This year our Art Club was given the opportunity to create a mural for our local Library. We spent all year working on the design, construction and painting. We were thrilled with the final results and it was an amazing experience to work with my students in creating something that will be on display for years to come!
My high school students finished their Expressive Color Portraits in oil pastel last week and I couldn’t be more pleased with the results! While I have taught this project many times before, I think that this year’s work is truly amazing! In the past I have allowed my students to choose between oil or chalk pastel and left their color choices fairly open. This year each of my students chose oil pastel, allowing for a more cohesive look in the work. I also encouraged students to select an analogous color scheme, while prefacing (that regardless of color choice) students would place a large emphasis on capturing accurate value. Here are some photos of the classroom display my student’s hung and a few close up shots. Enjoy!
The only slightly disappointing result was that the majority of my students chose blue-centric color schemes, limiting the variety in student color exploration. This is one downfall of having a teacher demo for each project, it can lead to some copy-cat behavior. All in all I couldn’t be more pleased with their phenomenal work and my students are very proud of the results!
In the mean time- Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!! I’ve enjoyed a lovely break with family and friends full of cooking, games and laughter! My class will be starting their sculpture unit next, so the rest of my holiday weekend will be filled with brainstorming paper-mache ideas, hours of Pinterest research and developing a Powerpoint to get the creative juices flowing. Gosh do I love my job!
Upon completing my BFA and subsequent Art Education licensure, I felt completely prepared to teach art. I was absolutely overflowing with confidence, ideas and enthusiasm. It was the idea of behavior management that petrified me!
I was beyond lucky to have the most amazing experiences and mentors in my early years and I credit them with my ability to lead a creative, productive and respectful classroom through consistency and kindness. Im not intimidating- my students (and the occasional peer) have been known to say that I am “too nice”. However, I am proud to say that my students know that when they enter my classroom they are expected to try their hardest every day and treat themselves, their peers, their teachers and the classroom materials with respect.
I have devoted my career to teaching art in alternative programs for at-risk students, many with special needs. This path inspired me to pursue a Masters Degree in Special Education. The program of study provided a strong focus on emotional/behavioral support and classroom management. Many a tool entered my toolbox while completing my graduate studies. Here are a few Positive Behavioral Support (PBS) strategies that I have implemented in my classroom this year:
1.) Running Record- Behavioral Points
Students earn up to 3 points each day:
* 1 pt for arriving on time
* 1 pt for following classroom rules & expectations
* 1 pt for working productively
(an absence earns a 0 for the day)
2.) Points:
* Points are totaled weekly and entered in the grade-book as individual student participation points.
* Class points are added collectively as well.
3.) Incentive Chart:
* Each class that earns 80% of their total possible points for the week moves up a slot on an incentive chart.
* Incentives are suggested by the students at the beginning of the school year and the chart is posted visibly in the classroom besides the rules & expectations poster.
* This works wonders in a variety of ways: Students not only encourage each other to work to their full potential in order to receive incentives, they also have a visible reminder of their behavior, attendance and productivity.
Results of each week’s totals are posted on my board. This week we had a brownie and cupcake day.
I realize this is impossible in many classrooms- because of the number of students, cost and the amount of time that one would spend baking; however it has worked perfectly for me in my small specialized program! The kids look forward to their incentives and I am happy to reward kindness with kindness!
art room muse 