Reflective Take on Secondary Education

During this past semester, I have had many new experiences that have affirmed that I want to work with high school students. I think that it is a challenge to work with high school students, but it is a challenge that is welcomed in my book. I think that working with high school students is a way to keep you on your toes, as while you will hold them accountable for work, they will also hold you accountable for yours. I was surprised how after a little push and effort the students opened up. I was surprised to have a student try to put me in my place infront of her peers, and I was surprised that I innately new how to handle the situation. You can only read about that so many times, but when you are put on the spot you don't necessarily respond the right way. I was surprised that my initial reaction was to stay calm and show her the evidence of what was being argued.
This past semester only leaves me anticipating the next time I get to work in a classroom. I enjoy it a great deal and know that I am on the right path for myself. I enjoyed sharing my excitement and enthusiasm for art, and am looking forward to making my career out of this.
As I go on with Art Education, I look forward to expanding the types of projects I will have my students explore. I believe in self expression through art as a way to keep students engaged and excited about what is happening in the world through art, and hope to incorporate some sort of projects in sculpture, clay, mixed media, drawing, painting, etc. I believe in completing the projects you assign ahead of time in order to understand what you are holding you students accountable for. By doing this I will also stay fresh when it comes to art work and I will be able to better help the students when problems arise. Speaking of creating artwork, several art teachers that I have talked to this semester encourage creating your own work within the classroom. I think that I will do this as a way to show students a little bit about me and that this is not just something that I care about from the hours of 8am to 5pm. This is something that I am truly passionate about and that is why I am going to a profession that art is such a dominant part of. I want my students to be able to understand that you can go into the world seeking a profession that doesn't feel like a job because of how much you love what it consists of.

Reflective Experience

If I could go back and redo the project that I worked on with my students, I would have given jobs to each of the students to complete. By doing this I would have been holding them accountable for a piece of work, which I don't think was something that was often done in the classroom on a regular basis. When I teach this in my own classroom, I will have each group of students comprise a list of what they want the project to include, and I will have a copy made for each of the members of the group, as well as a copy for myself. If any conflict should arise between the students about the direction of the project, we can simply just pull out the list and go over what isn't working from their initial jumping off point. Also, on this list the students will list what jobs are whose after the students themselves have decided this. When I do a project like this I will make it clear to students that in addition to me grading the over all project, I will also grade how each person worked. In addition to me grading each individual, I will have their peers grade how they worked within the group. This will factor into their final grade for the project. I think that by holding students accountable it ensures that each student will take part in the class and projects.
The lesson I worked on with students was a life size mural of a woman and child. It ended up being one panel because of time constraints and lack of manual labor, but was supposed to be one of three panels. During this project there was arguments over the racial portrayals of persons in the painting, who should be included and why, etc. I think that next time I will make sure that we pick subjects that represent an idea of the type of person we are trying to portray, instead of a specific individual.

Building a Community

I will build a community by establishing early on with my students that issues surrounding gangs, social or economic status, cliques, etc. are simply will not be a part of the art room. I will make sure that my students understand that when they walk through that door, any negative attitudes towards one another and each others choice in life style, friends, dress, and any other form of choice or just how a person lives, learns, etc. will not be attacked. Community will be built by completing projects that emphasize each individuals life and their self expression. I think that when students see eachothers work, it will leave them with a different impression of one another. I always found that I learned the most about my peers through critiques of their work. It is in this environment that the artist is encouraged to talk about thoughts, experiences, etc. that inspired them to create art. When you see an individual in this way, on a whole new level, it encourages you to open up your mind to possibilities. My art teacher in high school conducted our classroom in a way that encouraged community and I can't remember a time when I really felt left out or out of a group in the art room. There were not cliques, opinions on dress or any of these stress producing issues that you encounter in high school, because we understood that these we not to enter into the classroom unless we were going to use them for our personal creative purposes. I made friends from all different groups in the art room throughout my years in high school, and we didn't necessarily run in the same groups. I think that if you encourage your students to be open minded, accepting and respectful, and establish rules, the rest will take care of itself.