Week # 8 (well really 7): almost done?!

Monday
phew, what a Monday. Another odd week begins. Teaching definitely takes a lot out of you - especially with four 90 minute classes in a row. I started today with the 3-D kids, still working on their cup and saucer - we are finally to the painting stage. I discussed and helped to develop the concepts that still needed it with the creators (students), demo-ed how to use the tempra paint (reviewing paint mixing - primary, secondary, tints and shades). Most of them will finish painting next class and will then hopefully be able to seal them with the acrylic gloss - the final touch. That class definitely has some talent in it - as I've said before, it just requires pushing them to really make it come out. There are a couple students though that make me wonder why they took the class becuase every project seems like torture/pulling teeth - I have one student, a male who is very needy and negative (and loud) who just won't do the work or even try after I spend a re-diculous amount of time helping him. He makes me nuts-o and tries to play like he's my best friend - only 5 (classes) more days.
The 7th grade class continued on their representational self-portraits - starting to add things inside their boxes, I think they are starting to enjoy it now (despite themselves). The black grids have morphed from all looking exactly alike to each having a personality. They have 3 spaces that they have to do in specific places (past-present-future) in the center - but other than that they can choose the elements to go in whichever spaces they please (but they must include things representing all 9 questions). Many of them were asking to bring more things in from home - magazines and pictures and ribbon, etc. AWESOME! There are some serious attitudes in that class ... including another needy male! I had to talk with him one-on-one (just like the one in the 3-D class, did I mention that) in the hallway, talking about the problem, how it was disrupting the class and options for solving it. Hopefully the situations will disolve some ...
The two 8th grade classes got story time today - I gathered them around in a semi-circle (allowing them to sit on the floor, in chairs, and on the tables) and explained how the story would relate to their project and then read them excerpts from the book Colors by Ken Nordine (awesome awesome illustrations and text). Then after "story-time" they got their crayon, adjective and emotion and then got to start looking for magazine clippings to represent those things ... they all thought I was crazy when they were starting it, but again by the end were enjoying it. We'll see how tomorrow goes with those 8th grade classes ...
Ok time to go write/touch up the final lesson plan (life & death t-shirts) and pack up my stuff.

Tuesday
Even day and day of last observation, woo. I did story time and cutting out collage pieces with both of my 8th grade classes and continued work on the representational self-portraits with my 7th graders. The 8th graders were a little wound during block 1 and more attentive during block 3, the latter being very surprising - I think they really enjoyed the book though, even talking about some of the illustrations and the "poems." I then got them started cutting out colors and things that represented their emotion and adjective they had drawn, encouraging them to keep everything in their baggies as they cut things out and looked. We definitely made a mega mess in all 3 classes as they are each using collage elements, but at least its not paint! Collage definitely has really easy clean-up as long as you keep things organized and have a good pick up system (piles of magazines and piles of trash - which can be swept from a table into the trash can). I know the classroom that my teacher and I have right now is small and may not always look neat, but between the two of us we can almost always find where things are suppose to go.
The 7th graders are really going on their self-portraits now, gluing, stapling, cutting and even weaving things into their spaces and grids. I asked them at the beginning of class today if they were starting to like their portraits and if it felt like they were good representations of them - it was a overwhelming yes, huge change from the beginning of the project (yay). I spent most of class scanning their pictures that they had brought in for the present and past portions of the project, which was a lesson in technology disconnect. I got all of the pictures scanned into the old computer (the one I use at school) and then discovered that I could not open them on the new computer (which the printer is connected to - problem). Then during the last class we had today one of the students accidentally knocked/pulled the scanner off of my desk (by the power cord I'm guessing) and the scanner fell to the floor in a couple pieces. I then got to learn/teach myself how to fix a scanner during planning. It was an educational day all around, but in the end everything turned out OK.
Now for paperwork, updating my portfolio, more planning, packing and probably a meeting in there too - yikes. Its gonna be a crazy last two weeks for sure!
My students today actually seemed genuinely sad that I would be leaving them soon, I'm gonna miss them too, awwwww/sniff sniff.

