Week # 1: The new kid in school ...

Monday
I started at my new placement today at a middle school just one block from the elementary school where I just spent the last 8 weeks. However, even though the schools are physically close - I can already tell the experience will be quite different! I'm still fighting off the gra-doo that I got at the end of last week, so that gave me morning a bit of a rocky start and made the day more exhausting that I'm sure it really was. The middle school is on an alternating block schedule - 90 minute classes, 4 blocks a day, alternating even & odd. Today was an odd day - which is apparently the long day of back to back classes with only a 25 minute break for lunch - pretty intense. In total, we have two 7th grade art classes, four 8th grade art classes, and one 3-D art class - the 7th & 8th grade classes are year round and the 3-D is just one semester.
The difference between middle schoolers and elementary students is incredible - very different topics of socialization, behavioral problems, and of course suddenly most of them are bigger than I am! I can already tell that this is definitely going to be a challenge - especially the last block of 8th graders on odd days - there are two boys in there that have definite attitude! I'll be very interested to see how tomorrow goes ...

Tuesday
If its not snow, its SOLs that adjust the school schedule! Today we had no first block class because the 8th graders had the first part of their writing SOL; they came in long enough for attendance and a chance for me to give myself a quick introduction - then off they went for testing. While the 8th graders tested, my teacher and I had some down time and also some assigned hall duty - this finally gave us a chance to pow-wow about lesson ideas, plans for the coming weeks and just get to know each other better. I'm really starting to like my teaching a lot, not only does she have 29 years of experience as a middle school art teacher but she and I are actually very similar in mindset - I think we're going to get along just fine! The rest of the day we had our regular even day schedule - a 7th grade class and then an 8th grade class ... then planning! The idea of having a whole 90 minutes of planning blows my mind.
I was able to work more closely with the students today, since I knew what projects they would be doing. The 7th graders we have on even days are actually a class of all girls, which should prove to be interesting - I feel like I've started bonding with them some already. They worked on a value study exercise and then stuffed animal drawing using charcoal for both. I did the value exercise with them, even helping some of the girls around me as needed. Then I circulated with my teacher while they were working on their drawings, interacting with the students and helping them with their drawings as well. The 8th graders were working on their baskets again - and since I learned how to do the basket weaving steps yesterday I was able to help prepare and help students with the lesson. It was really fun to help the kids solve the problems they were running into with their baskets - working one-on-one and in a group. I was busy all class! The principal (who I had met while my teacher and I were on hall duty) came into the class to check out what they were working on - I'm glad the administrators seem so invested in the school! During planning last block, my teacher and I spent time going over paper work, talking about lesson ideas and developing a plan - I'll take over 7th grade, not next week, but week 3. I'm getting really excited about working with middle schoolers - I've got a lot of great ideas and I feel like so much more time to work them on the projects. I think the biggest difference (aside from size and age) so far is the fact that I'll actually get to build a relationship with my classes since I only have 170 kids as opposed to a whole school. I might actually learn names!

Wednesday
After a bright and early meeting with my supervisor and teacher, it was another SOL testing day, this time for 6th-8th grades. We ran on a two hour delay schedule, which meant my teacher and I had no classes until 11:30 - we started with out 2nd block (7th graders). Each class was only 50 minutes today, allowing students just enough time to set up, do some work and then clean up - it was like being back at the elementary school again - quick, quick. In the free time of the morning, I spent time with my teacher learning where everything was in the room (and the two huge supply closets!) and delving into her extensive collection of lesson plans and other resources. I will definitely be copying a lot of her materials before I leave! After exploring those materials, we talked about what the next project for the classes would be (8th grade & 3-D). She decided we would do paste paper and marbled paper with the 8th graders, including creating an image with a variety of papers and the 3-D class would do illuminated letter copper repousses. The paper making will also help with future lessons on book making that I hope to teach to the 8th graders while I'm there. I think deciding on which lesson I teach while I'm there will be very tricky because I have come up with tons of ideas so far (even more after looking through my teachers resources today). Time, available materials, and the classes themselves will be the deciding factors on what gets taught.
I feel like I'm still in limbo with how to interact/manage this new age group. I feel like I can definately relate to them - through movies, music, experiences and the like, but need to really set a presence as an authority figure too. I think the 8th graders are starting to respect me some in that roll, but I can already tell I'm going to have some difficulty with some of the girls in each class. I've been watching my teacher for clues, but her best advice was just to win them over and then try to stand firm. We'll see how it goes!

Thursday
Today was another "even" day - translate into 8th grade, 7th grade, 8th grade, planning period. I continued helping with the basket weaving project with the 8th graders - I've surprised myself with how quickly I was able to catch on to the process! I did the project today with my 7th graders - I even brought in my own stuffed animal to draw, a monkey, they loved it - as it was a class of all girls. I ended up working at a table of 3 girls that tend to be a little needy and a little rowdy, it was quite the experience. I'm starting to win them over I think, plus I think there is something to letting your students see your work and see you work - it validates you as an artist and somewhat of an authority in their eyes. It also gave me a work on which to demonstrate techniques/suggestions for the drawing the student were working on - I really don't like to do things on students art work. I want them to solve the problems themselves, I'm just there to help inspire, bring them back to focus and guide them in their art education.
On the downside of things, I already have a student that has kinda of taken against me. She's apparently E.D., has an IEP, and a history of difficulty with female authority - probably due to experiences in the past and at home. She told me teacher today though that she thought I was bossy - my teacher then relayed this to me with the above information. I asked her what to do about it and she said not to worry, that she probably saw me as a threat, as competition almost for attention from my teacher (they have built a strong connection). I hope it doesn't evolve into a larger problem, especially when I start teaching - I realize that I'll just have to try to establish my own connection with her.

Friday
Today was another whirlwind of a day - especially since it was the odd day group! They have been setting up this rewards thing all week - an inflatable party for any student who sold certain numbers of magazines (they got wristband of different colors to designate how long they got to spend in the party) - this of course was mildly disruptive to the classes throughout the day. There was also an 8th grade ice cream party last block for all the students for using the SOL strategies - since we had an 8th grade class last block we got to go (good: we got a mini break and ice cream, bad: the kids got sugar and missed out on basket weaving time). I also got to meet our "high school helper" - as my teacher calls her - we have a student that comes over from the neighboring high school on an internship type program twice a week to help in the art classroom. She is quite delightful, works well with the students, and helps us prepare and clean up the materials! She is with us every odd day of classes, last block - which is perfect since the last block has some of the trouble students. Speaking of which I put my foot down for the first time in there (which my teacher applauded me for later) - one student was having trouble focusing on his work (which is a usual occurance) and in turn, disrupting the rest of the class. I finally after three tries (I always give students 3 chances to correct their behavior), I pulled him aside and had a talk with him stating that I would not put up with his current behavior and if it continued there would be consequences, then I gave him a task to assist in clean up. And even though I had repremanded him, he still cheerfully said good-bye and have a good week-end at the end of class - I'm hoping we have an understanding. I am also working on my relationship with the student that had complained about me - I make an effort to say hello specifically (but casually) to her every time I see her and I think that with in class interactions will start to make a difference - she'll see I'm not such a bossy monster after all!