So I'm T-minus 15 hours from (re)starting a new gig as an adjunct art education instructor. I just revised a college sylabus from two years ago. I want to go back in time and punch myself. I've think I've grown alot in the last few years as an educator. It's a weird feedback loop that might be too complicated to write about, but I'll try anyway. When I was first hired as an instructor at UNI, I don't honestly think I was ready yet to teach teachers (just coming to terms with this by the way, I always looked elsewhere for the origin of my discontent). I was still a little green; and in my own insecurities I retreated to what I "thought" I was supposed to do. I retreated to what I thought serious teacher education should look like despite my own misgiving of this for years, both as an undergrad student and as a practicing art teacher. I don't know that I was being true enough to who I was as a teacher... and what was working for me as an educator because I thought I had to present teaching as something else. I knew three things pretty early on in teaching post secondary. 1). I really wanted to get back to the public schools. 2). I was getting myself into way too many "Do as I say, and not as I do." situatioins in teacher education and I did not like that feeling at all. 3). When I got back to the public schools I was going rock it so hard, the kids wouldn't know what had hit them! So here's the weird feedback loop I'm trying to describe. Good public school teacher, transitioned to a mildly struggling/ not totally fulfilled college instructor, transitioned to a way better public school teacher, that is now finally transitioned back to adjuncting at the college level, and I could not be more excited to be back. I'm excited to have another opportunity to be more true myself and share the good stuff I've learned in this weird cycle. I'm excited to actually tell my college students "Do as I do... ya' know, if you want, because it's working for me. But if that doesn't jive with you, that's cool, find your own way." Doesn't quite have the same ring to it. The first few days of school can be tough, no doubt about it. But I've always told my kids that we don't "have" to talk about our classroom expectations, we "get" to. We technically don't "have" to do anything that I/we don't want. But we "get" to... along with that I've always believed that I can be one of the most silly, easy going teachers they'll ever had... if they get on board with my expectations. But I can also play the part of a butt-chewing tyrant if they need that... if they can't get on board with my expectations. This is split-personality disorder... I will be the type of teacher you need to succeed. But in the past few years of schooling, I've seen the normal rush of excitement at the new year's limitless potential get smashed in the face by the jackhammer of boredom. Students, teachers.. all excited to get things started reviewing common sense expectations and sucking out all the energy and enthusiasm for learning. Not the way I want to start the year off! So, what are the alternative. This year, in an attempt to be "leaner and meaner" I streamlined my classroom expectations talk to about 25 minutes. I'm agog that this used to take me multiple days! I didn't hand out classroom expectations that my kids would pretend to care about while I expected them to "silently read to yourself as I read them to you." They've feigned attention, but I knew and they knew that was fleeting at best. After that first day, all my syllabi just became wasted dead trees. So no more! Instead, I summarized my expectations- thinking about calling them goals next year- while I forced my kids to doodle. I think doodling is a serious and important endeavor that just happens to have the misfortune of having a silly name. Here are the results. Because sometimes you've just got to give it up for random, awesome, cool, beautiful things. That's why we're all here. The arts make life worth living. "Without the art the Earth is just eh." So, I'll be honest... this Monday, I kind of ran out of awesomeness toward the end of the day. Not really sure what it was; "a case of the Mondays," not being acclimated to the late start schedule, but I felt like I was dragging by the end of the day. This isn't a common feeling for me in the classroom. I usually go full tilt all day and then melt into my chair at about 3:!5. During this malaise, I noticed something that I wasn't really happy with. My attitude toward my students' learning and behavior was affected by my own spirits. While this seems like a no brainer, it made me think I was stuck in a "chicken vs. egg" scenario. Was I feeling a bit worn down because my students were testing boundaries and not too focused, or was this merely my perception of them given my own temperament? I honestly think it was the latter. Ultimately this got me to remember something I heard this summer. "We find in others those things we're looking for." I'm paraphrasing a bit, but how true! Teaching (parenting, coaching, working with others, communicating with others) can be a self-fulfilling prophecy where we only see in our students our own preconceived notions of broad generalizations. Teachers can all too easily let students' reputations proceed them. Teachers notions about "kids today" can taint how we deal with real, individual students. I started my teaching career in earnest in 2005. I graduated from UNI not even thoroughly convinced I wanted to be a teacher in 2001. I ABSOLUTELY FELL IN LOVE WITH IT! It transformed me... and I think the way th did that was by giving me the ability to always see the good in all of my students. So, I vow to you all, I'll never run low on awesomeness again. Today was much better! I had a few more cups of coffee and a bunch of candy at lunch! Love this video. "I want to be on the one that leads to awesome!" And he references Journey... c'mon!!!
Thinking about student voice and empowerment and i came across these fine folks on twitter. I want to work at a school that someday could represent on EduSlam.me. I am working to make my school be that school. Be the change you hope to see in the world. Don't talk about it, be about it! I've had an exciting summer filled with travel and educational leadership opportunities. In early to mid June I traveled around the state to various AEA locations to help spread the word about how the Art Educators of Iowa had drafted a framework for how Visual Arts supports the Iowa Core Curriculum. I traveled to Oklahoma City to attend the National Art Educators Association's Western Regional Leadership Conference in late June and the Art Educators of Iowa Leadership Retreat in late July. All these things have given me a renewed fire to get back into the classroom! In my nine years of teaching, I can honestly say that this is the most excited I've ever been to get the year started. I'm filled with new ideas and a renewed sense of focus. That focus has manifested itself in the form of mantras- I know that may sound silly but as I've reflected on the past year at CFCSD and the upcoming one, I keep coming back to this phrase. "Leaner and meaner." I don't mean that I plan on losing weight and being grumpy with the kids! But that I'm going to stealthier (I keep thinking "ninja like")in what I do in the classroom. I've been working on streamlining my curriculum and pedagogy. I'm going to focus on what I do well, on what I know works best with kids, and forget much the fluffy stuff, the busy work. Do fewer things, but do them better. I have a couple different mantras for my students as well- this can't be all about me. But I'll share those later.
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AuthorMS Art Teacher. Also husband, father, artist, runner, avid gardener, and general ne'er do well. Archives
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