearly as elaborate as what her students do. This has actually inspired me to start keeping my own sketchbook again. I am really looking forward to my next five weeks working with her and the students. It has already been a learning experience this first week.