One year later (and the boulder so often present)

One year ago today I decided to start this blog. I was curious about blogging and thought it would be something challenging to learn. My theme was based on stones, which in turn was inspired by the book: Five Seconds at a Time. I chose the "stones" of gardening and drawing specifically as a means to try to put some balance in my life and some distance from my work as an elementary art teacher. 

I've been somewhat successful. This year I have definitely drawn more (and done a bit of printmaking and gone back to a bit of clay work too). We also finished our yard and I created a garden design that I think now will just need fine tuning (Ha, I'll wait and see). Both of these pursuits allow for continual growth and reflection but are not fluid actions and are most often interrupted by thoughts and activities related to the other stone (or boulder) in my life: school.

So for once, instead of featuring my accomplishments in the respective hobbies I've taken up, to celebrate this one year blogging anniversary, I will instead celebrate a few success stories of my students.

At the end of August of 2012, during the first week back to school, my associate principal came to me with news that a former student of mine had been partly inspired by what he learned in my art class to take up photography and record the close-up beauty of the animals that he adores. With the help of his parents he set up a website to sell his photographs and through the sale of his work he has been able to contribute money back towards wildlife conservation efforts. You can visit Adam's site here.

This school year, my class schedule has been tight with most of my classes being organized into two half hour blocks a week. It has been a challenging experience and a lot more work. I often have real doubts whether my students are receiving quality instruction or chances to express themselves fully or creatively.

Last Thursday we had student led conferences and parents had the opportunity to visit the art room which I had transformed into a gallery space. Surprisingly, it also gave me a chance to hear positive feedback from parents as proud children rushed to show them their pieces. It also helped me to see, in a new light, what students are accomplishing. A grade 1 student who has taken to heart a tip about how to add shadows to a snowman, a grade 3 student who has added his own personal flair in a red swirling line within an otherwise solid shape composition and a grade 4 student who has chosen to showcase her love of frogs in a paper collage (her Mom informed me that her daughter has two newly acquired pet frogs at home).

During the last few weeks I've introduced two iPad minis into the art room. Students have been thrilled with the chance to get to work with technology. I'm trying to view this very small amount of tech time as a chance for students to see that computers can be used as a production tool, not just a device for consumption. I promised to include a clip of the grade 2 pattern animation that is being worked on. The app we're using is Animation Desk. You can see a sample of student work in the video here... hopefully... I've been learning about digital video on the fly.

Yesterday as a grade 2 class finished up a colour mixing exercise inspired by Kandinsky, I heard a young girl exclaim: "Tyrone! How did you get THAT colour?!!" I'm always amused by students' excitement when they realize the incredible myriad of colours one can produce with a combination of just three primary colours plus black and/or white.

Grade 1: Self-Portrait in Winter, mixed media drawing*

Grade 3: Picasso Head, coloured marker and Sharpie

Grade 4: Paper Mola, construction paper collage

Grade 2: Kandinsky inspired colour mixing exercise (close-up), tempera paint

I've never had a profession that is all at once exhausting, frustrating, baffling, exciting, interesting, humourous and hopeful. In the next week I've got art work to upload to our on-line gallery (you can see the work from all our campuses here), hundreds of artworks to mark, lessons to prep, report card comments to prepare, committee meetings to go to, an inter-campus Artist Trading Card event to host and... meditating to do. (Yes, really. How else will I continue my reputation as "quiet and boring?")

I will also work to fit in drawings for long over due mail art, experimenting with some block printing ink I still haven't gotten too, magpie drawings and winter sowing.

I believe this is all called "over scheduling."

So, I'll be away from this blog for awhile. Perhaps I'll check-in at the end of March when I think by then I'll be able to get back to focussing more on just two stones.

Take care.

*Because this is a personal blog, I've left the identities of the above artworks anonymous. Within the next few weeks first name credit will be added to these images on our school on-line gallery.