Sunday, June 12, 2011

Who's the one being taught?

This past week is my last full week with my students and this has to be one of the hardest times of the year for me, how so? I've gotten to know my students their affinities and weakness within my room and outside of it, regardless if I see a high schooler everyday or a middle schooler only once a week I can tell where they are at mentally depending on how they apply themselves to their work. I've had several say, "how can you tell?" I tell them its easy, "your body language is telling me." Then there are their faces and those personal "ah-ah moments" they have as they problem-solve their project producing a piece of art they are very proud of. I enjoyed watching several of my students look through their portfolio folders and the artwork within it. This is my first year at this Eton Academy and I am very happy with the successes I've had and the tremendous amount of personal learning I've done about myself. My lessons, how I deliver them, what my students get out of them, what skills did they learn, and the list goes on. If you know me you know how much passion I have for my craft, not just making it but sharing it. Yes, teaching for me isn't just teaching but, sharing my love for the arts. A major part of my art journaling this summer will be the discovery process that I personally go through both in the classroom and my life. So, as I sit beside the pool this summer, I can not wait to plan for next year and all of the projects I get to take my students through.