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 :)