Week #9: The final four ...

Monday
Today started my last week of student teaching - WOW! How is it here all ready? After this week and a lot of paperwork, I'll be able to submit for my VA Art Educ. K-12 teaching liscence, amazing.
Back to today though, first off - its an even week ... at this point I am just finishing the color collage lesson with the 8th graders and the representational self - portraits with the 7th graders, then handing the classes back over to my teacher. The first 8th grade class started on the new lesson of Georgia O'Keeffe style flower watercolors when I was out at my interview two Fridays ago, viewing a Powerpoint presenation and starting to sketch closely cropped flower images. They continued with this for what was suppose to be the first part of class - but actually turned into all class. I circulated and helped students arrange their viewfinders for the best cropping of the flower so they could sketch them into their sketchbooks and then transfer them (enlarged) to watercolor paper for their final. Many of them realized today that art can still involve a fair amount of math, they had to measure their cropping, then the square for their sketch, then double that for their final image. The students got so wrapped up in their flowers so they will have to finish their collages on Weds.
The 7th graders finished up their represenational self-portraits - which look awesome! (and are now up in the display case in the school entrance/lobby). I was going to give them only 30 min. so they would have the other hour to start the clay lesson with my teacher and then they begged for another 15 minutes, which turned into about 20 ... in other words, they just got the run down on clay vocab, a demo and got set up with supplies for next class. There were still students that had not finished their self-portraits, but sometimes you just have to move on and then give them a make-up day later in the 6 weeks. The clay project they are going to be doing next seems really fun, I wish I was going to be around for the whole project! They get to use all different techinques of handbuilding with the clay and in the end create a made-up creature - my teachers' example looked like Alf, from the T.V. show, like ump-teen years ago, haha.
The second 8th grade class, worked on their watercolor sketches before lunch and then after lunch were to finish up their color collages - although some of them still are not done. If they had finished their collage and accompanying poem, they were to continue work on their watercolor sketches. On Weds. (when they are in there again) they will get a watercolor demo (they are going to be using watercolor from tubes! a new experience for me) and start painting their flowers - if there is time, they will try to finish their collages. However, just like the 7th graders, they will have a make-up day later on to finish any unfinished projects. I like that kind of set-up - it allows for the pace to continue without making slower working students suffer and without making faster working students slow down!
During planning today I worked on organizing my paperwork, which is all due tomorrow at my last seminar - after school, aloong with my teaching portfolio, which I need to update tonight. In other words, I gotta get busy on that tonight! I also put up more of the collages, self-portriats, and fixed up the cup and saucers in the display case. Ok, paperwork and portfolio time ...

Tuesday
... was a blur. I spent the day trying to multitask - teaching (as well as passing control back over to my cooperating teacher) and prepping my portfolio (which was due today at my last Student Teaching Seminar at 4:30). The 3D class needed the most attention today, they were suppose to brainstorm and sketch for their "life and death" (or cause and effect, as it is turning out so they don't become so morbid or try to include hunting) t-shirts. It took them awhile to really get rolling, my teacher and I turned it into a class discussion instead of individual work. The brainstorming session worked pretty well and students went down to the computer lab to look up references (which they were suppose to do over the week-end, but I digress). I think there will be some successful ones though, one student is going to do a coffee cup and newspaper on the front and a starbucks cup and cell phone on that back. I love it! What a statement about the progression of modern society. Very clever, though it was achieved through some guidance and group collaboration, but that is how the best design concepts are born. I really enjoy doing design based projects because I feel like I can really give valid advice and have solid experience to draw from... which reminds me that Thurs. I'm going to bring in my graphic design portfolio to share with them and my other classes. The 7th graders took 30 min. to finish up their representational portraits, then started on the clay project (can I say again, I really wish I was going to be there to do that with them, I love clay). It was actually pretty cool, my teacher really laid down the law today when she took back over - saying that she was going to use the same classroom management techniques I had been using and explained what behaviors she expected from them the rest of the semester. Rock on. She also did the same speech in the two 8th grade classes (which really needed it) when they came in. The 8th graders started on their O'Keeffe watercolors and then while they were working on those, they could also have time to finish their color collages. I moved around the room and helped them when they needed it with both projects. The watercolor is another one I wish I was staying for ... bummer. How is this all over already? I feel like the next two days (since I'm only teaching the 3D class officially) are kinda "lame duck" days. Each class that comes in, I've been reminding them that my last official day is Thurs. that way when I am gone, its not like I disappeared. This news has met more positive reactions than I thought, many students that I didn't think even liked me made it a point to express their disappointment in my leaving. Aw.