Wednesday
This week is flying by way too fast! Today was another odd day ... Cups and saucers with the 3D kids, color collages with the 8th graders, and representational self-portraits with the 7th. The 3D kids will finish their cups and saucers on Friday and hopefully be able to seal them with the acrylic gloss and then have time left over to start on their t-shirt lesson. I'm hoping that 2.5 days will be enough to finish the t-shirts because I dont want to leave my teacher with a lesson to finish - but we already have the supplies to do the project too. I'm going to use my planning period tomorrow to test out the process and create another sample for the life/death shirt - maybe explore one of the ones I didn't use when I did this project in college. I'm really excited to start on that ... I just have two students that are dragging behind in the painting of the cup and saucers, so they are going to have to "get busy," as I frequently tell them. Some of the 7th graders spotted them today and though they were really cool, thats one way you know you have a good project - its when other students want to do it too!
The 7th graders will get one more day to finish their representational self-portrait grids - my teacher and I are going to keep some to put in the downstairs lobby display case when they are done. I spent their class today scanning pictures and helping them with any questions they had too. I came in this mornging and had figured out (I now dream about teaching as well) that I could hook up the printer to my school computer and the scanner too - allowing us to print what we needed. Technology has been my biggest enemy this week for sure, but I have adapted as needed and fixed things as they broke/malfuntioned.
The two 8th grade classes worked on their collages today - many students finished the actual collage and will be ready to do their poems and illutrations next class - I think these were quick but meaningful projects for them. I got to be a counselor for one of my female students in my 3rd block class today while I was circulating and helping - her boyfriend had broken up with her and she was very upset. Its amazing how art class, because it provides a chance to talk often turns into a guidance office a little bit too. As both a student and now a teacher, that is one aspect of art class that I have always enjoyed - its a time and place for sharing of all sorts.
My block 4 8th graders were a bit more of a challenge - they had to stay after the bell rang today because they wouldn't quiet down when I was instructing. They take class time, I take their time - I think its finally starting to take effect. I also had to deal with my difficult boys - one of them playfully tossed a balled up magazine page at me while I was giving instructions to the class. I sent him out in the hall, finished my instructions and then had a talk with him about appropriate classroom behaviour - warning him that if he did anything like that again (disrupting the class, etc.) he would be given silent lunch, and after that he would be talking to the office. I hate having to do that to a student, but he's a repeat offender and he's got to learn how to control himself. Sigh, I'm going to be just like my mom and end up crying when I have punish my own children ...
I can't believe I only have 6 more days left! I got a fantastic and touching compliment from my cooperating teacher today, she told me that of all of her student teachers, I was probably her best - that I was the whole package - wow. : )

Thursday
Chaos, today, definitely chaos - even though it was an even day. Technology was against me today - first it was my school computer, then it was the scanner, then the printer ... I spent two class periods today struggling with it and trying to teach at the same time. Very tricky and frustrating - all my 7th grade girls were waiting for their pictures and getting frustrated with me and I had to keep cool and collected, a test in patience and working under pressure. Finally a solution was reached during planning and my teacher and I also figured out how to still do my life and death t-shirt lesson (which needs a scanner) without using our now broken scanner - the computer won't recognize it. I'm going to play around with it more tomorrow, trying to hook it up to my teachers' newer computer, importing it through Photoshop Elements, if I can find the scanner software - otherwise, a computer teacher said that I could come down to her classroom and use the scanner - then put them on the network to print from the printer in our classroom. Also during our planning period I showed my teacher how to create the iron ons from the computer - thats part of the fun/experience of student teaching is trading knowledge on art techniques or art making. I have learned how to mosaic and weave baskets and I have showed my teacher things on the comptuer. I can't believe exactly a week from today it will all be over, suddenly it all moved so quickly - every time I mention it to my students (reminding them, so it doesn't come "out of the blue"), many of them either fake being happy or say that they will miss me. I really have begin to wonder if I want to teach or do design - I was so sure it was design when I went into student teaching, I think now I know I am capable of managing my own classroom, coming up with lesson plans and really enjoying helping students learn.